Rumpole of the Bailey

The Rumpole of the Bailey Series, Book 1

De: John Mortimer

Narrado por: Frederick Davidson

Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he’d rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

In this first title of the popular series featuring Rumpole, all of the major characters who occupy the Rumpole stories make their introductions: the sneaky, slightly effeminate Erskine-Brown, the bumbling Guthrie Featherstone and various and sundry other lawyers and clerks whose lives weave in and out of these stories. These six stories include the "Younger Generation", the "Alternative Society", the "Honourable Member", the "Married Lady", the "Learned Friends", and the "Heavy Brigade".

It's legal: download more of Rumpole's cases.©1978 Advanpress, Ltd (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Mortimer has created one of the legendary fictional detectives…a barrister [who’s] as much a detective as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.” ( Boston Sunday Globe)

standard Rumpole

Guthrie Featherstone for the prosecution, judge bullingham thundering from the bench, and Nick visiting from Baltimore to watch his daddy defend the Timpson clan from the workings of British justice.

Overall wonderful!

I can listen to these stories over and over again! Rumpole is such a character and Davidson’s reading just seems to capture him perfectly.

Fun Read

Not my usual but very entertaining, light read. Performance Excellent. It was a refreshing change of pace.

Very well read, and very funny

John Mortimer wrote excellent, very engaging stories. The characters are well drawn. Fredrick Davidson is an exceptional narrator.

Briefs, Bowlers, Barristers and Wordsworth....

An Absolute delight. The Narrator is a vocal caricaturist of infinite range; a transcendental genius.

Rambling and irreverent, Rumpole captures you

Rumpole is not always likable, not often successful , at least according to his colleagues, but he has a sense of humor and you, as a reader, root for him.
This book covers quite a long swath of history as lived by the main characters and that is interesting. The crimes described are not particularly complicated. The trial process and the related human interactions is what is important here.
The voice actor is very good. He brought the story to life.

Frederick Davidson is one of the very best narrators.

It is a pleasure to listen to his narration and often I have chosen books just for his narration, like this one.
I have listened to George Orwell, Chales Dickens and Sir Walter Scott narated by Mr. Davidson.

Davidson is magnificent, but audio problems...

tend at times to distract from his performance. Nothing that can't be tolerated, but when someone reads so well the production should support it. I'm a Rumpole fan so of course, loved the story.

Not my cup of tea

I heard good things about Rumpole, so I thought I'd take a listen to this audiobook. I quit after the second chapter because it ended up being a bit too snobby and critical for my taste. That said, this work is very erudite, and the wordsmithery is impressive. The narration is top-notch, both in terms of performance and mastering. However, the main character's cynicism and critical nature ended up being too grating for me, but I suspect that those who like sardonic, sarcastic humor will enjoy this.

Culturally dated but witty and perfectly performed

The casual sexism and occasional racially outdated language are products of the era. The sparkling reading of Rumpole’s self-aggrandizing and overly dramatic accounts is truly perfect, and much of the situational humor (based in the inherent ridiculousness of British law) holds up well.