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Sweet Tooth

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Sweet Tooth

By: Ian McEwan
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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About this listen

Ian McEwan’s mastery dazzles us in this superbly deft and witty audiobook of betrayal and intrigue, love, and the invented self.

Serena Frome, the beautiful daughter of an Anglican bishop, has a brief affair with an older man during her final year at Cambridge, and finds herself being groomed for the intelligence services. The year is 1972. Britain, confronting economic disaster, is being torn apart by industrial unrest and terrorism and faces its fifth state of emergency. The Cold War has entered a moribund phase, but the fight goes on, especially in the cultural sphere.

Serena, a compulsive reader of novels, is sent on a ‘secret mission’ which brings her into the literary world of Tom Haley, a promising young writer. First she loves his stories, then she begins to love the man. Can she maintain the fiction of her undercover life? And who is inventing whom? To answer these questions, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage – trust no one.

The Sweet Tooth audiobook is beautifully narrated by Juliet Stevenson.

 20th Century Espionage Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Witty

Critic Reviews

Highly entertaining
Gloriously readable and, at times, wickedly funny
Sweet Tooth takes the expectations and tropes of the Cold War thriller and ratchets up the suspense, while turning it into something else... A well-crafted pleasure to read, its smooth prose and slippery intelligence sliding down like cream
Sublime...impressive...rich and enjoyable
Riveting... Delicious... Gripping
A brilliant portrayal of 1970s Britain at its absolute worst… But it's also a gripping spy novel with some characteristic McEwan twists toward the end
A web of spying, subterfuge, deceit and betrayal... Acute, witty...winningly cunning
Playful, comic... This is a great big Russian doll of a novel, and in its construction – deft, tight, exhilaratingly immaculate – is a huge part of its pleasure...exerts a keen emotional pull
McEwan’s mastery dazzles us in this superbly deft and witty story of betrayal and intrigue, love, and the invented self
Fans of Ian McEwan should rejoice with the arrival of this novel... An extraordinary, irresistible work of fiction
All stars
Most relevant
sweet tooth is well written but, as it is essentially a writer writing about writing, I found it a bit self indulgent. In my opinion, McEwan writes with more confidence in his understanding of the female psyche than he should, and the denouement is a "clever" literary device but unsatisfactory.

A bit too clever

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It was a bit slow, taking a long time to go not very far. I don’t think the steaks were quite high enough. But having said that, it was beautifully written and very engaging. It’s slowly build the tension and lead to a very satisfying ending. I really enjoyed it in the end.

Yeah, good

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Absolutely brilliant storytelling. From the opening twisting prose to the last, sensual syllable. Ten from ten 10/10 ✨

Brilliant!

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The narrator's voice suited the era of the novel perfectly. Historical content underpinned a time of revolutionary ideas, and as an Australian, gave me insight into other times in world politics, when day to day freedoms were restricted.

Intriguing

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McEwen managers well to write this story from a female perspective. Well embellished by the wonderful narration. I was quite entertained and enjoyed the twist at the end.

A Twist of Fate

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Well written. Slow build but great ending.
And beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson. She’s great.

Good story

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Loved this spy thriller romantic suspense. The deep emotional twist and turns with clever insights into human motives and betrayals. Highly recommend.

Another Excellemt Story

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It’s rare to find a book that is as well-plotted as it is written, and Sweet Tooth is no exception. McEwan’s genius shines through in his exquisite plot, which is perfect for those in the mood for a post-Cold War semi-spy story set in England. If you’re looking for a book that has it all, Sweet Tooth delivers in spades. The audiobook is also exceptionally well-narrated.

The prose and the plot

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