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Shades of Grey cover art

Shades of Grey

By: Jasper Fforde
Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
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Publisher's Summary

"Hundreds of years in the future, after the Something that Happened, the world is an alarmingly different place. Life is lived according to The Rulebook and social hierarchy is determined by your perception of colour.Eddie Russett is an above average Red who dreams of moving up the ladder by marriage to Constance Oxblood. Until he is sent to the Outer Fringes where he meets Jane - a lowly Grey with an uncontrollable temper and a desire to see him killed.

For Eddie, it's love at first sight. But his infatuation will lead him to discover that all is not as it seems in a world where everything that looks black and white is really shades of grey . . .If George Orwell had tripped over a paint pot or Douglas Adams favoured colour swatches instead of towels . . . neither of them would have come up with anything as eccentrically brilliant as Shades of Grey."

©2010 Jasper Fforde (P)2010 Isis Publishing Ltd

What listeners say about Shades of Grey

Average Customer Ratings
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A world mostly seen in monochrome

Loved this book. Excellent reading. I enjoyed the way the story developed.
Fantasy world where a future is imagined that's not the typical scifi.
Well worth listening to

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2 people found this helpful

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another classic from jasper fford

I absolutely love Jasper Fforde and I love this book. Every time I reread his books I always pick up on something I hadn't before, they're so clever and funny. The only problem is that I have been waiting for the next book to learn more about Eddie and Jane's plans for what feels like an age! Who do I have send down to the Well of Lost Plots to get a sequel?!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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No not that Shades of Grey

Like all of Fforde’s books, it is a journey into a world of his making. Funny, enchanting and an ending that is so unexpected, I was left very unsettled and desperate for the next book. Thankfully the second in the series has been released so you will not have to wait to find out what happens next.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Witty and well delivered

An excellent story, very entertaining and comedic throughout. Comedy meets dark undertones. Also a great narration

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Whacky

I really enjoyed the weird and wonderful world JF created and the characters are pretty good as well. This is a world where most people can only see part of the normal human colour spectrum and there are rules about how everyone interacts based on the degree of this ability. The hero seems quite spineless and obedient for the most part, but he has his moments and the general weirdness kept me engaged.

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Always a favourite

I’ve loved this book since it was a new release. The premise is great, and the puzzles (trying to work out the real world landmarks hundreds of years into the future, etc) are so much fun. It’s a ridiculous, witty book that I’ll never stop loving. The narrator wasn’t the voice I would have expected but he does a surprisingly good job.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Not Ffordes best work

An interesting listen, and well written. but it lacked the pace of some of his other writing and the characters weren't as loveable.

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Shades of Grey

Another great read by Jasper Fforde. A tale of lies, control, mystery and murder... Oh, and Yataveo and bouncing boats!

I am looking forward to the release of the sequel later this year.

Well narrated and engrossing.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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not his best work

this isn't as good as the other Jasper Fforde work. story is pretty laboured and goes no where quickly.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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enjoyable

starts off a bit dull and frustrating, but the cleverness and wit picks up as the plot progresses and characters develop.

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