The Northern Clemency Audiobook

" I liked the broad view of the English suburbs, where problems are same and different as here. Not so sure about the last few sections, maybe should have stuck to his knitting. "

" Longest book ever! It is unclear to me why this was voted one of Amazon's top books of 2008. 600 pages into this book, new characters were introduced. That's when I lost it. I do admit, the characters as a whole were interesting. "

" Don't bother. Filled with excess puffery and colloquialisms of northern English life that were beyond my grasp. I gave up. "

" Unfortunately, and I HATE when this happens -- I just couldnt' finish it....it was just wandering and really didn't have much to keep my attention. I kept thinking I should just try and get through it, but my list of others to read is so huge I don't want to waste any more time. Disappointing when this happens!!!! "

" Complex & sprawling. "

" oh boy...i really thought with all the crazy good reviews this got and entertainment weekly picking it as one of their top books for 2008, that it would be good BUT WOW it was so boring! 600 pages! it makes me think i am missing something... sigh. "

" Well written, I guess, but frankly tedious. I'm not learning enough, deeply enough, about the characters to get really engaged. Sacrilige: I may not even finish it... and it's a Booker prize finalist, so that pains me. "

" life in a northern town or 30 years in sheffield "

" OK. Skimmed really. Too boring. "

" Probably the worst book I ever remember reading....spent far too much time on this loser. "

" Disappointing. Unsympathetic and unappealing characters, and far too many of them kept getting introduced pointlessly. Overall story non-existent. Smooth and well-written, but with no other redeeming features. I read this for the Booker longlist and feel it is undeserving of its shortlist spot. "

" Going slow, but it's getting better. The kids are a bit outlandish... This is not a book that I would recommend especially to a person who doesn't have patience. The second part of the book is where things get better, the kids are grown up and so the drama begins. It's sad but entertaining. "

" It was long, a good story, but I am doubtful it was worth the effort, lol! "

" Long but entertaining all the way through. "

" Wow, I had a really hard time finishing this book. It is very well written but I just didn't really like any of the characters. Finally towards the end I began to enjoy the different story lines, but not enough to salvage the whole book. "

" I liked the beginning of this book, but got less interested as time went on. It's 600 pages long. "

" Started it in March. Couldn't get into it. Attempted again in July/August...renewed it 3 times and only made it to page 184 and read 2 books in the meantime. Blah...put me to sleep every time I picked it up. Finally, I decided enough is enough. "

" My first Philip Hensher read, beautifully written, loved it. "

" This received harsh treatment at the hands of the Man Booker chat group and mainstream reviewers but I really liked it and it put Hensher on the map for me. Not profound perhaps but very well written and wise about relationships, family dynamics, etc. "

" This book goes nowhere. I don't understand the acclaim it's received. I think the author tries to be the British Jonathan Franzen. He fails miserably. "

" There is plenty of character development. The characters are fairly ordinary folk. A very well written novel set in an English city through the 1970's to 1990's.i enjoyed the writing style and have bought a couple of Hensher books to read. "

" Very British. Very long. "

" I could NOT get through this book. It took me FOREVER. Painful. Too many characters. It was always jumping around, with no point. I thought maybe it was b/c I was reading it on my Amazon Kindle that I didn't connect with the text, but that was not it. "

" A story of two English families and their trials and tribulations over a couple of decades. Loved the English colloquiallisms and manner of speaking. "

" Most books are predictable but this one had me in stitches. I'd rate this a 4.5, really, since it was some "work" to read it. "

" L O N G. FINALLY finished. Something made me push through to the end. Probably cause I think it was the brick that put me over on my luggage coming back to the States. (it's huge!). Anyway, defo could have left this one behind. It still confuses me a little as to why it was written. xx "

" I could have gotten there in much fewer pages. "

" Turgid trudge through the lives of a group of Sheffield families. Pointless and dull. "

" Going slow, but it's getting better. The kids are a bit outlandish... This is not a book that I would recommend especially to a person who doesn't have patience. The second part of the book is where things get better, the kids are grown up and so the drama begins. It's sad but entertaining. "

" 100 pages in, and I'm desperately in love with this novel. ** Finished a few days ago, and am in like. Every moment rings true, but the characters struck me as interchangeable. "

" Short-listed for the Man Booker Prize, the novel presents a sweeping view of England at the time of Thatcher's rise. I found it less engaging than expected but liked some aspects. "

" Just could not get into this book about snotty people in the suburbs and their nasty adolescent children. Probably did not give it enough of a chance. But just not interested. "

" Possibly the worst book I've ever read and the only book I have not been able to finish. Horrible Horrible. "

" I just kept waiting for it to get good, never did. It seemed like a corrections wanna be. "

" although the last paragraph should have been cut. "

" good stuff, but thought the ending was too abrupt. "

" Hensher's a really good writer and I'm looking forward to his Mulberry Empire and his book about Berg's opera, Lulu. This book is a big, rambling story of two families in 1970s and 80s Sheffield. That sounds deadly boring, but it's a far cry from that. "