The Woodcutter

By: Reginald Hill

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Wolf Hadda's life was a fairytale - successful businessman and adored husband. But a knock on the door one morning ends it all. Universally reviled, thrown into prison, Wolf retreats into silence. Seven years later Wolf begins to talk to the prison psychiatrist and receives parole to return home. But there's a mysterious period in Wolf's past when he was known as the Woodcutter. Now the Woodcutter is back, looking for truth and revenge...

©2010 Reginald Hill (P)2010 WF Howes Ltd

Loved it! Couldn't put it down

I loved this book. It keeps you guessing and waiting to see what's gonna happen next. One of the best books I've listened to in a while.

Love, Betrayal, Revenge--a Masterpiece of Fiction!

Here we go again. It sat way too long in my Library. Perhaps books are like fine wine and cheese, getting better and better as they age (in the Library?) I simply loved this book. I am torn between listening to it a second time and moving on as I have too many other books waiting.

Very brief description. It is the story of a successful business man married to the woman of his dreams. He is utterly and completely betrayed by family and his closest friends in the worst possible manner. It is the story of his attempt to pull himself out of hell and effect revenge where it is deserved.

The scenery is amazing--Cumbria, northern England, sprinkled with lakes, precipitous mountains, considered one of the most beautiful regions in the country. It is a character-driven story. As it proceeds they become more developed. I loved the main protagonist, Wolf Hadda. I went from hating to liking or understanding several others. Some, I never came to terms with. I guess Wolf didn't either.

Jonathan Keeble did an exquisite narration. It was so perfect I will seek out other books by him in the future. I will look for other books by the author, Reginald Hill, as well.

I am SO glad I finally gave this book a listen. It will now be among my list of all-time favorites. As you may guess, it comes highly recommended by me.

One of the best mysteries of the year

This listen has it all-momentum, character development, twists and turns, a HUGE final surprise and a tension that keeps the listener listening. Every once in a while you come across a mystery/thriller of shere genius. This is it. This is so good that if I owned Audible I'd give a money back guarantee for this genre's fans!!

A great read !

I was not familiar with the author, but a ravish review from a listener i am following - thanks Mindusk.-;) - triggered my curiosity and i finally decided to go for it. I am glad i did it : i spent 16 hours of pure enjoyment . The plot sounds trivial : the fairytale life of a successful businessman and adored husband comes abruptly to an end in 24 hours : betrayed by the people he loved and trusted, he is financially ruined, physically handicapped after barely surviving a car crash and jailed. From then onwards it is only a matter of survival and revenge . Sounds familiar ? It is , but this book is much more than a new take of the Montecristo count or similar stories. It is engaging, exceptional and complex and very well written. A pure enjoyment !

Hints of greatness

A guy’s life is torn apart after being convicted of a horrendous crime and becoming disfigured and crippled in an escape attempt. Then he tries to get to the bottom of what happened. The woodcutter (and international businessman), the psychologist, the pastor and the dog were all so interesting, I would've liked a book about just them without the thriller plot. For me, the downside was twofold. First, it was a thriller but I never had any doubt how it would turn out. Two, the message — that grim necessity makes people do horrible things and there’s nothing that can be done about it — isn’t one that resonates well, with me anyway. I totally recommend the book, but ultimately, it’s a genre thriller, which is a bit disappointing because parts of it hinted at greatness. Bechdel test: pass. Grade: A-

Stellar narration.

Brilliant

I don't think audiobooks come any better than this one - a superbly crafted journey, brilliantly read. Hard to put down!

The best listen in a long time

Having just completed one of worst written books in quite some time, I was floored by how captivating this story is. I've read and listened to other Hill books and have certainly enjoyed them, but this one really stands out. The performer, Jonathan Keeble does a superb job of creating the characters and pacing the story. It is definitely one of those books that made the two hour plus drive to work and back enjoyable. I hope Hill spins another fantastic tale soon!

A nice surprise

I really enjoyed this book and give a it solid four star rating. I hadn't listened to any of Hill's work and between the sample and the publisher's blurb expected less from this.

Hill has an engaging style, sometimes writing quite brilliantly. He delivers a real gem in his portrayal of the supporting character, "Johnathan Nutbrown", creating a genuinely amusing man, perhaps a gentle savant, who sees the world with a morality free psyche. A wonderful detail. His other characters are well drawn and nicely likable, or hateful, with plenty of emotional and physical depth for this sort of genre.

I give a solid four stars to the story and no more, because I found the whole ax thing a little difficult to swallow. I'm older than the hero, and have spent a fair amount of time in the woods, and it's really unusual to find anyone using an ax in a traditional way. The idea that the lead character was brought up a master axman needed to be fleshed out in some way to explain this, because without that, it seems a little contrived.

In addition the denouement seemed weak and a little hurried, not as craftfully sculpted as much of the rest the story. Some elements of the scene didn't have much to do with the rest of the story and some of it seemed, well, awkward. It wasn't bad, but, judging from the quality of other sections of the book, it could have been better. That scene is the culmination of the story; for a five star rating it must be exceptional. And, I'm not sure that the opening scene was particularly pertinent, or very necessary.

Five full stars to Johnathan Keeble. He does a beautiful job, one of the rare male readers who, when voicing women, doesn't create a world full of six foot tall transvestites sporting 5 o'clock shadow. A rare talent. His other voices are very good. They must still teach elocution somewhere in the British Isles.

This is a good one.

Strong start, melodramatic finale

First, the narration by Jonathan Keeble is first rate ! It made the story compelling, even as the plot lost momentum about halfway through. I didn't like the ending, too melodramatic.

Too Long!

The first part of the novel was fascinating, but without giving away any plot twists, Hill resorts to deus ex machina to get his hero out of trouble. I prefer when protagonists have to solve their problems themselves.