Parade's End

By: Ford Madox Ford

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 38 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Ford Madox Ford’s tetralogy, set in England during World War I, is widely considered one of the best novels of the 20th century.

First published as four separate novels (Some Do Not…, No More Parades, A Man Could Stand Up, and The Last Post) between 1924 and 1928, Parade’s End explores the world of the English ruling class as it descends into the chaos of war.

Christopher Tietjens is an officer from a wealthy family who finds himself torn between his unfaithful socialite wife, Sylvia, and his suffragette mistress, Valentine. A profound portrait of one man’s internal struggles during a time of brutal world conflict, Parade’s End bears out Graham Greene’s prediction that "there is no novelist of this century more likely to live than Ford Madox Ford."

©1950 Alfred A. Knopf (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Boring, boring, boring

I'm 15 hours into this and have no idea why it is so highly rated by so many readers. I nearly always finish the books I listen to, but this one is a struggle to get through. I absolutely don't care what happens to any of the characters.

Just couldn’t finish...

this book. The performance is ok, but I just loathed Christopher Teitjens and there was just no way that I could spend 38 hours with him.

Structure was alienating

Would you try another book from Ford Madox Ford and/or Steven Crossley?

Yes to Steven Crossley, no to Ford Maddox Ford

What was most disappointing about Ford Madox Ford’s story?

The lack of interest I felt in the characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

None!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom,

Any additional comments?

I just didn't enjoy this book.

Better off Reading than Listening

Gratuitous and Repetitive

The performance is great. The sound quality well done. The book itself is simply not relevant anymore. Those that still praise this work argue for its detailing of the rise of suffragette — later early feminist theory — among the women of the middle and upper classes, and the general destruction that occurred throughout Western Europe during the First World War. While I found this to be the case, it still does not justify the lengthy fatuous plot and over-development of characters that bear little similarity to ‘progressives’ today, even those that would call themselves feminists.

I tried 3X to get past this plodding reader.

No hope for this book. It may be the book itself, but for certain the reader holds no magic for me. I cannot get interested in the characters or their predicament.

Wonderful story 5 Star Performance

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Wonderful story 5 Star Performance for some i suppose, but just not my cup of tea, too long and dreary, early 20th century soap opera of staggering proportions. i did the first 8 hrs of 38 hr story hoping i would be riveted, it did not change went on and on and on. Skipped to the last 30 mins. and it sound like the first, middle and last 30 minutes. Again wonderfully done just not for me!

Has Parade's End turned you off from other books in this genre?

Possibly

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favorite?

None

What character would you cut from Parade's End?

none

Any additional comments?

Wonderful story 5 Star Performance for some i suppose, but just not my cup of tea