Sweet Tooth

By: Ian McEwan

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of such prestigious honors as the Booker Prize and Whitbread Award, Ian McEwan is justifiably regarded as a modern master. Set in 1972, Sweet Tooth follows Cambridge student Serena Frome, whose intelligence and beauty land her a job with England's intelligence agency, MI5. In an attempt to monitor writers' politics, MI5 tasks Serena with infiltrating the literary circle of author Tom Healy. But soon matters of trust and identity subvert the operation.

©2012 Ian McEwan (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks

Thoroughly enjoyabe

Would you listen to Sweet Tooth again? Why?

Ian McEwan is always worth reading, and Juliet Stevenson is perfect - gets the tone just right. While not quite the same calibre as Atonement or Amsterdam, Sweet Tooth is full of wonderful prose.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the story comes full circle at the end, back to the imagination of the writer.

What about Juliet Stevenson’s performance did you like?

I really liked the note of innocence that her reading brings to Serena's story.

Who was the most memorable character of Sweet Tooth and why?

While Serena Frome is the pivotal character, she is propped up by others, especially Shirley and Tom. Max was the least successful character, and his not quite convincing role is the one weakness in an otherwise tight story.

Pleasantly surprised

This book has a soft tone, it made me unsure it would grab me, but eventually, it did. There were times i thought "where's this going?", but get there it does... and quite well. Not for those who need a ton of action, but recommended.

A Misleading Summary makes for disappointment

When the summary mentions MI5 in the early 70's, I think of the generation that lived in fear of repeating Burgess and the Cambridge spy ring. The generation that came after Peter Wright, after George Smiley.
McEwan makes references to this generation of brinksmanship, but it is just name dropping. This is not the spy novel I expected; this is part sappy love story and part a writer's description of his introversion.
The heroine is talented at describing her sexual needs and experiences, a talent which may in turn represent her generation. These depictions guarantee that readers will stay with the book through the slow sections.
I enjoyed the portrayal of daily life in England at a time of crisis. McEwan is a good writer, but Stevenson is a more talented narrator.
"Sweet Tooth" is a good book, but not the book I expected, so I was disappointed.

Unique and Satisfying (In the End!)

I didn't see it coming. And I am so glad. Ian McEwan has crafted an amazing story that is very, very unique. During the first hour or so, I wondered if the narrator (a slightly vain beauty) really had a story to tell. But I stayed tuned and of course, the story became irresistible.

Not much can be written here without giving it away, but DO listen all the way through and you will be pleased and surprised by the turn of events when the worlds of literature and covert operations intersect.

Lots of Twists

Lots of interesting twists and turns in this Ian McEwan spy novel. Enjoyed the character development.

Slowly reels you in until you're hooked!

Not sure, at first, that I liked it enough to finish it. It was intriguing enough, but a bit slow. Halfway through, I couldn't put it down. Verg glad I went to the end. Loved it!

Very good, but not great

Well written and well read, this is an interesting story about a woman working for British Intelligence in the 1970s. McEwan does a good job of developing the characters and the story keeps you interested, but it is overall more about the literary device than about real plot. I enjoyed it, but was left wanting a bit more from the story.

Good, but not great.

We read this as part of our book club and found it disappointing. It wasn't a bad book, but you found yourself often wanting the characters to be better, the plot to be much tighter, and the whole concept less vanilla. It's a sort of twist on spy novel and romance that didn't quite work for me or the other book club members. In my listen, I kept on waiting for something to happen. Not a bad book, just not great.

Original and special

I had read almost all the books of Ian McEwan, but for me this is his best, I love the style, the story. This books is original, different. the kind of books you do not get tire, you are there 100% all the time. Thanks Ian McEwan I love a good book and is so difficult to find one. Thanks again.

Maddening, but genius!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book, but with reservations. McEwen is more of a John Donne rather than a William Shakespeare in that McEwen's intellectualism makes his work somewhat less organic. One marvels at his invention even as he exposes all of the inner mechanics. But it is as if McEwen wants to claim all of the glory for himself, which left me a bit cold at the end.