Black Swan Green

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

By the New York Times best-selling author of The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize
Selected by Time as One of the Ten Best Books of the Year
A New York Times Notable Book
Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post Book World, The Christian Science Monitor, Rocky Mountain News, and Kirkus Reviews
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Winner of the ALA Alex Award
Finalist for the Costa Novel Award

From award-winning writer David Mitchell comes a sinewy, meditative novel of boyhood on the cusp of adulthood and the old on the cusp of the new.

Black Swan Green tracks a single year in what is, for 13-year-old Jason Taylor, the sleepiest village in muddiest Worcestershire in dying Cold War England, 1982. But the 13 chapters, each a short story in its own right, create an exquisitely observed world that is anything but sleepy. A world of Kissinger-esque realpolitik enacted in boys' games on a frozen lake; of "nightcreeping" through the summer backyards of strangers; of the tabloid-fueled thrills of the Falklands War and its human toll; of the cruel, luscious Dawn Madden and her power-hungry boyfriend, Ross Wilcox; of a certain Madame Eva van Outryve de Crommelynck, an elderly bohemian emigré who is both more and less than she appears; of Jason's search to replace his dead grandfather's irreplaceable smashed watch before the crime is discovered; of first cigarettes, first kisses, first Duran Duran LPs, and first deaths; of Margaret Thatcher's recession; of Gypsies camping in the woods and the hysteria they inspire; and, even closer to home, of a slow-motion divorce in four seasons.

Pointed, funny, profound, left-field, elegiac, and painted with the stuff of life, Black Swan Green is David Mitchell's subtlest and most effective achievement to date.

Praise for Black Swan Green

“[David Mitchell has created] one of the most endearing, smart, and funny young narrators ever to rise up from the pages of a novel.... The always fresh and brilliant writing will carry readers back to their own childhoods.... This enchanting novel makes us remember exactly what it was like.” (The Boston Globe)

“[David Mitchell is a] prodigiously daring and imaginative young writer.... As in the works of Thomas Pynchon and Herman Melville, one feels the roof of the narrative lifted off and oneself in thrall.” (Time)

©2006 David Mitchell (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Great Britain's Catcher in the Rye, and another triumph for one of the present age's most interesting and accomplished novelists." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Gorgeous....Captures the sheer pleasure of being a boy and brings to mind adventures shared by Huck and Tom." ( Publishers Weekly)

"He reproduces Jason's inner life with such astonishing verisimilitude that readers will find themselves haunted by him long after turning the last page." ( Booklist)

BLACK SWAN GREEN

NOT COMPREHENSIBLE, LINGUISTICALLY AND FOR THAT REASON ALONE I CANNOT RECOMMEND THE BOOK. IT IS NO EASIER TO READ THAN TO LISTEN TO - THE STORY ITSELF HAS MERIT.

Story and Performance!

I usually just hit the stars and move on, but Kirby"s performance was brill. The story and his audio recording are equally excellent. I'm looking forward to another listen of the same story or another.

Particularly good narration

Especially in the second half or so of the book, the narrator really shines at doing all the voices, from the odd accent of old Madame Cromerlinck to the Gypsies and the horrid gossipy vicar's wife.

Excellent Book, Excellent Narration

Black Swan Green is beautifully read and immediately captures the listener's attention by the skill of the writing as well. Told from the point of view of a thirteen year old boy we witness not only his coming of age story, but also the picture of a particular historical moment in Great Britain. The young boy's insight grows not only in relation to his own immediate world but also in terms of political consciousness and his relationship to his parents and family. The story was raw as it demonstrates the awful cruelty of the young, honestly told in the way few novels achieve, without bitterness or rancor...it's just the way things are in this world and learning to deal with that reality is the act of growth that transforms the narrator. The reader is so perfect for this book I can't imagine it being read better.

A boy's coming of age doesn't get much better

What made the experience of listening to Black Swan Green the most enjoyable?

Everything. The reader seemed to BE the characters. I wish the book was longer.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The lad, of course! I did also like his sister, too. Even Hugo with his grisly dark side was just right for this perfect book.

What about Kirby Heyborne’s performance did you like?

I think the reader must have loved this book as much as I did and it came through. The pain, the little joys, the everyday-ness of being a boy in Yorkshire at age 13. It was moving and entertaining.

If you could take any character from Black Swan Green out to dinner, who would it be and why?

the lad of course. I would want to know how his poetry was developing and if he liked his new home in London.

Any additional comments?

David Mitchell is a perfect novelist, storyteller and poet. His command of prose takes my breath away. Literally.

Best feel of a non-fiction in a fiction

Great way to view how life would be for a young person that anyone can relate to.

Favorite David Mitchell so far

Felt more real and optimistic than either Catcher in the Rye or Lord of Flies

Not David Mitchell's best but still full of charm

Narration was spectacular. Right up there with Simon Vance.

David Mitchell combines beautiful subtle appreciation for the vagaries of human life--and in this book, the vagaries of smart adolescent life--with more than a touch of political correctness. For example, given that it's the 80s, it fits that Jason's mother would be flexing her newly found feminist powers. But to throw in an object lesson about how terrible it is to be prejudiced against gypsies, or the little homily about poetry not having to be beautiful--maybe we could have skipped that. And maybe instead the book could have given glimpses of what his father was going through, since the structural tension in the book was created by his loyalty to an ex-mistress and his attempts to save her. But all in all an immersive read and there's an Easter Egg in there for fans of Cloud Atlas.

This book is ace!

Oh to be 13 years old in 1982. This is an incredibly big hearted story of an observant poet in an unfair world. I suffered a little PTSD as the writing is so vivid you can smell the bad breath of the bullies as well as the perfume of the passing girls. Loved it!

a good story read terribly

its a tribute to David Mitchell's writing that I managed to listen to this book to the end. The story takes place in England and the characters are all English. so why choose a narrator that sounds like a Canadian who went on holiday to Manchester and took elecution lessons from the Queen - sorry Kirby I'm sure you're a nice bloke but the reading was dismal!!