All the audiobooks reviewed on Bertie’s Books — literary fiction, prize contenders and anything else that catches my ear. Click a title to read the review and watch the full video.
Latest Reviews
Partita
Barbara Kingsolver | Narrated by Megan Tusing | Piano performances by Han Chen
Partita is an ambitious novel by an exceptionally talented writer, and there are moments of genuine beauty within it.
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The Disappearers
Marlon James · Narrated by Andrew Clarke and an ensemble cast
An ambitious novel with moments of dark humour and genuine pathos. The narration is excellent, but at nearly 23 hours, the repetition and lack of narrative momentum made this a demanding listen.
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The Renovation
Kenan Orhan · Narrated by Nadia Albina
A strange and moving novel about exile, family, grief and a very unexpected bathroom renovation.
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John of John
Douglas Stuart · Narrated by Lorne MacFadyen
Island life captured beautifully, with a selfish, compelling central character who isn’t always easy to like — but is very difficult to stop listening to.
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The Things We Never Say
Elizabeth Strout · Narrated by Robert Petkoff
Quiet, beautifully observed writing, with excellent narration — and very little waffle.
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Black Bag
Luke Kennard · Narrated by Luke Kennard
Funny, inventive and increasingly absorbing — and very well narrated.
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May We Feed The King
Rebecca Perry · Narrated by Sarah Barron and Ian Dunnett Jnr.
Rich, unusual and beautifully detailed. There’s an enormous amount to take in, but I never felt I was drowning in it — I was luxuriating in it.
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The End of Everything
M. John Harrison · Narrated by Russ Bain
Short, strange and thoroughly intriguing. I wasn’t always sure what was happening — I even listened to the ending again — but I wanted to understand it.
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Switzy
Emma Cline · Narrated by Robert Petkoff
Terrific writing and outstanding narration, even if its characters aren’t always easy to like.
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The Palm House
Gwendoline Riley · Narrated by Nathalie Buscombe
Quiet, intimate and beautifully observed. Despite some distinctly uncomfortable moments, this short novel had the rather lovely feeling of a warm blanket.
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Helen of Nowhere
Makenna Goodman · Narrated by Michelle Asante
Ambitious and unconventional, but its ideas overwhelmed the story and left me cold.
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The Shadow of the Object
Chloé Aridjis · Narrated by Emer Kenny
Short, strange and deliberately elusive. I listened to the ending, went back and read it — and still wasn’t entirely sure what had happened.
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The Vivisectors
Missouri Williams · Narrated by Genevieve Gaunt
Ambitious, strange and full of ideas — but when my mind wandered, I couldn’t be bothered to rewind. And then there were the gardeners. Gardeners everywhere.
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Land
Maggie O’Farrell · Narrated by Dane Whyte O’Hara
The book that started Bertie’s Books. Superb writing and an ambitious, sprawling story — although nearly seventeen hours and rather a lot of storylines made this an uneven first outing.
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