Rustication

A Novel

By: Charles Palliser

Narrated by: John Lee

A vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of The Quincunx. Charles Palliser's work has been hailed as "so compulsively absorbing that reality disappears" (New York Times). Since his extraordinary debut, The Quincunx, his works have sold over one million copies worldwide. With his new novel, Rustication, he returns to the town of Thurchester, which he evoked so hauntingly in The Unburied.

It is winter 1863, and Richard Shenstone, aged 17, has been sent down - "rusticated" - from Cambridge under a cloud of suspicion. Addicted to opium and tormented by sexual desire, he finds temporary refuge in a dilapidated old mansion on the southern English coast inhabited by his newly impoverished mother and his sister, Effie. Soon, graphic and threatening letters begin to circulate among his neighbors, and Richard finds himself the leading suspect in a series of crimes and misdemeanors ranging from vivisection to murder.

Atmospheric, lurid, and brilliantly executed, Rustication confirms Palliser's reputation as "our leading contemporary Victorian novelist" (Guardian).

©2013 Charles Palliser (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Unusual and suspenseful

Difficult to catagorize, a very suspenseful story with an unsympathetic first person narrator.
Definitely kept my interest.

wonderfully woven tale with top notch performance

Charles palliser does an excellent job writing this story, intelligently incorporating numerous characters and leaving the reader rooting for the main character, Richard. I look forward to more books by palliser being made available by audible.

Dark story with twists and turns

Would you listen to Rustication again? Why?

loved the story, did not like the narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

Was a very dark story ,no sugar coating. But a good story with twists

We're All Mad Here...

Where does Rustication rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've been an audible member for a loooong time, so it would be hard for me to rank this novel. I can say that the book was well worth the credit.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard, the narrator. Charles Palliser did such a great job creating him. Richard is a self-absorbed, "girl crazy" seventeen year old who thinks of himself as the hero of the story. He has no idea how naive he is to both the reader and others around him. It was a lot of fun getting inside Richard's twisted, naive, and narcissistic mind.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

I've enjoyed other books narrated by John Lee, but I was initially surprised when I realized he was going to be "playing" a seventeen year old. Lee is a great actor, but he doesn't sound seventeen. That said, he did a fabulous job. His performance was lovely.

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

Yes. Although I was able to guess who the killer was about half way through the novel, I still wanted to listen because it was so much fun. What I enjoyed about the book was Lee's performance and all of the twisted characters.

A mind bender

Any additional comments?

Definitely different but surprisingly engrossing. I thought the narration was good and since I like John Lee as a narrator- I am use to his pace and inflections. I thought he was perfect for this dark character and yes.... It is a Twisted story!