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Greenmantle

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Greenmantle

By: John Buchan
Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
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About this listen

 In Greenmantle, Richard Hannay, the South African mining engineer and war hero first introduced in Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps, travels across war-torn Europe in search of a German plot and an Islamic messiah.

He is joined by three others: John S. Blenkiron, an American who is determined to battle the Kaiser; Peter Pienaar, an old Boer Scout; and the colorful Sandy Arbuthnot, who is modeled on Lawrence of Arabia. Disguised, they travel through Germany to Constantinople and the Russian border to confront their enemies, the hideous Stumm and the evil beauty Hilda von Einem. Their success or failure could change the outcome of the First World War.

Spy guy: listen to more of Hannay's exploits in The Thirty-Nine Steps, which was the source for one of Alfred Hitchcock's classic films.(P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc. Classics Espionage European Literary History & Criticism Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense World Literature War

Critic Reviews

"A specialty audio, a classic, but definitely a 'thinking man's audio'. Bravo, Blackstone Audiobooks, which seems to find these gems!" (KLIATT)
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John Buchan's novels are both engrossing adventures and fascinating social history by now, a century after they were written.

Greenmantle takes us on a perilous journey with Richard Hannay, wonderfully described with details of the physical environment and his feelings along the way. But it also shows us the heroic, self-sacrificing attitude with which ordinary people played their part in the conflicts of the early 20th century. Yes, the paternalism and casual racism of this period is also on display but I've never let that interfere with my enjoyment of fiction that is a product of its time.

Robert Whitfield's narration suits this book very well; his Hannay sounds educated and principled and thoroughly British in outlook. His performance is expressive and pleasant to listen to, with just occasionally misplaced emphasis that would puzzle me until I checked the kindle text edition.

I enjoyed this adventure enormously; it made for a great audio experience.

Dashing adventure and a glimpse into the past

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John Buchan was an exceptional writer, his flow of words is magnetising, it’s not just some wordy tale, an over stacked story. No, but page by page unfolds such a richness. In it you are lifted through an extreme crafting, that regardless of whatever the outcome, here line by line you can enjoy a deep pleasure. Here the narration adds greatly, its not just a reading, but a fire is added to this story, a depth that reading alone does not have. Yes it in indeed a special tale, one not to miss!

Words really fail .....

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