Sylvester (Abridged) – Georgette Heyer Free Audiobook

Written by Georgette Heyer
Read by Richard Armitage
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Abridged

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks
Edition: Abridged
Release date: January 11, 2012
Duration: 04:51:28

Rank, wealth, and elegance are no match for a young lady who writes novels…

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride. Then he meets Phoebe Marlow, a young lady with literary aspirations, and suddenly life becomes very complicated. She meets none of his criteria, and even worse, she has written a novel that is sweeping through the ton and causing all kinds of gossip… and he’s the main character!

He finds her dull and insipid. She finds him insufferably arrogant.

But when a series of unforeseen events leads them to be stranded together in a lonely country inn, they are both forced to reassess their hastily formed opinions, and begin a new-found liking and respect for each other.

Sylvester calls to mind the satirical genius of a Jane Austen novel and is adored for its wit and a fast-paced plot, which ranges across a myriad of settings.

Richard Armitage turns in a stellar performance of the lovelorn and hasty hero of Heyer’s Regency romance. Even better, Armitage creates wonderful voices for the female characters–from the stern society matrons to the giddy debutantes. Armitage moves the narrative along at a breezy, gossipy pace that is perfectly suited to the novel’s action and scene descriptions. Sylvester, the Duke of Salford, must find just the right bride for his aristocratic station. Phoebe Marlow seems an unlikely candidate, and she doesn’t care for him either–until circumstances bring them together in an unexpected way. The charm of Heyer’s characters and Armitage’s skillful performance will have the listener longing for more. AudioFile 2009

The music on this recording was taken from the NAXOS catalogue:
MENDELSSOHN String Quartets Nos. 2 & 5 / Scherzo Op. 81, No. 2 8.550863 Aurora String Quartet
MENDELSSOHN String Quartets Nos. 3 & 6 / Capriccio Op. 81, No. 3 8.550861 Aurora String Quartet
BELLA String Quartets 8.223839 Moyzes Quartet
BELLA String Quartet in C Minor / String Quintet in D Minor 8.223658 Frantisek Magyar; Moyzes Quartet Music programming by Sarah Butcher

Unlike Venetia, this music does not work well and does not make a smooth transition from chapter to chapter.