- Title:
-
Victoria Park (MP3)
- Written by:
-
Gemma Reeves
- Read by:
-
Henry Goodman
- Format:
-
Unabridged MP3 CD Audio Book
- Number of CDs:
-
1
- Duration:
-
8 hours 4 minutes
- MP3 size:
-
349 MB
- Published:
-
January 07 2021
- Available Date:
-
January 07 2021
- Age Category:
-
Adult
- ISBN:
-
9781867508793
- Genres:
-
Fiction; Contemporary; Contemporary Fiction; Literary Fiction
- Publisher:
-
Bolinda audio
Qty
Format
Price
Bolinda price
Debut novel
UK Author
A playful, lyrical debut title about otherness, change, and the gap between generations in a London community.
Mona and Wolfie have lived on Victoria Park for over 50 years. As their 65th wedding anniversary approaches, they must decide how to navigate Mona’s declining health. Bookended by the touching exploration of their love, Victoria Park follows 12 people living in their shared east-London neighbourhood over the course of a single year. As the months unfold, ordinary days give way to extraordinary moments. A young man finds more than he bargains for when he breaks into a house. A couple navigate IVF with varying degrees of enthusiasm. A mother struggles with the morality of reading her daughter’s diary. Meanwhile, the lingering memory of an acid attack in the park sends ripples of unease through the community.
Told from multiple perspectives against a backdrop of the changing seasons, these carefully interwoven tales create a rich tapestry of a novel and a meditation on resilience, love and loss.
'Victoria Park is a beautifully-written novel, which interrogates alienation, change, and the unlikely and sometimes unknown ties that exist within a London community. It is original, thought-provoking, and I loved its reflection on moments of quiet revelation.'
Elizabeth Macneal, author of Circus of Wonders
Part novel, part connected stories, this audiobook features a detailed series of character sketches that center around the titular London neighborhood. Henry Goodman is a deft narrator who creates accents, voices, and three-dimensional personalities for the figures in the novel. At times, his vocal quality becomes so velvety-gruff that phrases acquire an indistinct edge. The listener can readily adapt to this, but it does impact the overall effect of the delivery. Some characters are more believably rendered than others, but the collection creates a world worth visiting, whether one is looking through the eyes of an older neighbor or a younger one. No matter whose story is at the fore, the moments captured through these lives are heartfelt and real. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
AudioFile Magazine