So Much Owed

By: Jean Grainger

Narrated by: Michael Healy

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Dr. Richard Buckley returns home to his wife and beloved hometown of Dunderrig, his mind is wearied by the ravages of The Great War. Disillusioned by the horror and pointlessness of battle, his civilian transition strains more than just his state of mind, as his marriage crumbles beneath the weight of duty.

Out of the rubble of this doomed relationship, twins James and Juliet arrive - born into an uncertain and hostile new world. Against the backdrop of this idyllic town, this story takes you to the furthest reaches of Nazi occupied Europe. James and Juliet come of age in a world on the brink of chaos, where the remnants of rebellion at home have snowballed into the horrors of yet another world war.

Historically rich and moving, the tale of two children from the Irish countryside caught in the throes of wartime Europe is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and its willingness to endure. Experience this critical time in history like never before in So Much Owed.

©2013 Jean Grainger (P)2017 Tantor

Awful Narrator!!!

I am trying to make my way through this book because the storyline has merit. But, did those who produced this narration even listen to the narrator?!? He is plain awful! He sounds like he is totally bored with reading the book. I would exchange this title, but the site isn’t letting me. I am going to try to continue. I wish I had read the reviews before purchasing this title!

Worst audiobook narrator ever.

The story was interesting with good characters but the narrator ruined it! He sounded like a bored parent reading to a child. He changed his accents according to who was speaking but rarely got them right.

So disappointed

Would love to exchange this book, but the site won't let me. I gave it a second chance months after the first try, just to be fair, but I can't listen to that voice. It's like finger nails on a chalk board to me.

Great Story and Great Narration

The characters really came alive for me. They were well developed and believable. I am always amazed by stories of how wars took such a heavy toll on the British and Irish. Michael Healy did a marvelous job with all the accents. I will definitely buy more books with him as the narrator.

A great audio book to sink into!

I have a confession. I had already read this book on a kindle. But like some books that you can’t get enough of, it’s always nice to view (or listen) to them from another medium as you know you’re not going to be disappointed!
I’ve done the same with all of the Stieg Larsson books, as well as Birdsong and Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks, Tana French, Cormac McCarthy and even Frederick Forsyth.
Most audio books can be enjoyed while you get on with the humdrum tasks of life. Only a rare few like So Much Owed can be enjoyed simply by sitting down and closing your eyes.
Looking forward now to seeing this in the cinema!

Audible version - Terrible narration

I gave this two stars for story, because honestly, with such poor narration, I can't tell how good the story is. Unfortunately I bought this a few years ago and have only just got round to listening to it; otherwise I would have returned it. It's read with an Irish accent, which seems perfect given the subject matter. But the narrator seems incapable of doing any other accents realistically. Given that there are a variety of different English accents to tackle, this grates. But I could overlook that. The main trouble is that it's narrated with very little emotion, being read more as an account by someone who is trying to make a point, rather than as a story. Sentences end on an unnaturally high or low note. This may be the dialect of the narrator, but it's certainly not the tone of Irish accents in general. It makes it sound as if the narrator is trying to be patient with someone who really doesn't understand what happened. Imagine yourself feeling frustrated with someone, and saying, as patiently as you can, 'No, you don't understand! I only parked the car there because I was trying to be as near the house as possible.' Now imagine the tone of voice if you were reading about a character in a book, who is troubled: 'With a heavy heart, Mary parked near the house.' You can't read that second sentence in the same tone you'd use for the first, it just doesn't work. But that is how the narrator reads, almost all the time. By the way, I just created a sentence and picked a name at random - I'm so distracted by the tone, I can't even remember the characters' names. The book is ruined for me now; I won't try reading it.

Long story

Hard to get into. I thought this is going to be unbelieveable. It was a very intricate and winding story. I did get through it all anyway but unbelievable and far fetched The accents were terrible. I have to add.

great story, didn't enjoy the narrator

really enjoyed this as a story but wish I'd read it, as the narrator sounded like a bored school teacher dictating notes. accents were all over the place and voices were often indistinct from each other.

I almost cried!

Would you listen to So Much Owed again? Why?

A brilliant story and very well written, despite a fairly complex plot. It seemed to try to be unbiased throughout the telling of the tale. The story was about a west Cork family, caught up in the two World Wars. It explained the attitude of the Irish in officially remaining neutral, and why many people joined up. There were also some German characters thrown in for good measure. I almost cried during the last chapter.