Sample
  • To Say Nothing of the Dog

  • Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last
  • By: Connie Willis
  • Narrated by: Steven Crossley
  • Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (4,632 ratings)

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To Say Nothing of the Dog

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Steven Crossley
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Publisher's summary

Connie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.

When too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history.

Delightfully aided by the perfect comedic timing of narrator Steven Crossley, To Say Nothing of the Dog shows once again why Connie Willis is one of the most talented writers working today.

©1998 Connie Willis (P)2000 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

  • Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1999

"Willis effortlessly juggles comedy of manners, chaos theory and a wide range of literary allusions [with a] near flawlessness of plot, character and prose." (Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: The 25 Best Time Travel Listens to Take You on an Unforgettable Journey


Time travel is one of science fiction's most popular subgenres. Fans are drawn to its infinite possibilities, offering a glimpse into past cultures, societies, and pivotal events while exploring big what if? questions. What if you knew what would happen next in your life? What if you could go back and change history? What if you did change history? With this guide, you're sure to find an exciting audiobook to transport you to the perfect place in another time.

What listeners say about To Say Nothing of the Dog

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I love the narrator

Great book, very amusing wonderful story line and plot development. Nice for something to laugh at

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Most Amusing

Clever and interesting. Excellent narrator. Connie Willis imagines a time-travel story to multiple places and times with such charm and wit that you almost certainly will want to read it again immediately after finishing just to catch all the clever details you might have missed the first go round. And cats.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Willis + Crossley = Wonderful

I have read this book several times, and found it hilariously funny, if sometimes tiresomely redundant (which I think is on purpose, as part of the plot). But I've never enjoyed it as much as listening to Stephen Crossley's narration. His characters' voices were absolutely perfect. I'll look for more audio books by him.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good to listen while working on tasks.

Excellent narrator! The story bounces between the past and future, entertaining all the while. A fun cast of characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A little hard to follow but lots of fun.

I enjoyed the book a lot. The narration is fantastic, but the narrative was hard for me to follow. Who did what to whom and when and how that that affect the other thing to what effect on something else and then another thing and when? Like that. But it's a great book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Charming

This was a fun and engaging listen. The plot is well put together, the characters are delightful and the narrator does a great job adding a little dash of extra humor on top.

I didn't find it as powerful as Doomsday Book, but of course that was never the point. This one gets into more of the quirks and wrinkles of the notion of time travel (something I must admit not being very good at following, so perhaps my "well put together" comment should include the caveat that any time-travel plot holes would likely escape me) and into a very sweet relationship story which adds a nice charm to the story without ever becoming the story itself. With all of that, I can see even more clearly in this book than in Doomsday Book where Jodi Taylor must have found the seed for her delightful St. Mary's tales.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Did not finish

For me this book failed to hold my interest. Not poorly written but I could not get into story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An absolute favorite

The humor in this tale would keep me coming back even without the spectacular performance of the narrator, but how he brings it all to life is simply perfection. This is without doubt one of the best audible purchases ever; I cannot recommend it highly enough. Love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another fabulous story performed excellently

Loved this book. It was my second book by Connie Willis. The author created an original story yet again based on time travel. I found the performance excellent. I couldn’t wait to sit and listen until I sadly finished. I will listen to another one as soon as I can.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Catholics only

The author assumes the reader is very familiar with Catholicism. Even being raised in a Christian society didn’t prepare me to understand many aspects of this story. If you’re unfamiliar with or dislike Catholicism, skip this book.
BUT it if that is your cup of tea, the time-travel portion of this story is engaging with a new take on the “mechanics” of it all.

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