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Ancestral Vices cover art

Ancestral Vices

By: Tom Sharpe
Narrated by: Griff Rhys Jones
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Summary

When Lord Petrefact hires Walden Yapp, Professor of Demotic Historiography at Kloone University, to write a scurrilous family history Yapp finds plenty of material in Buscott village, where Frederick Petrefact is running the Mill and adding new vices to the family collection. If Yapp can lay his hands on the Petrefact Papers in the Buscott Museum he may be able to expose the multi-national capitalism of the Petrefacts to the whole world. Unfortunately when he takes lodgings with the Coppetts of Rabbitry Road and encounters the peculiar charm of Rosie, a woman of large body and little mind, he sets in motion a train of events which are to lead to his undoing.

©1980 Tom Sharpe (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Ancestral Vices

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Fabulously funny and dark tale and Griff Rhys Jones is marvellous as the various characters. Excellent all round.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

typical Sharp

A very good story. Fun and disaster all the way, Class war at its best

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1 person 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

Couldn’t hear past the narration

I love Griff Rhys Jones and I really enjoyed Tom Sharpe books when I was a teenager but I just cannot listen to this.

Perhaps it hasn’t stood the test of time for me but I think it’s the style and speed of the narration I dislike. I often increase the playback speed so was not put off by the other critical reviews, however the narration still turned out to be too fast and also too infused with Griff’s own strong character.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love Tom Sharpe

I love anything by Tom Sharpe so I knew instantly I would love this. His wit always makes me smile with such greatly imagined characters.
My only criticism of this audiobook was that sometimes it seemed to be read incredibly fast. So fast in fact, that I thought I'd hit the button to fast forward the narration.

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

Ripping Yarn

Witty, irreverent, few writers today can match the late Mr Sharp for laughs . This book made me do so out loud

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1 person found this helpful

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

Spiffing

Tom Sharpe has a wicked sense of humour, and a lovely way with words. he creates characters that seem to come to live and oddly enough reminds me of Stephen King, but without the humour.

This is though rather mean spirited at times and I found myself feeling sorry for several of the characters. But that said, it's still bloody funny and fantastically enhanced by Griff Rhys Jones simply excellent narration.

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

Ancestral vices

Quite complicated at times, but very funny. The narration was excellent, giving a variety of voices and dialects extremely effectively.

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

Superb!

As ever, a truly fabulous, side- splitting tale from Tom Sharpe, brilliantly told by Griff Rhys Jones. A wonderful side step to an increasingly dark world. Be prepared for aching sides.

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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

Brilliant

Typical Tom Sharpe, absolutely brilliant with wonderful narration, laughter all the way. On author who can make me laugh out loud.

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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

Hilarious!!

One of the funniest books ever. The best laugh I have had for years. An outrageous plot and the narration is simply superb. I was sorry when it ended. A wonderful tonic during this awful Coronavirus pandemic.

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2 people found this helpful