Cosi Fan Tutti

An Aurelio Zen Mystery, Book 5

By: Michael Dibdin

Narrated by: Michael Kitchen

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Neopolitan businessmen, politicians, and eminent mafiosi are assassinated as someone takes literally the job of cleaning up the city's tarnished image. In this mystery, Aurelio Zen discovers that in '90s 'New Italy', things are still the same.

©1996 Michael Dibdin (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Hilarious

If you could sum up Cosi Fan Tutti in three words, what would they be?

Very funny

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

Always fantastic.

Any additional comments?

Haha! Great story! Very funny and lighthearted. After reading the Venice one, I liked coming into this one in Naples. Great ending!!!

Much To Do About Nothing

One of those stories where one chases their tail only to end up having it all work out in the end with a few laughs to tie it all up. Not Michael Dibdin's best, but still nice to see that Aurelio Zen hasn't been affected by fame and success, actually this character always just misses out, but he still ends up surviving and not looking too bad. Michael Kitchen is his usually best.
ZEN LITE.

Enjoyable, fun, intriguing

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

Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good story told by a great voice artist like Michael Kitchen.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is down right fun.

What about Michael Kitchen’s performance did you like?

Mr Kitchen is as good as ever. Besides I love his Folye's War series. He is certainly a great actor. Forget someone like Tom Cruse reading this. Kitchen is the consummate leading character actor at the top of his game. He appears to be having great fun with the various voices. I envy such talent.

Any additional comments?

One can really appreciate this story when you find a quiet place, a cup of hot chocolate, and no interruptions. It is not hard to "get into" this story. I will wait a month or two and hear it again.

A delightful muddle in every way

This book is a fun interlude in the Aurelio Zen series. It is chockablock with zany characters and Michael Kitchen does an admirable job in making each one easily recognizable in his narration.

Perfect!

What a difference a narrator who actually cares enough about what he is reading to try to convey the author's tone can make. The incomparable Michael Kitchen's dry narration is perfect for Zen, in huge contrast to Cameron Stewart, the humorless reader of the previous book in this series (Dead Lagoon).

My favorite Zen to date

Great characters, and great reading by Kitchen, whose entertaining and distinguishing accents make listening easy. Zen's taxi-driver reminded me of the inn-keeper in Shaw's A Man of Destiny (comedic play about the young Napoleon). The plot is good enough, but who needs a great plot with scenes and dialogue like this. Don't listen near the "Quiet Please" sign, or be prepared to suppress chuckles!

love Michael kitchen

What made the experience of listening to Cosi Fan Tutti the most enjoyable?

The narrator is the best. He makes the Italian voices different and fun. He has just the right touch for this fairly humorous Zen episode. His narration is a bit slow, but his delivery helps you enjoy all the nuances of the authors prose, especially the dialog.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was a tad confusing with lots of digressions, but that seemed intentional in this parody of Mozart's opera. This is not a book for someone who wants a straight detective mystery.

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

I've listened to one other Michael Kitchen performance. He is just superlative always.

A mystery that isn't

This was entertaining and sometimes funny. It was very well read. Very interesting descriptions. It is a mystery but also many other plots. The jumping around was sometimes confusing. Recommend for the investigative inclined.

A pleasant listen

Fine writing with humor in the style of Tom Sharpe. Maybe not as good as he, but who is? There's a Shakespearean type finale when all the characters gather on stage to resolve questions and reveal surprises. There's even an ending soliloquy by Zen on the mysteries of life. My only criticism is that the main character is a bit more of a bumbler than I like in crime novels.

Funny and Entertaining

A deliriously compelling chaos situated in the hilariously appropriate setting, Dibden executes a Tilt-a-whirl saga of massive comedic drama. I am concreted as a cherry brandy Zen fan. Bungling yet satirical, methodical and happenstance makes this saga a whirlwind of confusion. Try to hang on and enjoy the ride.