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The Narrow Road to the Deep North cover art

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

By: Richard Flanagan
Narrated by: Richard Flanagan
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Publisher's Summary

A novel of the cruelty of war, and tenuousness of life and the impossibility of love.

August, 1943. In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Thai-Burma death railway, Australian surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier.

Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever. This savagely beautiful novel is a story about the many forms of love and death, of war and truth, as one man comes of age, prospers, only to discover all that he has lost.

©2013 Copyright © Richard Flanagan 2013. The moral right of the author has been asserted. (P)2013 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic Reviews

"Richard Flanagan is one of the most exciting novelists working anywhere, full stop." ( The Age)
"Flanagan can stop a reader's breath." ( Los Angeles Times)
"Mr Flanagan is a master of sleight of hand, adept at using words to conjure worlds, an indefatigable artist." ( The New York Times)

What listeners say about The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Going to read the book - can't listen any more

This book is brilliantly written but can't stand the monotone reading so am going to buy a hard copy and read it instead. I wish Richard Flanagan had chosen to get a professional to do the narrating. I've dropped off to sleep every time!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible narrator

The narrator really ruined this book for me
Worst ever, I'm not sure what they were thinking, monotone voice with lots of little full stops

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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terrible narration

terrible narration. ruined the whole story with drab monotone and weird pausing. very jarring. don't recommend

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay but failed to live up to the hype

Probably much better read off the page, the narration was often monotonous and struggled to convey the emotion and feeling of the writing. The story while insightful failed to engaged me with any of the characters. I much preferred Death of a River Guide

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I wasn't sure at first.......

when I first heard Richard Flanagan reading this novel, I was bit taken aback. he certainly has his own unique style. but the more I read, the more I realized that he was reading it exactly how it was supposed to be read - as it was written by him. what a luxury as a novelist, to be able to not only write the novel, but to "speak" it as well.
a very confronting story at times; uplifting and humorous at others. enjoyed it very mu h. heartily recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Powerful story

This tale built around the life of a Burma Railway POW enters the minds of many of its characters beyond the central one. It is episodic and achronological. Above all in it's simple and vivid use of language, it is brilliantly written and well read.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Heart breaking and important

A moving amalgamation of Australian Prisoner Of War stories captured by the Japanese. Beautifully written and well read.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Not to be missed.

Such a powerful story - I didn't want it to end. Loved the performance by the author - made it an even more memorable experience. Where to go now from this is my only problem!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A powerful Novel

An engrossing novel filled with intelligence, tragedy and heart. It is also wonderfully narrated by the without and provides a nuanced look into the human condition.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Incredible Honesty

absolutely loved listening to Richard tell his story. Brilliant but very sad. Loved the sincerity.

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