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Asylum  By  cover art

Asylum

By: Patrick McGrath
Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen
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Publisher's summary

From our most celebrated writer of the psychological thriller comes this nerve-wracking yet eerily beautiful work of erotic obsession and madness. In the summer of 1959, Stella Raphael joins her psychiatrist husband, Max, at his new posting: a maximum-security hospital for the criminally insane. Beautiful and headstrong, Stella soon falls under the spell of Edgar Stark, a brilliant and magnetic sculptor who has been confined to the hospital for murdering his wife in a psychotic rage.

But Stella's knowledge of Edgar's crime is no hindrance to the volcanic attraction that ensues - a passion that will consume Stella's sanity and destroy her and the lives of those around her.

©1999 Patrick McGrath (P)2008 BBC Audio

Critic reviews

"The book is hypnotizing, with its own strange but darkly convincing pace and style; and the way in which nature and climate are woven into the fabric of the bizarre couple's strange love is masterly." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Asylum

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Multi Dimensional and Ironic Title

This book offers the readers insight to the suffocating trap of being a woman in a culture and time when women had no rights. Like "Shakespeare's Sister," Stella makes dangerous decisions forced to compromise the morality imposed on her by class and her gender. Lots of good twists and Sir Ian McClellan is outstanding.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Almost fell asleep ...

Unfortunately, I could not make it through all the dribble in this book. Pass on it, I'd say.

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

A very well read, very boring story

I kept waiting for a twist, some sort of OMG moment. But no. It ended very demure like the book’s tone. If it wasn’t for Sir McKellen I would’ve given up by the half way point.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

make it a movie

picture Johnny Depp and helena Bonham Carter playing along side Patrick Stewart and you have the cast for a great twisted movie psychological love story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing and scandalous..

Fantastic. I can't wait to read more from this author! A great story and an exploration of the therapeutic relationship.

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

Good read

Perfect choice for voice.
Read well.
Captive , small audio clicking on couple of the last chapters.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audio quality is horrific

I couldn’t finish this audiobook due to the horrible audio quality. Frequent clicks and disturbances made it impossible to enjoy. I couldn’t listen to it on my headphones because the clicks would hurt my ears. It’s sad because it build up to be a promising story and now I’ll never know.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • TJ
  • 01-31-22

narration10 story0

Loved the narration but the story was just boring walk to no where. maybe I was expecting a plot and this book is just the musing of miserable perhaps crazy people.

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

Sir Ian’s voice was the best thing about this story

I was hopeful given the number if good reviews. But it fell flat for me. Mildly interesting. Mundane misery in love, infidelity that just happened to take place in/around an insane asylum.
I guess I was hoping for more… anything.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Quick, but weird

What did you like best about Asylum? What did you like least?

The pacing is slow and tense. There is danger from the first second the reader starts listening.

If you’ve listened to books by Patrick McGrath before, how does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other books by this author.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ian McKellen?

He has such an iconic voice. I would listen to epic novels by him.

Could you see Asylum being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see Asylum being made into a movie or a TV series. The only one I have picked out to star would maybe be the guy who plays the guy with the curly cue beard in the Hunger Games.

Any additional comments?

Quick listen, but the main character makes some bad choices.

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