The Book of Ebenezer le Page

By: G. B. Edwards

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Ebenezer Le Page, cantankerous, opinionated and charming, is one of the most compelling literary creations of the late 20th century. Eighty years old, Ebenezer has lived his whole life on the Channel Island of Guernsey, a stony speck of a place caught between England and France yet a world away from either. Ebenezer himself is fiercely independent, but as he reaches the end of his life he is determined to tell his own story and the story of those he has known. He writes of family secrets and feuds, unforgettable friendships and friendships betrayed, love glimpsed and lost.

The Book of Ebenezer Le Page is a beautifully detailed chronicle of a life, but it is equally an oblique reckoning with the traumas of the 20th century, as Ebenezer recalls both the men lost to the Great War and the German Occupation of Guernsey during World War II, and looks with despair at the encroachments of commerce and tourism on his beloved island.

©1981 Edward P. de G. Chaney (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A Quirky Book That Will Grow on You

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, though it is very slow, rather like a convoluted Dickens story.

Would you be willing to try another book from G. B. Edwards? Why or why not?

Yes, because his characterizations are complex and real.

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but here he brought the old man to life.

Was The Book of Ebenezer le Page worth the listening time?

Yes. It's the story of a life remembered, and as such it isn't exactly linear. It begins slowly and I almost gave up on it, but by the end I didn't want it to end. And it might have benefitted from a coda.

I feel like he's part of the family

What did you love best about The Book of Ebenezer le Page?

This is a great story and is so well written from the perspective of the oldest man in Guernsay. However what really makes this book is the narration. This is the first audible book that I really loved and it takes some time getting used to his accent, but once you do, it's kind of like listening to an old uncle or even a grandfather telling you his life story. For me, that's kind of hard to beat.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Book of Ebenezer le Page?

I loved the part where Ebenezer has a relationship with a woman.

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

Dotrice is perfect for this piece. It makes me want to listen to all the books he's narrated, because he's so good!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh no...this is long book. There was no way I could listen to it in one sitting. I loved to listen to it on my way to work (it's dark and not much traffic) and before bed.

Evocative and wonderfully read

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

Of the several hundred audio books I have listened to, this ranks among the very top. It's not that the story is so compelling; it's more that Roy Dotrice's performance brings his character so vividly to life. It happens gradually but completely, and when the book ended, I really felt I had lost a friend. If there was ever an example of what an audio edition can do for a book, this is it. Aay?That said, this book is memorable for its evocation of a rural place as it was pulled from the nineteenth into and through the twentieth centuries. It is an often-frank social history told through the voice of a plain-spoken, yet personally complex, rural man and a lifetime's host of characters. Perhaps not a book for the impatient, this book will reward those who let Ebenerzer in.

Absolutely Brilliant and Beautiful Story

I absolutely loved this story. One man telling his life story living on a small island through two world wars. Perfect narration, brilliant writing. I laughed and wept. This book touched my heart and spirit on the deepest levels. Perhaps the finest audible book I have ever listened to. I give my highest reccomendation.

Incredible story

How this author has turned a normal life story into a work of art is incredible. The narration is stellar and I didn’t want it to end. I searched using the narrators name after his GOT performances l, and I wasn’t disappointed. Get this book even though it’s not your normal fare, you will not be disappointed!!!

I miss Ebenezer

A difficult book for me to describe befittingly, nor can I think of a category for this totally fresh, unique achievement: historical fiction; a fictionalized autobiography; the story of an aging curmudgeon? It's not a story of book clubs and potato peels...I've yet to get through that one (but plan on giving it another try since reading Ebenezer). The word that keeps coming to mind is inspired by the ocean waters that surround Ebenezer le Page's quaint isle of Guernsey -- *flow,* the flow of time, the tides of people that flow in and out of our lives, the flow of change -- an island, and the man who sometimes seems like an island himself. This is a book that now has a place on my shelf of *All-time Favorites." Listening felt like a vacation with someone you grow to love.

Ebenezer is born in Guernsey in 1890 and finishes his book (or journal) in the 1960's. In 3 volumes, he has faithfully written since his youth the goings-on in the vale of Guernsey and his perceptions of his family and neighbors. The novel is told by an aged Ebenezer, now content to die, and reflecting on his life through the passages in his *book*. This method works so beautifully here, allowing the stories to be recalled with the wisdom and tolerance (even love) that become more crystalline with years. Alone, the episodes contain the full spectrum that makes up a life well lived (or more aptly put *colorfully-lived*), but recollected through Ebenezer's uncensored consciousness and the local patois, they are magical and precious. Don't think this is just the ramblings of a withered old man! Ebenezer isn't just an old geezer; he is lively, sexy, opinionated, feisty, intelligent, and interesting. He's the man that starts the fight in the church pew and worships in the pub -- and vice versas. I don't think I've ever experienced such a range of emotions in any book. I know I've never started off thoroughly disliking a person and their views and ended up so enchanted with that same person by the end of a read. The whole novel has that flow I mentioned; the feel of looking over a passage of a life intrinsically connected to the island and its people and history.

Kathy, in her wonderful review, mentioned the narration by Roy Dotrice. I'll tell you how fantastic it is...Dotrice is so good at portraying Ebenezer le Page that I wasn't sure I wanted to sit down and listen to this guy talk to me for 20 hours. That would have been a huge mistake. Dotrice might come by the accent naturally, but he also nails Ebenezer's personality. I enthusiastically say that this is one of best of the books I've listened to -- and that I miss Ebenezer to tears.

Wow!

I picked this audible book for the narrator and the synopsis. Dotrice was excellent as expected but this story was one of the best I've read.
Don't look for much suspense or heavy plot twists but an emotion filled trip through one man's life and all his humor and musings and struggles. I learned quite a bit about myself from this fictional man an ocean away and realized how much of Ebenezer Le page I've got in me.
This is the best piece of fiction I've experienced in a long time, maybe ever.

Worth it!

I tried several times to read this book in the years since it was first published (1981), but I could not get into it, on the printed page. Roy Dotrice's reading of the book is a true gift to the world. This is one of the great treasures of English literature, and Dotrice makes it accessible and unforgettable.

This is one book that may be BETTER read aloud (by this reader)!

A Charming Peak Inside the Life of a Gentle Soul

Ebenezer le Page tells his story from the island of Guernsey. He shares the relationships he has throughout his life, his personal points of view and experiences. It's as if he is telling you the story himself. Starting before WWI and moving through the occupation of their island during WWII, he shares what his life is like as well as those of his family. A great listen for charm and interest. The reader does an excellent job, so much so, it's hard to believe it is not Ebenezer himself spinning the story just for your benefit.

Couldn't take the hatred of women

Great narrator. Perfect for this story. The story has its charms. Village life on an island early in 20th Century England. I wasn't expecting anyone to be a feminist, exactly, even though they were around back then. Grumbling about women seems appropriate for this elderly solitary male. But it's the number of negative women in his life that ultimately did me in. His world has good guys, angel of feminine mercy and horrible females. The last outnumber everybody else. They ruin lives, again and again and again. The writer's dislike of half the population shone through this fictional world and ruined his otherwise charming story.