Their Finest

A Novel

By: Lissa Evans

Narrated by: Peter Wickham

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the acclaimed Crooked Heart comes another "smart, funny, ingenious, revealing tale of London life during the Second World War" (The Independent) - long-listed for the Orange Prize upon its original publication in England.

It is 1940. France has fallen, and only a narrow strip of sea lies between Great Britain and invasion. The war could go either way, and everyone must do their bit. Young copywriter Catrin Cole is drafted into the Ministry of Information to help write women into propaganda films - something that the men aren't very good at.

She is quickly seconded to the ministry's latest endeavor: a heartwarming tale of bravery and rescue at Dunkirk. It's all completely fabricated, of course, but what does that matter when the nation's morale is at stake? Since call-up has stripped the industry of its brightest and best, it is the callow, the jaded, and the utterly unsuitable who must make up the numbers: Ambrose Hilliard, third most popular British film star of 1924; Edith Beadmore, Madame Tussauds wardrobe assistant turned costumier; and Arthur Frith, whose peacetime job as a catering manager has not really prepared him for his sudden, unexpected elevation to special military advisor.

Now in a serious world, in a nation under siege, they must all swallow their mutual distaste, ill will, and mistrust to unite for the common good, for king and country and - in one case - for better or worse.

©2017 Lissa Evans (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Just Wonderful

I loved the book, was concerned audiobook wouldn't measure up. Well, I was wrong. Narrator was perfect, capturing the all the facets of Lisa Evans narrative. I just didn't want it to end.

Love the "dry" British humor.

Excellent writing, great story, perfect narration!
Couldn't stop listening. I'm very interested in stories of wartime Britain,in particularly the Blitz,fiction and nonfiction. I am amazed at what the Londoners endured.

A winner

What made the experience of listening to Their Finest the most enjoyable?

A delightful unfolding of the intersecting lives of ordinary characters in extraordinary times...with a few dogs. Journalists lie, filmmakers lie, and actors lie. Here they are working together to tell the story of WW2. Very well read by PW to make a fascinating cast distinct through their voices. I’m enjoying every minute of this with frequent laugh-out-loud moments.

Getting to the end was a bit of a chore

What did you like best about Their Finest? What did you like least?

The premise of Their Finest is interesting enough and it certainly has funny moments--in fact there were a handful that made me giggle out loud--but, honestly, if I wasn't expected to read this for my book club, I might have given it up. In my opinion, not all of the main characters were particular engaging. There seemed to be so much going on beneath the four main characters, but nothing got completely realized. I also kept expecting the action to pick up, but, again, nothing did. Everything kind of puttered along until the last four-ish chapters when 90% of the action did happen and I'm still not entirely sure the journey to those four chapters was worth it. I found it rather curious that the character Buckley was so concerned with holding the interest of the audience and the book was barely engaging me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was nice enough. I think that the story lines for all the characters were tied up well--no cliffhangers or uncertainty. Not dying for a sequel though.

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

I though Peter Wickham did a particularly nice job with Ambrose. I don't think I would have read his voice so sardonically in my head.

Did Their Finest inspire you to do anything?

I did feel the urge to drink tea and eat scones. I feel that urge most days though.

Any additional comments?

I was rather disappointed. The plot seemed to promising. Here's hoping the movie's better.

ok

I like the narrator. Good story until you get towards the end. It seamed slow.

Boring

I can’t tell if it’s the content or the narrator, but after 6 chapters I am done.