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Pomfret Towers  By  cover art

Pomfret Towers

By: Angela Thirkell
Narrated by: Yonnie Fraser
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Publisher's summary

Pomfret Towers, Barsetshire seat of the earls of Pomfret, was constructed, with great pomp and want of concern for creature comforts, in the once-fashionable style of Sir Gilbert Scott's St Pancras station. It makes a grand setting for a house party at which gamine Alice Barton and her brother, Guy, are honoured guests, mixing with the headstrong Rivers family, the tally-ho Wicklows, and, most charming of all, Giles Foster, nephew and heir of the present Lord Pomfret. But whose hand will Mr Foster seek in marriage, and who will win Alice's tender heart?

Angela Thirkell's classic 1930s comedy is lively, witty, and deliciously diverting.

©1938 The Estate of Angela Thirkell (P)2015 Rockethouse Productions Ltd

Critic reviews

"Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself." (Alexander McCall Smith)
"A perfect balance of satirical observation and chocolate-box charm.... Thirkell's novel is one of the cosiest and funniest reads this winter." ( The Lady)

What listeners say about Pomfret Towers

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Sheer delight

Any additional comments?

This is an old fashioned, innocent, but intelligent and witty story of a young woman's coming of age, an Edwardian weekend house party, and a beautiful old country estate. Sound familiar? It is, but written with a light touch. Painfully shy Alice, her impetuous brother, a horsey and kind hearted best friend, an utterly un-dashing heir, and an older generation with its own array of quirks. Readers who enjoy Jane Austen will find many similar pleasures in Thirkell's stories.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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Bad narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Thirkell wrote subtly witty cute little stories. The publisher's comparison with Barbara Pym is perfect. This narrator ruins the book, stripping all humor out of the dialogue. It's clear she doesn't even know it's there.

Would you be willing to try another one of Yonnie Fraser’s performances?

No.

Did Pomfret Towers inspire you to do anything?

try to find another Angela Thirkell book narrated by someone else.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Almost spoiled

This is a charming story, like all Thirkell's Barsetshire frivolities, but the reader has a terrible habit of pausing at odd places, playing merry heck with the sense of Thirkell's lovely sentences. Irritating enough that I stopped, and only finished listening two years later when I'd run out of everything else to listen to on a long drive. It's not Thirkell's best, but it's perfectly decent, except for the reader's idiosyncracy.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Another Great Offering...

by Thirkell. She does have some stock types that seem to show up in each novel (brusque but lovable father, dim-witted but good hearted mother, someone absolutely inept with dogs), but the charm and humor abound in every novel too. This one is no exception!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Pomfret Towers

A good story with dry houmer ,really funny at places.Very well read by the performer.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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marvelous story

but the performance is sub par unfortunately.
I love Thirkell's books and re-read them occasionally; this person has no understanding of how the books go. Also, her breath control is all over in volume and she swallows words.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful escape into another world

The story is so rich, I couldn't predict the ending at all. That is a lovely result because so many books are way too obvious about the denouement. I thought the narrator was very good as well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

delightfully sly

swell introduction to the series and a splendid narrator. highly recommended. delightful production, period flair.

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