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
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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