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A Treacherous Paradise
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
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Summary
A Treacherous Paradise sees Henning Mankell turn his talents for writing gripping thrillers to a world where power and powerlessness meet and passion is a dangerous commodity.
Hanna Lundmark escapes the brutal poverty of rural Sweden for a job as a cook onboard a steamship headed for Australia. Jumping ship at the African port of Lourenço Marques, Hanna decides to begin her life afresh. Stumbling across what she believes to be a down-at-heel hotel, Hanna becomes embroiled in a sequence of events that lead to her inheriting the most successful brothel in town.
Uncomfortable with the attitudes of the white settlers, Hanna is determined to befriend the prostitutes working for her, and change life in the town for the better, but the distrust between blacks and whites, and the shadow of colonialism, lead to tragedy and murder.
What listeners say about A Treacherous Paradise
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- JOhn
- 30-12-16
Morbidly depressing
Thoroughly miserable from beginning to end, read this if you need to be reminded how awful human beings are.
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- Jeff
- 30-12-14
Different, intriguing, thought provoking, credible
Mankell has again done his excellent characterisation in a story that holds your attention from the start.
As always Sean Barrett narrates so well.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 01-08-18
Very interesting
Very different but very interesting, with as always a splendid performance by Sean Barrett who is quite magnificent-as a narrator and of course Henning Mankell an exceptional writer, most enjoyable thank you
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- Frances G
- 03-04-22
chillingly unputdownable ...
he really can write, and Sean can't 'alf read ... I'm about to start again at chapter 1 ... so so good, gotta listen all over again!! I'd forgotten I had this still in my library unread... what had I been missing?! bravo Mr Mankell ... masterfully done 👏👏👏
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- D. Cottam
- 22-05-15
Mankell loses his touch
I persevered with this novel after enjoying the beginning because I have
A high regard for Henning Mankell's other books. This tale is badly put together and is written in a ponderous style with awful dialogue and unconvincing characters. Even Sean Barrett can't bring the story to life.
Mankell needs to research tapeworms because part of the story is factually wrong. The magic realism and symbolism that kept occurring was unwelcome , making me lose faith in the authenticity of the story. I wish I hadn't stayed to the end of this unsatisfactory book. It was a waste of time and made me doubt the skill of the author. I think Mankell wanted a vehicle to make a powerful case against colonialism and racial injustice but It is essentially a children's book set in a colonial brothel so it completely misses the mark. I was very surprised that this book received so many positive reviews
as it is inferior to his other books.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mike
- 17-04-17
Dirge
What disappointed you about A Treacherous Paradise?
It was the audible equivalent of wading through treacle
Has A Treacherous Paradise put you off other books in this genre?
Absolutely
Which character – as performed by Sean Barrett – was your favourite?
Sean Barrett is my favourite narrator, however, even his superb skills could not rescue these characters
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment, I have really enjoyed every other novel from this author but this was a waste of my time
Any additional comments?
I could not recommend this book in any way.
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1 person found this helpful