Anita

By: Keith Roberts

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Fantasy, 2013

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrator and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on Anita: "Anita is an almost forgotten novel by one of the finest UK writers. But it is a favorite of mine. Anita works on two levels: on the one hand, the stories are a product of the 1960s - they come out of a swinging world and a "Georgy Girl" time, and Keith Roberts, then a young art director, has captured the feel of the sixties. At the same time, he writes about a teenage witch being brought up by her Granny; he writes about a young witch falling in love, getting her heart broken, about change and growing up and compromise, about what magic is and how you can lose it sometimes and how you can get it back. And the character of Anita's Granny is amazing, one of Keith Roberts' best characters…. [Anita] set the template for all the teenage witch stories that come after, and she did it better and more magically. I wanted these stories back in "print", where people could hear them and could fall in love with Anita and Granny, as I did."

Meet Anita Thompson: she's young, she's lovely, she's clever ... and she's a witch. A real one.

Anita lives in two worlds: the modern world of supermarkets and sports cars, radio and rock & roll, where she is a thoroughly modern girl with a thoroughly modern interest in boys and fast living and her own independence. But the ancient and rustic world of traditions, cauldrons, and familiars , where she and her Granny (a witch of the Old School, broom and all) invoke elemental spirits int he service of Him Wot's Down Under. She has senses no ordinary mortal can imagine (at least nine); with them, she can hear the voices of every creature of the night. She can changer her shape, call a drowned corpse from a lake, reverse the flow of time, and ride the Sea Serpent (there's only the one, you know; always has been -- always will be) deep into the ocean in the company of a mermaid, even though the modern world is trying to crowd aside -- and even change -- that world of witchcraft and magic. Yet, complicated as a young witch's life may become, Anita never loses her sense of fun, or her essential innocence.

When the Anita stories first appeared in Science Fantasy and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in the late 1960s, they were immediately recognized as a strikingly original departure for the author of such celebrated works as Pavane. One critic called the original 1970 collection of these stories a "treasure." This new volume presents the stories in the author's corrected, definitive texts, a new introduction by the author, and an additional story which did not appear in the first edition.

To hear more from Neil Gaiman on Anita, click here, or listen to the introduction at the beginning of the book itself.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

©1990 The Estate of Keith Roberts (P)2011 Wildside Press LLC

Great read...

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

The performance on this recording is superb. The characters are memorable and the story a good read. Enjoy this wonderful book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Anita?

When Anita goes back to where time began is a creative part of the book.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Anita's grandmother and sister fight and then have to rescue Anita is priceless.

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

This is a very addicting read.

Any additional comments?

Anita's grandmother is my favorite character.

A favorite from way back

I first read Anita as a child and share Neil Gaiman's nostalgic love of the book so I was thrilled to find this audio version after losing my battered paperback which I reread many times over the last 40 years.

Childhood classic brought to life

Would you listen to Anita again? Why?

I have listened to it many times already, I would listen to it over and over and over again!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anita Is by far my favorite character. Not to say Granny Thompson isn't awesome too. But if you want to compare Anita to any modern character you would be hard pressed to do so. She is unique and fun.

Which character ??? as performed by Nicola Barber ??? was your favorite?

Nicola Barber is a really talented actress. I think one of my favorite acted voiced characters would have to be Vortigan. (the cat) the meow she did was absolutely hilarious. Vortigan is a great character in the books, but brought to life by Nicola and made to be absolutely unforgettable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I always loved this book. I loved it so much as a younger person that the school librarian actually gave me a copy to keep because I had checked it out so often. When I saw Audible had it I just had to get it! I was not disappointed. It is always great for a laugh, or just to make you feel good. The best part, you can put it down for ages and pick it up where you left off and never feel lost.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of the works of Hayao Miyazaki you might really enjoy this audio book. It has very much a similar flavor as Howls Moving Castle, The Borrowers, Spirited Away, Totoro, and The Cat Returns. As you listen to it you can in fact almost imagine Hayao Miyazaki, or Studio Ghibli producing it as an animated movie feature and it really isn't that far a stretch. It really does take you there.

Truly exceptional

I’ve listened to this through twice now, and I’m sure I’ll listen to it several times more. Being a series of short stories, it’s easy to pick up whenever my hands are busy and I need a little something to listen to. Anita and her Granny are wonderful characters on their own, but the narration puts these stories over the moon. Easily my favorite Audible find to date.

Nice. Not magical, but nice. Worth a listen.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, if they are interested in magic in an urban setting kind of stories. The audiobook is worth the price for Nicola Barber's reading alone. She's awesome! Not that the stories are bad, or even anything less than very good...

Who was your favorite character and why?

Granny Thompson, of course! I like Ella Mae (or is it Ella May?).

What about Nicola Barber’s performance did you like?

She is amazing! She does different voices so brilliantly, and really has the knack of telling a story. Maybe falters a bit with the Texan drawl, but you cannot expect everything...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile quite often.

Any additional comments?

Fine, fun short stories. Sixties witch, a bit of a wild child, is this Anita. But good. Breezy read.

OK

What did you like best about Anita? What did you like least?

I like the whole basis for the storyline, but I'm no fan of the short-stories form, as I don't seem to really get to know and understand Anita. I dont really get a feel for a beginning, middle and ending of the book, which makes it hard to really invest and love the stories.

Would you be willing to try another book from Keith Roberts? Why or why not?

Sure, but preferably not one in the same format (i.e. a series of short stories).

Did Nicola Barber do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

No. The voices were too similar, for instance the voice of the boy in story number 2 were identical to Anitas voice. And the lisp would be a great extra feature for one character, but apparently Nicola is the one with the lisp and then it just gets a bit annoying.

Delightful

A story full of wonder with a superb narrator. It's amazingly good fun and a true delight.

Great read, wonderful narrator, nailed the accents

This is filled with a series of short stories about Anita a young witch who lives with her Granny. It has wonderful parts that you wish would go on into a full book, but it is nice to get a break if you have other things to do, otherwise these stories wouldn't let you put them down until you had read the whole thing. Sad when they come to an end. The narrator is delightful and has a wonderful nack for the accents in the story. If you like magic, familiars, time travel, mermaids or the like you will really enjoy this series of short stories.

Fantastic Narration

While the story was definitely cute, it was the narration that really made it for me. Nicola Barber really brought each of the characters larger than life.

A very fun read

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

entertaining - funny - sweet

Who was your favorite character and why?

Anita is an engaging character. I loved her interaction with her granny.

What about Nicola Barber???s performance did you like?

Nicola has a great voice and is very expressive. Her performance made the book more enjoyable.