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The Night Manager
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Thriller & Suspense
Non-member price: $49.17
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The complete collection of acclaimed BBC Radio dramas based on John le Carré's best-selling novels, starring Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley. With a star cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan, these enthralling dramatisations perfectly capture the atmosphere of le Carré's taut, thrilling spy novels.
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A product Of it's time
- By Jeremy on 28-10-2017
Publisher's Summary
The night manager is Jonathan, a veteran of clandestine operations. In flight from a failed marriage and his own past, he has taken refuge in the luxury hotel trade. Yet he finds no escape from his demons. Driven by a desire for atonement and by an inherited patriotism, Jonathan allows himself to be recruited as a British secret agent with a mission to expose the murderer of the woman he himself betrayed. His odyssey takes him across Britain and Canada to the Caribbean and the jungles of Panama. But there are more treacherous jungles still in Whitehall and Washington.
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What listeners say about The Night Manager
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anna Spencer
- 07-11-2017
Lost at Sea
Although I listened to the first chapter twice and persisted with the whole book, I found it very difficult to concentrate on and to follow the rather involved story. The narrator’s rather soporific voice did not help to hold my attention either.
Not having read any of John le Carré’s books, I did not know quite what to expect, but there were so many different characters, whose voices often sounded similar, that I became quite confused.
Perhaps this book would appeal more to someone who likes this genre, but I am not one of them. My neighbour saw the story televised and really enjoyed it; perhaps it is more suited to this medium, where one can see the characters, as well as hear them talk.
2 people found this helpful
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- Judith Cresswell
- 09-11-2017
Couldnt put it down .
I have listened to this three times in several months and loved every minute of it. Brilliant story and wonderful characters . Fantastic narration .
1 person found this helpful
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- Jase
- 16-10-2017
Hard to follow
Finally finished. I’m exhausted. In my opinion the story doesn’t work as an audiobook - it jumps around way to much and you have to join a lot of dots yourself . The ending was disappointing too. I really liked the narrator and will look for other titles he has read.
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- Not Half
- 04-11-2016
A gripping spy thriller from one of the best.
Where does The Night Manager rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It's up there amongst those I've enjoyed the most.
What other book might you compare The Night Manager to, and why?
The Constant Gardener, also by Le Carre which has similar themes and a similar male protagonist, although focused on corruption in the Pharmaceutical industry rather than in the arms trade.
Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?
Pine was probably my favourite, though a little bit wet sometimes.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
'From room service to the secret service' ;)
Any additional comments?
If you enjoyed the book, you'll enjoy the TV miniseries with Hugh Laurie and (swoon!) Tom Hiddleston, not to mention the fantastic Olivia Colman.
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- Anna
- 18-06-2016
boring
way too long, disappointing ending, tv mini series way better! very slow moving and irrelevant dialogue between main characters leading to confusion
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- Merle
- 04-09-2012
a masterpiece, the arms trade monster
John le Carre always draws the reader into the story he is telling, I kept questioning my own perceptions of where the law should or shouldn't apply. Supply meeting demand, and the people who are willing to be facilitators, create the monster in our midst with our tacit tolerance. A powerful story!
1 person found this helpful
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- Fox
- 06-09-2016
Lovely
I read books by John Le Carre before so I was quite ready for the slow pace. However this book still took me ages to finish. I think that this plot will work better as a tv show (which I'm yet to watch) but as a book it is a bit too contemplative and not engaging enough to keep you on the edge of the seat if you are expecting a James Bond type of spy novel. It is not. It never is with Le Carre as far as I can tell.
Even though I did enjoy listening to it, I expected an edgier and more twisted ending.
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- Nils
- 07-04-2015
Demands your attention, then rewards
So well-researched, so eloquently written, such a convincing story. Lots of moral indignation at political cynicism and piercing characterisations. This was my second listen to this book as I did not give it my full attention the first time around.
Well worth the time!
50 people found this helpful
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- Eileen
- 10-05-2012
A classic Le Carré
As usual from Le Carré a well paced thriller, drawing the eader into the psychological And intellectual aspects of the plot, it's a contempory account of political and criminal intrigue, the lines between good and bad, political manouverings and the expediency of the hero caught up in all of this is a common theme in Le Carrés books, but I think it is well done here. Definitely worth a listen. Great narration as well, always crucial to the enjoyment of a good listen!
18 people found this helpful
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- Rachel Redford
- 07-03-2016
Two can keep a secret only if one of them is dead
The ingredients of le Carre's 1993 novel may sound like spy thriller clichés - 50 million pound arms and drugs trafficking deals; complex agency and turf wars; exotic settings; killings, torture and near-killings; guns and more guns ... But this is le Carre who weaves these elements into a sophisticated narrative where every sentence is finely honed, the whole is cinematic and satisfyingly detailed and even the repugnant characters are irresistibly intriguing. The Night Manager of the hotel initially in Cairo, Jonathan Pine, is drawn into a complex plot of dangerous espionage and counter-spying in order to nail the vilely wealthy Onslow Roper not merely for his vast arms for cocaine trading but also for the part he played in the death of Sophie, the woman he loved.
The danger in this kind of novel is that a high-speed plot is all and the characters are one-dimensional, but this is not Le Carre's way. What makes Jonathan and the other characters we care about, such as Roper's English mistress Jed whom Jonathan comes to love, is their back stories which are deftly interwoven and which have no place in the television adaptation. Jonathan has an 'unsleeping past', neglected as a child and damaged by his relationships with women, which is recalled in brief, intriguing flashes inside his head, many of the incidents and feelings clearly taken from le Carre's own experiences. (Listening to Adam Sisman's Biography of le Carre downloadable from Audible makes enlightening background to le Carre's fiction). In the same way, Jed in her 'dressed nakedness' so fatally attractive to Jonathan is made a real woman trying to slough off a reckless, damaging past, not merely Roper's whore dressed by him in staggeringly costly dresses and decked in flashy jewellery as may appear on screen. There's a great deal of humour too - dark, cruel, satirical but funny - and a wealth of tiny details in description which make the listener focus on the close-up of the everyday as well as the wide sweeps of violence and intrigue, such as the little rabbits on a child's slippers.
The real star of this download is the narrator Michael Jayston. As the action races across continents including the Bahamas, Africa, Panama, Switzerland and a vast list of characters engage in fast-paced dialogue, Jayston has every accent right, every nuance, every mood captured, every cinematic scene fully but subtly exploited. It is quite remarkable and makes the whole listening experience something which a television adaptation however faithful, cannot be.
31 people found this helpful
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- C. M. E. Beckingham
- 23-08-2013
State of the Art Spy Fiction.
A contemporary tale from arguably the number one spy fiction writer ever. Gripping, compelling, believable, exciting.... in fact everything you expect and want from this genre is delivered with aplomb.
6 people found this helpful
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- Tim
- 22-02-2016
Outstanding
Not only up to the usual John Le Carre standards but as ever brilliantly read by Michael Jayston. His characterisations are fantastic. The BBC has just started to sir a new version of The Night Manager and having watched one so far I can say that for my money the book and this narration are an order of magnitude better. Don't spoil the book by watching the BBC edition, get this audible version instead.
5 people found this helpful
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- Ms Cherry P Heinrich
- 02-04-2016
Satisfying comparisons
I chose this original novel to listen to after watching the TV series. The comparisons are interesting not least because I have always previously given up on audio dramatisations of Le Carre's fiction because I've been unable to sufficiently distinguish the many different male characters. The TV version was appealing in part because of the realistically portrayed female characters, especially Angela (not Leonard) Burr. This original novel is darker, complex in a good way and although I find the lack of a believable female perspective irritating the writing is superb and I became totally immersed in the twists and turns. The ending mystified me. The narrator is practically perfect, I just substituted Olivia Coleman's voice in my head every time Burr speaks!
9 people found this helpful
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- Claire Wright
- 13-08-2014
A great listen.
What did you like most about The Night Manager?
Strong characterisation and a gripping storyline with a huge sweep of locations. As usual Le Carre handles the atmospheres brilliantly.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Night Manager?
The build up if suspense at the end of the book is momentous.
Have you listened to any of Michael Jayston’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Yes and this is one of his best. He seems to have a great affinity to Le Carre's characters.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
9 people found this helpful
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- Beenz 7
- 07-11-2019
Simply superb
Michael Jayston makes the most of le Carré’s riveting story. His voice - or rather, voices, accents and timing are spot on - I can’t think of better. I will listen to it again and probably again. Bravo!
2 people found this helpful
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- Paul J.
- 19-06-2019
Tedious played at 2x to get through it
It was a 2 for 1 offer and I had never read John Le Carre previously. I wish I hadn’t. Just too dated and not credible. I could add further negatives but you get the point. Not recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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- mark
- 09-08-2016
Brilliant..... But the end!?
Amazing in depth writing and gripping story but for all the detail and procrastination the end came too soon. Almost as if the author had gotten bored and didn't bother to finish with the same deep storytelling
2 people found this helpful
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