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Chatterton

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Chatterton

By: Peter Ackroyd
Narrated by: James Wilby
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About this listen

Poet, forger, and genius, Thomas Chatterton died in 1770, aged 18. His death was thought to be suicide: But what really happened?

Two hundred years later, Charles Wychwood and Harriet Scrope become obsessed with decoding the clues in an 18th-century manuscript. Their investigation raises some intriguing questions....

A century before, as 19th-century artist Henry Wallis paints his celebrated portrait of Chatterton lying dead in an attic room, he, too, becomes fascinated by the mystery. Then Chatterton himself steps forward, with his own story....

©1887 Peter Ackroyd (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction

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All stars
Most relevant
A smart, playful — and very funny — book about art imitating life, and artists (of all kinds) imitating one another. What makes it dazzle is James Wilby’s narration and his ear for character. (If I didn’t know better, I’d swear one of the main characters was voiced by Maggie Smith; more immitation!). A great audiobook.

Outstanding narration by James Wilby

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I loved everything about this book. A clever plot with extraordinary characters, brought to life by the best narrator I have come across in my Audible journey.

Wonderful story, beautifully told

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Peter Ackroyd's writing is marvellous, as always. He manages to give the story of Chatterton an interesting twist, while also giving us interesting insights.

James Wilby is an excellent narrator, who gives the story life without being intrusive. Just what I want from an audiobook.

Wonderful!

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I usually enjoy Ackroyd’s work but this one did not hold my interest I’m sorry to say. The characters were good as was the performance of the reader.

A long slog.

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This is not my first Peter Ackroyd novel, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as his previous story, Hawksmoor, which I read a long time ago. It was pretty decent, as read by James Wilby, for whom character delineation was never a problem. He used spoken mannerisms, which were as good as accents can be from others. The back and forth through history to Chatterton himself was fine, but I was a bit confused by what the point of the modern part of the tale was showing us. I’m not going to give spoilers, but it does make discussion about the plot tricky. I’m guessing that not much is known about the young poet, so the modern aspects allowed some debate about what might have occurred to him in his short life; if, indeed, it was short. It may have meant more to those who know something about the lad from Bristol, however little. I know nothing, having managed to live in Bristol for many years without so much as standing outside St Mary Redcliffe church. I’d hoped that the novel might have pushed me into seeking out what little is known, but I feel not one jot the wiser, sadly.
The story is perfectly fine, except it didn’t grab me or pull me back to it constantly. For other listeners it may be pretty good and keep them hooked, but not me. It hasn’t put me off Peter Ackroyd or James Wilby as a reader. I’d happily try either again.

A perfectly good tale from Peter Ackroyd.

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I have read and re-read Peter Ackroyd's brilliant Biography of London so this is a huge disappointment.
I have had three goes at it and each time, by chapter 3 or 4, wondered why I am wasting any more of my time. The idea of the story seemed interesting but................ The story doesn't grip me enough to persevere with the weird voices and the voices are no help in making the storyline clear. I rarely give up on a book but I won't be making a fourth attempt. Life really is too short.

So sorry not to like it

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I wanted to enjoy this book and have returned to it several times but sadly it doesn't keep my attention. I almost never give up on a title, but this defeated me which was disappointing, because Chatterton himself is such an enigmatic and interesting figure. I think the reviewer who said it was Dickensian in character but didn't quite get there had it right. I think the narrator was struggling too. Such a shame.

I really tried...

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I like the idea of this book but the execution is poor. The characters are gratingly awful. The women are all either simpering helpmeets with no needs of their own or grotesque harridans, the only vaguely sympathetic characters are male. The Godawful pantomime dame voices the narrator insists on using set off my tinnitus, genuinely physically hard to listen to. I've finally given up half way through. Life's too short and I have a wish list to work through.

Aims for Dickens - lands on Dick Emery

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The narrator starts doing the most awful old lady voice a couple of chapters in - ghastly and grating to listen to I could barely bear to listen to the end.

Unsatisfying

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