Snobs

By: Julian Fellowes

Narrated by: Richard Morant

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

'Fellowes doesn't try to hide his love of the funny, sealed, above-stairs world of dukes, duchesses, marquesses, nursery maids, herbaceous borders and breakfast kedgeree, all of which makes Snobs such a good, fresh read.' (Daily Telegraph)

Edith Lavery is a woman on the make. The attractive only child of a middle-class accountant, she leaves behind her dull job in a Chelsea estate agents and manages to bag one of the most eligible bachelors of the day: Charles Broughton, heir to the Marquess of Uckfield. But is life amongst the upper echelons of 'good' society all that it seems? Edith soon discovers there's much more to the aristocracy than dancing in Anabel's, shooting small birds and understanding which fork to use at dinner. And then there is Charles's mother, the indomitable Lady Uckfield, or 'Googie' to her friends, who is none too pleased with her son's choice of breeding partner.

With twists and turns aplenty, this is a comical tale worthy of a contemporary Jane Austen.

©2004 Julian Fellowes (P)2005 AudioGo Ltd

Fabulous writing and interesting perspective

What did you love best about Snobs?

The writing, Julian's style is a joy and so enjoyable. Captivating and transporting!

What other book might you compare Snobs to and why?

Much like the script of Downton Abbey, the writing style remains. The more contemporary setting though allows for a different and interesting read

What does Richard Morant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I found his voice and phrasing whipped my mind away into the book, transporting me from my own life and making me feel empathetic to characters whose behaviour may not have naturally encouraged that from me.

Who was the most memorable character of Snobs and why?

This novel works because of its broad cast, to remove those whose behaviour you liked less would dissemble the plot

Any additional comments?

Thoroughly enjoyable, I will continue to listen to his books in the future

Interesting and Fun

The author of Downton Abbey cannot fail to bring an intriguing, scandal-ridden story. The narration of this book is supurb which allows you to be drawn in to the characters and the plot of the story. It is a modern-day Edwardian tale, with an intriguing insight into the British class system. It has big houses, aristocrats and the middle-class wannabes all tied in to this light, amusing, slightly different take on the average romance novel. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you are wanting something entertaining and not too heavy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars for the story, is that I found it a little predictable - but that could just be me!

the best narrator

this narrator turns what is a kind of silly story into a gripping narrative. the characters' speeches and thoughts stay with you because of the way they're voiced

Interesting perspective but ........a little dull

I bought this based on the reviews that I read. I was expecting more of a story but it seemed like a fairly repetitive description of upper class Britain, with a few characters thrown into a very predictable plot to fill out all the observations, Informative but not really my cup of (English Breakfast) tea.