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The Unknown Ajax
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Publisher's Summary
Miles from anywhere, Darracott Place is presided over by irascible Lord Darracott. The recent drowning of his eldest son has done nothing to improve his temper. For now he must send for the unknown offspring of the uncle whom the family are never permitted to mention. Yet none of that beleaguered family are prepared for the arrival of the weaver’s brat and heir apparent.
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What members say
Average Customer Ratings
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5 Stars39
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5 Stars38
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5 Stars39
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- C
- 10-03-2018
Another delightful Georgette Heyer!
Narrator was very good with voices and expression. The story took a *long* time to get anywhere meaningful which made rhe fast paced ending a bit jarring and dislocated from the very slow, meandering majority of the book. The heroine was hard to sympathise or to associate with, although the Ajax himself is loveable and roguish. So overall a fairly predictable but still lovely Heyer adventure.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Vicki
- 25-11-2019
Funny and Charming
This was a wonderful story. It was beautifully written. I listened to it twice straight through. The exchanges between the characters are so funny. Hugo and Anthea are delightful. I wish I knew them. The plot all leads to a wonderful crisis. The narrator was wonderful. I really enjoyed this.
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- Margaret
- 05-02-2019
Great story line
This is one of Georgette Heyer’s great story lines. A pity it is let down by the orator. Someone should have told him how to pronounce ‘ton’ properly, and the Ajax voice interpretation is irritating.
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- Brian
- London
- 08-01-2019
Another GREAT story
One of the advantages of growing old is that one's memory becomes more and more lamentable which enables one to re-read Ms Heyer's historical romances many times with equal enjoyment. Go 'Team Heyer'!
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- Robyn Pitkin-Verry
- 06-09-2018
This book is very enjoyable. It transports one back in time.
I chose audible because ll
Like reading and listening because ii am not much good at Doing anything else
Am in my late seventies good
Giving
Reasons I s not
Easy Ve rye. Good
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- Rhonwyn Rasmanis
- 14-09-2017
illustration is really poor
check out the dogs fundamental orofice! your illustrator has a great sense of humor if few skills.
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- Farwan House Variety Store
- 13-06-2017
A mystery, with humorous romance
Vintage Heyer, wonderful characters, delightful plot, superb narrator. Daniel Philpot makes it come alive! Totally enjoyable
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- Ros H.
- NSW Australia
- 02-07-2015
One of Her Best
I really enjoyed this book by Miss Heyer. Although the Yorkshire accent and terminology of the main character Hugo was a bit hard to grasp at times.
The story of the family and how the new Heir would effect them all was written well. All up an enjoyable book.
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- Jane
- 07-04-2018
Sparkling wit and suspense
Daniel Philpot is a masterful voice actor and gives life to this amusing and suspenseful story of the Darracot family as they absorb an unfamiliar new member into their midst. The regional accents are rendered with verve and authenticity and the characters come to life with this engaging reading. Thoroughly enjoyable.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- bebe
- 04-06-2010
Another great Georgette Heyer romance
This is the story of Lord Darracott bringing his heir to his estate so he can whip him into shape for his interitance. The Lord, nor any of his family, have ever met the heir because the Lord never thought the estate would go to him (there were two others ahead of him). In fact the Lord never told his family that the person even existed. The new heir was born to a son that the Lord had thrown out of the house and his life because of what the Lord thought was a very imprudent marriage.
The new heir comes to the estate to meet the family. As the family sizes him up, he is also taking their measure. I love the heir (his name is Hugh). I think Hugh is one of Heyer's best characters in all her novels. There are also some other truly great characters in Unknown Ajax. Hugh's cousins are all vivid characters with totally different personalities. Of course there is a romance involved (a very entertaining one) and I find this to be one of the most humourous of Heyer's novels. The scene at the end of the book (all the activity relating to "the shooting") is so funny I lauched until I cried. In fact, I found the book even funnier in the audible version (and this reader's performance) than it was when I read it. What a wonderful book. It is one of my favorite Audible purchases.
58 of 59 people found this review helpful
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- Penny Evans
- 13-04-2010
The Unknown Ajax
As always, Georgette Heyer is a delight!!! Daniel Philpott's narration was perfect!!!
18 of 18 people found this review helpful
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- Patrick
- 23-07-2010
so well read, it adds to the pleasure of the story
I have read and re-read Georgette Heyers for more years than I care to count. The Unknown Ajax has always been a favorite yet I derived new pleasure and more enjoyment from the fabulous voicing of the main character Hugo. Reading it myself, I was never able to do justice to the language or the subtle humour that comes out when someone reads it well and with the right sort of accent. What a pleasure!
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
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- Kate Anderson
- 20-03-2010
Enjoyable
This is a good book that was well read by a reader who was easily able to distinguish between the different characters. The book was more amusing than I had remembered. Very enjoyable listening.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
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- Nancy J
- 10-12-2013
Light and Lively -- Just right!
I read mysteries and thrillers almost exclusively. However, every now and then, I need a change of pace -- something different to "clear the palate". A Georgette Heyer Regency romance is the perfect thing to direct my mind away from all the crime and violence I've been reading about. Heyer's books are light, lively and full of wit.
"The Unknown Ajax" is one of the best of Heyer's stories, with all the usual elements : aristocratic characters, a fortune or lost fortune, an unmarried daughter, a handsome young man, another plot bedsides the romantic one, Heyer's excellent writing, lively, witty dialog and always a happy ending.. But in addition to those things, in this case, cantankerous Lord Darracott is obliged to recognize as his heir a grandson by the Lord's second son, who becomes the heir upon the deaths of the oldest Darracott son, along with his son. I'm not sure how this results -- I suspect it has to do with the indecipherable rules of primogeniture or other laws of succession in England.
In any case, the new heir has never been met by any of the Darracotts, and only Lord D even knows of his existence. When Lord D's second son married the daughter of a "weaver," they became estranged and ceased all communication. When the new heir, Hugo, arrives at Darracott Place, he sees that the family are expecting him to be a bumpkin with little or no education or manners, and no intelligence to speak of. So he acts like the man they are expecting. From there on there follows much lively discussion, and a run-in with the customs men regarding a bit of smuggling. And of course all is well at the end.
I enjoyed this book enormously.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
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- Jenny
- 27-01-2013
An excellent book!
This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. The characters are believable and appealing, and the plot is highly entertaining. I haven't read many books by Georgette Heyer (only one other, years ago), but if this is indicative of her usual writing style, I'm impressed and anxious to try more. The dialogue and plot are so amusing, I laughed out loud more than once. I'm a little picky about books, but listened to this one completely cringe-free. As for the romance.....this is my idea of perfection. Subtle and irresistible! There was nothing contrived or predictable at all!
The performance by Daniel Philpott was astounding. I'll be searching out his other performances without delay. I am still a little awed by his talent. In fact, I can't be entirely sure that wasn't one of the reasons I'm so enthused about the book in general!
I don't usually take time to write reviews (I'm not proud of that), but I didn't want anyone to miss the opportunity to try this one out. It was just a thoroughly delightful experience from start to finish!
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
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- liliales
- 23-06-2010
Great narration
A lot of this book hinges on the voices and accents of key characters, and they're so well done here they enhance the story. This is my favorite Heyer narrator so far; wish he'd done more of them.
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
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- J. Geiser
- 22-11-2012
Like listening to a hilarious English stage play!
Upon re-reading this book, I had to revise my rating from 3 to 5 stars. This is a fabulous story of bluffs, hoaxes, schemes, and other hilarious acts of deception. Hugo, the "unknown Ajax", is a truly charming character, and the supporting cast is outstanding! This would make a wonderful play, and listening to it as an audiobook, with Hugo's broad Yorkshire accent, really heightened my enjoyment of the book.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Andrea
- 03-06-2011
Takes a while to get good...
...but it finishes well! The hero is like those people you like, but are a little irritated with because of what appears to be simple-mindedness. But I should have known Georgette Heyer better than that! It has all the Usual Suspects, the highborn but slightly impoverished aristocrats, the beautiful daughter, the irrascible old patriarch, disappointed Second Son, and assorted dandies, caustic-tongued young men, and pink-cheeked innocents. Stir in some mysterious ghostly doings, and a nice bit of history, and this story is most palatable.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Katherine H
- 13-03-2010
Authentic period romance
Georgette Heyer writes a wonderful authentic period romance, the depth is there to make it a realistic and interesting story.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Kathryn
- 08-11-2013
Immense enjoyment
This book was thoroughly enjoyable, the reading was good by Daniel Philpott, with very natural voices for the characters. The book itself was an amusing and entertaining story with wonderful characters.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Maggie
- 17-05-2014
Eeeh, it's gradely
Any additional comments?
I was sorry to get to the end of this one. I only discovered the book ten or so years ago, no idea why I'd missed it in my teens. The whole mix of the normal Regency manners with down to earth Yorkshire ex-Army, plus the smugglers, is great, topped off by that frantic evening pulling the wool over the eyes of the poor conscientious Riding Officer. Daniel Philpott brings all the strands and characters together perfectly. Loved it.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-04-2013
Completely delightful
What a pleasure to have one of my favourite Georgette Heyer books read to me by Daniel Philpott. Surely even macho men could enjoy this story of a muscular soldier and his struggle to get his "uppercrust" relations to accept him. Excellent story and an excellent narration.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 16-05-2012
The Unknown Ajax
This is a long time favourite of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Daniel Philpott, especially Hugo. One I will listen to over and over. Wonderful. :)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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- Matt
- 06-03-2010
The Unknown Ajax
This audio book was absolutely fantastic!! Its one of my favourite stories (after The Grand Sophy)(please make it available on audible soon!!!!). The narrator did an excellent job with this. He managed to do many different voices and accents, I thought he did the lady character voices particularly well, not making them sound falsetto like a lot of male narrators seem to feel the need to do! Overall I really really enjoyed this and will probably begin listening to it all over again even though I've just finished it!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Caz
- 17-03-2014
Very funny - outstanding performance
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. It's a fantastic comedy of manners in which a "fish-out-of-water" hero is thrust into the midst of his not-so-loving family and proceeds to sort out all their problems. It's funny and warm and witty - and the performance is one of the best I've ever heard.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Hugo. Clever, level-headed, and with a terrific sense of humour, he plays the common-as-muck dimwit because that's what his family expects him to be, and all the while is sizing them up and having a bit of fun at their expense.
Which character – as performed by Daniel Philpott – was your favourite?
Again - Hugo. It's a brilliant performance all-round, but Hugo is sigh-worthy. This is Heyer, so it's squeaky clean, but in the more tender scenes, he gives Hugo a lovely deep, soft tone which is quite knee-weakening!
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed several times, especially towards the end when Hugo has to pull everyone back from the brink of disaster.
Any additional comments?
If you're a Heyer fan and haven't listened to this yet, you really must - it's one of the best of her audios. And if you've not listened to or read Heyer yet, then this is a fantastic way to start. Daniel Philpott brings the book to life in a way I didn't experience when reading it.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Katie
- 01-03-2010
The Unknow Ajax
This is one of my favourite of Georgette Heyer's books. Full of humour the central character Hugo comes from Yorkshire to his unknown family to inherit his grandfathers estate. The story tells how he coped with the hostility of his family by droppping into a strong Yorkshire dialect and pretending to be a nobody. He ends by saving the family from disaster and falls in love with his cousin, the heroine of the piece. The book is a great read with warm characters and many humours twists and turns. The only thing that has stopped me awarding 5 starts is the reading. It isn't read in the voice of my imagination (which most of the Georgette Heyer's are on audible) it doesn't especially detract from the story but definitely doesn't add to it either.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- Silby Grant
- 24-03-2019
Poor narrator spoils wonderful story
Although the narrator does a good job on most of the characters, his inability to portray a true Yorkshire accent makes listening to this book too much of a chore. I'm from Yorkshire so I can assure you the best I can say is Hugo is vaguely from the North.
I may have been able to put up with it if the narrator had only used the brogue in the few places where it is used in the book. For most of the time Hugo speaks the Kings English, as Anthea calls it, only slipping into Broad Yorkshire every now and again as is evident from Heyer's dialogue. Unfortunately, the narrator chooses to have Hugo use it the whole way through, despite Hugo saying he wasn't allowed to use it at home as a child or later when he went away to school. Meaning he doesn't speak with a local accent.
I'm sorry to leave such a negative review but the errors in production are too big for me to ignore. I'll be returning this for a refund.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 01-03-2019
Very entertaining
well read with different voices and a good absorbing storyline. A bit different from some of her Regency novels
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Chris Christo
- 07-02-2019
Classic Heyer
This one is a bit slow at first but stick with it. It’s worth it. There are some nice surprises. I am finding that I want to slap some of the main characters in her books, mostly females, but that might be just a well developed character. The performance was well done and easy to listen to.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful