Case Histories

Jackson Brodie

By: Kate Atkinson

Narrated by: Susan Jameson

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

Cambridge is sweltering during an unusually hot summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet--"lost" on the left, "found" on the right--and the two never seem to balance. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge and has a failed marriage to prove it.

Surrounded by death, intrigue, and misfortune, his own life haunted by a family tragedy, he attempts to unravel three disparate case histories and begins to realise that in spite of apparent diversity, everything is connected...

©2004 Kate Atkinson (P)2014 AudioGo Ltd. Published by Random House Audiobooks

Enid Blyton meets Agatha Christie

What disappointed you about Case Histories?

Two-dimensional characters that put me in mind of the Famous Five when they were all grown up. Twee.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something that doesn't feel like an English Public School creative writing project. And something where at least a few characters are interested in something other than sex.

What does Susan Jameson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She caught the accents of the Famous Five types beautifully.

Any additional comments?

I'm sure lots of people enjoy this kind of style, but it really didn't work for me. I need a fighting chance of at least respecting one of the characters, and I really do need them to come across as real people.

Excellent !!!

I liked it from the beginning to the end, I liked the way Mrs Atkinson describes situations and characters,the big scenes through the small details, I very much liked Mrs Jameson’s narration! Bravos

Loved it!

This book has been my first introduction to Kate Atkinson, and I’m hooked. I can’t get enough of her beautiful writing combined with the dark undercurrent present in all of her works. I’ve read/listened to two more books of hers since this one and they’re all wonderful. Definitely recommending this for my book club.

Review

Such a good book but sooooo much swearing and soooooo much sex!! Such a good writer. I would think that all of the above is not at all necessary!

Returned half way through.

I returned the book because the first half was a series of independent tragic stories that were tiresomely drawn out. I kept hoping that there would be some sort of exciting connection between them all but when yet another story started to unfold, I gave up. I am assuming there will be some sort of gathering of these threads later in the book, but I am too bored to wait and find out.

Awful Narration

I love Kate Atkinson, but the narrator's tone, in attempting to interpret, just makes every sentence sound sneering, bored and sarcastic. Couldn't listen, once I worked out what the problem was. Awful.

unusual interesting kept me listening

story in overllapping chapters makes interesting read with strong characterization enjoyed reading until end ...a bit to much detailed sex for my liking ..didn't excpect it in a mystery Novel but will look forward to next Jackson Brodie

Fantastic narration

I don't think I've ever listened to a better narrated book. Susan Jameson does an excellent job, unlike anything I've heard before.

Regards the story, there are three parallel stories loosely interwoven via the private detective Jackson Brodie. But the chapters are all from different perspectives of the various characters, so you get to know much more of their individual thoughts and feelings this way.

Nearly everything is wrapped up at the end, but I still have some questions I want answering, so am looking forward to discussing this with my book group in a couple of weeks!

Fantastic story

If you could sum up Case Histories in three words, what would they be?

Emotional, engaging, enjoyable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Case Histories?

Atkinson's complex use of time to weave the novel, bringing great depth to her characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

Any additional comments?

Thoroughly enjoyed this listen, despite the slight shift in accents which was a little off-putting.

Nice narration, dreadful accents.

The story, the first of a series with the main character, was nicely laid out and ended satisfactorily.

Violent murders the whimsical English way

It had murders, and mystery. That’s what it gets its two stars for. It had no element of police procedural, because the hero isn’t a policeman, nor even an investigator really, in the sense that he doesn’t take on any responsibility. It all takes place in Cambridgeshire, with essence of Yorkshire and Geordieland, mostly in blazing sunshine, with way too much bitching, gossiping, lemonade and cake. It’s all manners and class. Yawn.

Quite Dickensian

Good wide ranging interwoven stories which are all perplexing but satisfactorily concluded makes this a more taxing read than the normal detective story. Worth it but don't expect an easy read.

Beautifully observed characters

Loved everything about it, the story was excellently woven, the narration was terrific. Kate writes so well and clearly has a great understanding of the human condition .One small observation the Irish name Niamh is pronounced Nive, one syllable!

Tedious in the extreme

Good heavens, am I really reading the same book as the other reviewers? I am just a couple of chapters through but am sick of the awful people, mothers and fathers who favour one child above the others. As a mother of three this offends me deeply!

What offends me almost as much is the wordy nonsense that passes as literature!


The superfluous nonsense is shown in this part paragraph following!

‘Laura, who liked apricot yoghurt, and drank tea but not coffee, and had size six feet and who loved horses, who preferred plain chocolate to milk chocolate, and had spent five years learning classical guitar, but never played any more, and who was still sad that their pet dog Poppy had been run over the previous summer, Laura, who was Theo’s child and his best friend dropped the land registry form and ran into the boardroom after the man, perhaps because she had a Red Cross certificate or because she’d done a self defence course at sixth form college, or perhaps it was from simple curiosity or instinct, it was impossible to know what she was thinking as she ran into the boardroom, where the man, this complete stranger had spun on the balls of his feet, with the agility and grace of a dancer, his hand still moving in the same arc that had cut through David Holroyd’s arm.............’ it goes on ................!

I cannot read another 9 hours of this!