Tedious listen

Was tempted to download this book based upon the reviews. As a fan of Kare Morton it really sounded as if it would have been right up my street, however after 2 hours of listening I abandoned it and have returned it. Tedious and dull was my verdict I'm afraid. Just too slow. I tried I really did, but it was took too long to go anywhere. Thinking that the author may have been trying to build tension and intrigue, I persevered but unfortunately I just didn't care enough about the characters to keep going. It just didn't grip me.

7 people found this helpful

Wow - how long winded was this book

I felt there was a good story in here, but it crushed my soul waiting for it to emerge. It meandered away from the plot so much that I lost heart and I'm afraid I couldn't finish it. It's a very slow read.

7 people found this helpful

Too slow for me

I have to agree with Jenny who says that there is a good story in this book but it took an age for it to emerge. I did finish it but it was a trial. I felt the writing was good from an English viewpoint, it was easy to listen to the narrator but for me, there just wasn't enough happening to keep me interested. I see a lot of listeners thought it was a great listen and I guess if you like well read English prose without much in the way of twists and turns, then this is a book for you.

5 people found this helpful

YAWN + YUCK - TOO LONG + NEEDLESS ANIMAL CRUELTY

I loved The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde and was excited to get Black Rabbit Hall which I had been teetering on the brink of getting for ages but put off by bad reviews.
The synopsis looked similar and I love a long book so was hopeful but VERY hard to get into and could have done with being edited down to 1/3rd the length as just dragged and dragged and dragged with nothing much going on much like the endless days described in Black Rabbit Hall. Struggled to the end only by reading the epilogue and working back to see just what the big secrets were and what happened to everyone.
Sloppy introduction of major plot influencer dropped in half way through and upsetting and needless animal cruelty added to the disappointment. I say needless, but actually for me, these distressing incidents were the only real drama in the whole book. I have returned the last few books as this disturbing trend of adding in animal cruelty to spice things up seems to be returning. Apart from this being horrible to read it smacks to me of lazy writing - animals solely introduced to be pawns, collateral damage and shorthand for Watch out there is a madser about!
Had it not been for the gratuitous animal cruelty, then this story of mainly dull people (apart from the one dimensional Dad Hugo and similarly sketchy cliched Step Mother and the insufferable Momma) would have been an inoffensive meandering snoozefest - but instead I found it distasteful and having the only drama being the death of two animals and unlikely extreme parenting.
Do I want to return this title ... no, as fair's fair I struggled through it, the real issue is I would like my former good spirits and TIME wasted reading this dreary tome refunded as the two poor animals killed were actually far more characterful and appealing than the human residents of Black Rabbit Hall, leaving me rather depressed and disappointed rather than enriched by this book.
Unless your life and friends are very very dull I would not bother ...but I would recommend The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde which was written later so hopefully there will be more excellent books to come.

4 people found this helpful

A little out of the ordinary

The narrator drew me in immediately and held my attention throughout the book. Storyline not obvious, (to me at least). The characters believable; the attention to descriptions and details nicely done without slowing down the flow of the plot.

3 people found this helpful

Magical

What made the experience of listening to Black Rabbit Hall the most enjoyable?

The narrator was excellent!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amber. You really feel for her. Beautifully written character.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Something's calling you home....

3 people found this helpful

Riveting

Where does Black Rabbit Hall rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amber.

What about Antonia Beamish’s performance did you like?

Lovely narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, almost did.

Any additional comments?

Black Rabbit Hall is a great, intriguing read. I really cared about the characters.

3 people found this helpful

So good I listened twice !

Would you listen to Black Rabbit Hall again? Why?

Yes and I did. Not usually something I do but it was just so good. A lot to take in in one sitting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Rabbit Hall?

All of it really. It was so listenable

What about Antonia Beamish’s performance did you like?

Narration was excellent which is probably the reason I enjoyed it so much. Sometimes you get a great book but voice is terrible. It got me searching for other books Antonia Beamish has narrated.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Gentle but gripping. Thought provoking. Sadness tinged with madness.

Any additional comments?

I hope we have more from this writer soon.

3 people found this helpful

Good accompaniment to hours of baking!

Thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Didn't mind the narrator, so many annoy me one way or another. Brought the atmosphere of the house to life very well. Voiced Caroline perfectly in my opinion. Very easy to give identities to the characters. I lose interest in quite a few audiobooks and can't wait for them to finish, but not this one. Highly recommended.

5 people found this helpful

Loved this book

I loved this book. I'm a big fan of Kate Morton and this was very similar to her stories.

2 people found this helpful