The Silver Swan

A Novel

By: John Banville, Benjamin Black

Narrated by: Timothy Dalton

Two years have passed since the events of the bestselling Christine Falls, and much has changed for Quirke, the irascible, formerly hard-drinking Dublin pathologist. His beloved Sarah is dead, the Judge lies in a convent hospital paralyzed by a devastating stroke, and Phoebe, Quirke's long-denied daughter, has grown increasingly withdrawn and isolated.

With much to regret from his last inquisitive foray, Quirke ought to know better than to let his curiosity get the best of him. Yet when an almost-forgotten acquaintance comes to him about his beautiful young wife's apparent suicide, Quirke's "old itch to cut into the quick of things, to delve into the dark of what was hidden" is roused again. As he begins to probe further into the shadowy circumstances of Deirdre Hunt's death, he discovers many things that might better have remained hidden, as well as grave danger to those he loves. Haunting, masterfully written, and utterly mesmerizing in its nuance, The Silver Swan fully lives up to the promise of Christine Falls and firmly establishes Benjamin Black (a.k.a. John Banville) among the greatest of crime writers.

©2008 Benjamin Black (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The eagerly awaited sequel to Christine Falls is brought to lief by none other than James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, in a reading so good it will make listeners giddy with delight...It's all thrilling, honest, and raw.” —AudioFile

“...the second in Black's Quirke series, offers an excellent opportunity for Dalton to flash his acting chops. Dalton's reading is hushed, intense and dramatic, read as if being performed onstage.” —Publishers Weekly

“Elegant and elegiac are not words often used to describe the prose in a whodunit, but author Benjamin Black isn't the usual perpetrator of whodunits...Black casts a slick of despair over his carefully plotted narrative, the characters all seeming to yearn for a ntoe of grace to enter their bleak lives...As before, Timothy Dalton's brilliant performance is as nuanced as the story, his voice a mirror of its moods.” —BookPage

Can I give Timothy Dalton 6 stars?

Timothy Dalton could make a catalog sound exciting. Another great listen from my new favorite author.
Not happy with app.

Interesting story, great narration

Kind of a fun little mystery story, very good narration by Timothy Dalton. I recommend.

Great Series, Excellent Narration

This is the second in a trilogy (so far) of Quirke mysteries. The stories are compelling, the characters very real and Timothy Dalton's eloquent narration is spot on. I've listened to all three novels and he enunciates so well I haven't missed a word. Best narration I've heard of the twenty books I've purchased from Audible so far.

Compelling story The

Excellent character development, one of the villains in this story reminded me of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray.

Timothy Dalton is a treat to listen to and I will be downloading the next story in the series. Thank you for an enjoyable listen.

Sneaks up on you

When I began listening to this book I was a little confused and had a little difficulty putting the pieces together. But once they came together I had even more difficulty turning off my IPOD and leaving the car. This is a GREAT story with breathtaking narration. Like a prior reviewer said, I would double back to hear the beauty of the authors phrasing. This is the first Benjamin Black book I have ever listened to and I was captivated by the imagery. Enjoyed every minute of this one and I am heading into Audible to buy more that he wrote and look up more that Tim Dalton narrates.

Banville, you swot OR Death is a rough customer.

"Everything rushes back. Everything replaces itself."
-- Benjamin Black (or John Banville), The Silver Swan

'The Silver Swan' is Benjamin Black's (alter ego of John Banville) second Quirke novel. There is something about Dublin in the 50s that makes sense for a noir novel. The rain. The brooding. The whiskey. The sh!t food. The damp seediness and decay (both material and moral).

Quirke is a perfect character for these novels. He is an off-the-wagon ('Christine Falls'), on-the-wagon ('The Silver Swan') pathologist who seems to have just as much trouble with his own family dynamics as he does with his work. He is all over ethical lines and exigencies, lonely, introverted, with a "hard heart and hot soul."

Black, the alter-ego, gives Banville the room and excuse to let loose a bit. He isn't aiming for poetic prose, but just mood and thrill. He's able to wack at a couple festering issues (Catholicism, poverty, sex, death, marriage, drugs, women, family) without having to make it so damn serious. In a period when a lot of good literary fiction is actually genre fiction, I rather enjoy it when an author is able to jack around the authorial persona AND play with the genre too.

This is a pot boiler that never is quite allowed to boil (think of trying to cook Ramen on Everest). Black is a tease. Quirke is a charade. His name is a game. That said, these aren't fun novels. I've only read two, mind you, but Banville/Black's books can only be considered funny in the way a kick in the balls or a chemical burn is funny. These novels are arresting. They are painful in parts. They are a throb, a choke, a tease and a cough, but never -- no never once -- a tickle. If you like Banville, crime fiction, genre fiction, etc., you should probably give these a shot. You won't tattoo many lines on your arm from these books, but they may leave you scarred anyway.

Very Irish Dark

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yep. Great story and made even better by Timothy Dalton's dark voice.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters were multi dimensional and were revealed in the story in an interesting way -

What does Timothy Dalton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is just so rough and gruff and dark. Perfect for these stories. In addition he seems to understand the material and the words. His inflection are on target. He's a good actor.

It my most favorite series now

Wow I just love this series and especially the reader is just so amazing. I have decided this is my favorite

Timothy Dalton is the best!

I enjoyed the book but listening to Timothy Dalton read it is exquisite!! I could listen to him read the newspaper! Sure wish he would have done more.

Fabulous narration, pretty good story too

I enjoyed this book even more than Christine Falls, but not as much as Elegy for April. Timothy Dalton is fabulous, fabulous, fabulous in bringing the characters to life. I can't imagine a better narrator.