So, I picked Greenmantle, by John Buchan in an audio format for my recent holiday as a book I could share with others while chilling by the pool. This is supposed to be the sequel to The 39 Steps, but it really didn't feel like it ... although this could be that I've only ever seen the film(s) and the theatre show (recently, in London - it was totally fab and hysterically funny with four people playing ALL the parts - absolute genius). We catch up with our hero - Richard Hannay - who is dispatched on a secret mission to combat a threat in the Arabic world which the Germans (this is first world war era) are trying to take advantage of! It's quite dated with some content that is no longer very PC, but it is a good stirring tale of daring do with spies, disguises, very bad baddies and an interesting "band of brothers" in the goodies camp. We travel across Europe and into Constantinople and end up in cahoots with the Russians. It's worth reading just for the line about a particularly strong piece of cheese that can apparently "raise the dead" - made me laugh out loud! I do enjoy reading an audio book with others listening to the same thing - it's a communal experience a bit like going to the theatre or cinema. I can recommend reading in a group - but getting the right book, for the whole group - is key!
My star rating: THREE
The stats bit:
Length: 320 print pages
Price I paid: £7.99 (via my Audible monthly account)
Other formats available: Print; uanbridged audio CD; Ebook.
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