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Iris and Ruby
- Narrated by: Rula Lenska
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 01-17-07
- Language: English
- Publisher: Audible Studios
Regular price: $20.34
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Publisher's Summary
Critic Reviews
"Thomas can write with ravishing sensuality." (The Times)
"Rosie Thomas is both a subtle and realistic author and her portrait of Iris is never less than absorbing." (Daily Mail)
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Average Customer Ratings
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4 out of 5 stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- "unknown"
- 04-21-10
Tender, heart-felt and beautifully narrated
A beautifully written novel with deep understanding of the characters involved and of human nature. The straddling of two eras was well executed. I truly enjoyed the narration which made the story come to life!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Deb
- 03-02-13
LONG LONG AND LONG
Would you listen to Iris and Ruby again? Why?
No, I wouldn't listen again. I found this book very long and it didn't go anywhere. I am struggling to finish the 2nd part.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Maybe I won't get there
What about Rula Lenska’s performance did you like?
I like Rula's reading but in this book I found it inconsistent. Ruby was part London Goth and part Toffee Tart
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Have yet to get there.
Any additional comments?
I like stories that take me away and this book put me to sleep.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Al
- 03-13-13
Slow-moving
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would not. To be honest, I only got through the first half. The characters did not draw me in emotionally. Iris's lover was distanced and lacked warmth, so that the affair did not really seem that genuine to me. The story dragged. I am not one to give up early on a book but after the first half I asked myself "do I care what happens to these characters?" The answer was "no."
What aspect of Rula Lenska’s performance would you have changed?
Her voice was good for the character of Iris, the grandmother. But it didn't fit with Ruby's character-it sounded too old and scratchy. And the way she did male voices (especially those of Egyptian characters) got on my nerves... Bad accents and somehow the men came off sounding simple-minded.
Was Iris and Ruby worth the listening time?
Not for me.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Orchard Riser
- 08-19-11
Shifts in time
This audiobook got me through a week in Disneyland Paris with 2 teenagers - great to have something distracting! It was beautifully read by Rula Lenska. The story flitted very well between the two generations and made me want to escape from Paris to Cairo. The war time scenes were particularly well done and I wondered what stories my mother might tell of her own experiences at that time to her granddaughters. Well worth a listen.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-16-11
Such a lovely story
Well read, easy to follow, a really lovely story of age and adolescence, of endless love, of war and loss, against a background of the streets of Cairo, now and during WWII. Well worth it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- emma conn
- 07-07-17
Beautiful moving story
This is second time I have read this book and found it just as brilliant as the first time m made even better this time with the voice of rula lenski