A Far Cry from Kensington

By: Muriel Spark

Narrated by: Pamela Garelick

Set on the crazier fringes of 1950s literary London, A Far Cry from Kensington is a delight, hilariously portraying love, fraud, death, evil, and transformation.

Mrs. Hawkins, the majestic narrator of A Far Cry from Kensington, takes us well in hand and leads us back to her threadbare years in postwar London. There, as a fat and much admired young war widow, she spent her days working for a mad, near-bankrupt publisher (“of very good books”) and her nights dispensing advice at her small South Kensington rooming house.

At work and at home, Mrs. Hawkins soon uncovered evil: shady literary doings and a deadly enemy; anonymous letters, blackmail, and suicide. With aplomb, however, Mrs. Hawkins confidently set about putting things to order, little imagining the mayhem that would ensue.

Now decades older, thin, successful, and delighted with life in Italy—quite a far cry from Kensington—Mrs. Hawkins looks back to all those dark doings and recounts how her own life changed forever. She still, however, loves to give advice: “It’s easy to get thin. You eat and drink the same as always, only half…. I offer this advice without fee; it is included in the price of this book.”

A Far Cry from Kensington has been hailed as “outstanding” (Observer), “wickedly and adroitly executed” (New York Times), and “a comedy that holds a tragedy as an eggcup holds an egg.” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

©1988 Muriel Spark (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Wickedly and adroitly executed.” ( The New York Times)

A Great Read

Truly enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns, but the narrator made it outstanding!

Lovely tale and reader

I didn’t want it to end, clever and unique narrative of remembrance with a great outlook

Just a perfect, diverting listen

Excellent narration and nice story. Will look for more like this. Not too demanding and very entertaining

A bit quirky

I really enjoyed the book’s characters and wish it had gone on a bit longer.

Terrific

I’ve not read this author before so I was in for an unexpected treat. Hidden depths and fully realized characters make it a perfect choice for me. The look into book publishing in the 1950’s and 1960’s was a plus.