The Graveyard of the Hesperides

By: Lindsey Davis

Narrated by: Sarah Feathers

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

Rome, August AD 89. Flavia Albia, the daughter of Marcus Didius Falco, has taken up her father's former profession as an informer. On a typical day, it's small cases - cheating spouses, employees dipping into the till - but this isn't a typical day. Her beloved, the plebeian Manlius Faustus, has recently moved in and decided that they should get married in a big, showy ceremony as part of beginning a proper domestic life together. Also, his contracting firm has been renovating a run-down building, a bar called the Garden of the Hesperides, where they uncover human remains buried in the backyard.

For years there had been rumors that the previous owner of the bar, now deceased, killed a barmaid, and these are presumably her remains. In the choice between planning a big wedding to-do and looking into a crime from long ago, Albia would much rather investigate a possible murder - or murders, as more and more remains are uncovered, revealing that something truly horrible has been going on at the Hesperides.

As Albia gets closer to the truth behind the bodies in the backyard, her investigation has put her in the crosshairs - which might be the only way she'll get out of the wedding preparations and away from all her relatives who are so very anxious to help out.

©2016 Lindsey Davis (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Horrible narration

This is the 4th Flavia Albia book, and we're on the 3rd narrator. I liked Lucy Brown. The second one was fine. I thought they both created a voice for Albia. But Sarah Feathers is truly awful. She is stilted, and so hard to listen to that I can't follow the story. Pick ONE (not Sarah Feathers) and stick with her!

13 people found this helpful

Disappointing narration

Sarah Feathers' voice was so clipped and irritating that I shut the book off several times, and finally listened at 3/4 speed. Part of the problem may be that I'm not from the UK, but I have all your other Lindsey Davis Audible books, and had no problem with them.Perhaps a more culturally-neutral accent would work better for your international audience.

8 people found this helpful

Dreadful narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

They have changed narrator for this book and I am afraid the narration was irritating (stilted, whining and colourless) to the point that it ruined the whole book. I don't think I can tell you who done it... because I stopped caring.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lindsey Davis? Why or why not?

Of course. I love Lindsey Davis books! I've read (and listened) to them all.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Sarah Feathers?

Whoever did the previous books!

7 people found this helpful

great story, unintelligible narrator

didn't want to miss the events in character's lives but narrator was incomprehensible. very disappointing

2 people found this helpful

Narration quite good -

I was worried when I began this book as others did not like the new narrator. I’m not sure what they found objectionable. I think she was very good and I much preferred her the narrator of the first two in this series (Lucy Brown), who read with an almost constant giggle underlying her voice!
That being said, I’ve found all 3 narrators to be fine and not distracting from the stories.

1 person found this helpful

New narrator doesn’t measure up.

Lindsey Davis’ 4th Flavia Albia story is a small step backward. I cannot figure out if it’s the different narrator or she and the story. Flavia is much more spunky under the talent of Lucy Brown (Albia bks 1&2.)

Not up to standard sadly

I love this series but this particular story is not up to standard. It is — well
The only word is boring. It drags along tediously and it soon becomes impossible to care about the resolution.