Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I

An Audible Original Drama

By: Rebecca Gablé

Narrated by: Douglas Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Alison Steadman, Finty Williams, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Raymond Coulthard

Please note: This title contains explicit language and scenes of a graphic sexual nature.

This Original multicast drama blends history with fiction to tell the story of Jonah, a young apprentice from London who raises himself from poverty by wit and luck to become one of the most powerful merchants of the age.

A rags-to-riches tale, Jonah's journey spans the breadth of human experience, from the intricacies of Edward III's political intrigues to the cutthroat world of international trade, from the triumphs of war to the agonies of personal loss - love, friendship, joy, heartbreak and glory. Set largely in London, the Scarlet City, the centre of medieval England, the Scarlet City trilogy is a thrilling portrait of the age and the people who made it so rich, colourful and extraordinary.

London, 1330. Jonah Durham grows up in the household of his tyrannical cousin Rupert, and only his grandmother, the calculating Cecilia Hillock, recognizes his talent and intelligence. After her death he inherits a handsome fortune, bestowing him with both wealth and independence but also the wrath of his increasingly dangerous cousin. However, a fateful encounter with the young King Edward III is set to radically change Jonah's life and the future of English cloth production.

Told in three parts, hear Medieval London come to life in this historical epic, Audible Original's most ambitious production to date. Narrated by Miriam Margolyes, OBE (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Romeo + Juliet, Mulan) and starring Douglas Booth (Riot Club, Loving Vincent, Shelley) as Jonah, and Alison Steadman, OBE (Gavin and Stacey, Orphan Black, Shirley Valentine) as Cecilia Hillock.

Also featuring: Daniel Anthony, Josephine Arden, John Banks, Timothy Bentinck, Clare Buckfield, Beth Chalmers, Elliot Chapman, Trevor Cooper, Oliver Coopersmith, Raymond Coulthard, Gareth David-Lloyd, Richard Earl, Andrew French, Helen Goldwyn, James Joyce, Olly McCauley, Tony Millan, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Katarina Olsson, Steven Pacey, Nicholas Pegg, Nigel Planer, Siobhán Redmond, Christopher Ryan, David Schofield, Dan Starkey, Sarah Sutton, Alexander Vlahos, Niky Wardley, Finty Williams, Claire Wyatt.

©2002 Rebecca Gablé (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Great production

Sets a high standard. It will be difficult to go back to a single narrator after experiencing a full production like this one. Yes there are brilliant narrators that can pull it off, but after seeing what can be done with a full cast of talented performers it’s going to be tough to compete.

Great

This production was amazing! It was like listening to a play. All of the narrators were very good. I was deeply sorry when it was over. The story line is very well done. I can’t wait for Part 2 to emerge into our libraries.

Wow what a listen!

Incredibly enjoyable. I found that I was finding moments to sneak in a listen. Really excellent acting and storytelling.

Excellet. Wonderful performance.

I participated in setting up a technical school for apprentices, thus the title caught my attention. The three parts were excellent, with vivid characters, twists, turns and a lot of medieval English history. The performance, using various actors for each character, plus sound effects of the scene, made for a new dimension in audio book listening. Very realistic, much like the very popular radio theaters half a century ago. I have 300 books in my Audible library. These three are the best performed. This is how all audio books should be recorded.

Great read

This is one of if the best performance of any book I have read. Excellent story line. I can’t wait to get to book 2.