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  • The North Water

  • By: Ian McGuire
  • Narrated by: John Keating
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (168 ratings)

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The North Water

By: Ian McGuire
Narrated by: John Keating
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Publisher's Summary

A 19th-century whaling ship sets sail for the Arctic with a killer aboard in this dark, sharp, and highly original tale that grips like a thriller.

Behold the man: Stinking, drunk, brutal and bloodthirsty, Henry Drax is a harpooner on the Volunteer, a Yorkshire whaling ship bound for the hunting waters of the Arctic Circle. Also aboard is Patrick Sumner, an ex-army surgeon with a shattered reputation, no money, and no better option than to embark as ship's medic on this ill-fated voyage.

In India during the Siege of Delhi, Sumner thought he had experienced the depths to which a man can stoop and imagined he'd find respite on the Volunteer, but now, trapped in the wooden belly of the ship with Drax, he encounters pure evil and is forced to act. As the true purposes of the expedition become clear, the confrontation between the two men plays out in the freezing darkness of an Arctic winter.

©2016 Ian McGuire (P)2016 Simon & Schuster

Critic Reviews

"Fast-paced, gripping. A tour de force of narrative tension and a masterful reconstruction of a lost world." (Hilary Mantel)
"Utterly convincing and compelling, remorselessly vivid and insidiously witty. A startling achievement." (Martin Amis)

What listeners say about The North Water

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

Excellent narration, gripping tale

What made the experience of listening to The North Water the most enjoyable?

The narrator is brilliant, didn't miss a beat with so many different accents and voices. The story is really gripping and the end definitely not expected...

What did you like best about this story?

Everything. So original, fast paced, clever, descriptive.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Probably the descriptions of the ice and the incredible hardship the men lived under.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me not want to stop listening....

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1 person found this helpful

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

Entertaining

very good listen. Well narrated with good characters. After reading the book the tv series is definitely worth watching.

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

Brutal and driving story

Excellent novel about the harsh whaling trade and some of the overlooked behaviors aboard these old vessels. This novel won’t be for everyone as some content is harsh (sexual violence against a minor) however the story is exceptionally engrossing and aside from that, was quite an enjoyable read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Artic adventure

A terrific adventure set in the frozen North. You will meet some of the roughest and most dastardly characters in this book. Very well written and performed.

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

John Keating was superb

Great story made excellent by the narrator John Keating. If you’re put off by violence and profanity then best avoid this book. Otherwise it great characters and a great storyline.

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

So good!

Fast paced, briliantly constructed and written. Every scene dripping with gore and all aspects of what man will do to survive their circumstanes. Well done

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent novel

This was a thoroughly engaging and exciting novel. When I finished the audible, I read the novel.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great performance, absolutely superb

Good story although the ending seemed a little rushed. Overall well worth the purchase as an enjoyable yarn!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Gritty boat ride

This was gritty tale of life on the sea.
Corporate corruption and greed.
About a struggle to survive both physically and emotionally
It was a gripping story with suspense and graphic tales of whaling
Good narration made it a good listen

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

North Water shimmers & shines

Haunting story. Absolutely gripping. Characters unforgettable, richly drawn, very human, all male cast but that's the whaling industry.
The reader is Irish, so works well with story line as Sumner is Irish late of the British army.
John Keating really made the story come alive. Book is a little bloodthirsty but again like the whalers

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