Caught in Gaiman's Web! Terrific.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

"Anansi Boys" is splendiforous and has just became one of my favourite books ever. As with "Neverwhere" the events happen in two parallel worlds, reality and fantasy, as Mr Gaiman slowly unwraps all the hidden surprises.

What did you like best about this story?

There are so many stories and myths woven together in "Anansi Boys" and none of them disappoint. The mythological stories of spider, tiger, monkey and the bird lady are pure fun. This along with how the main characters undergo such fantastic transformations bring a wonderful outcome and make it an amazing story.

Which character – as performed by Lenny Henry – was your favourite?

Lenny Henry is a genius. He has become one of my favourite narrators and I hope to come across more of the books he reads. I'm especially impressed by Lenny imitating female voices which does not always work when done by others. He embraces the bird character with so much passion and fun that your imagination gets the wings.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The story starts with extraordinary characters each going through their own personal transformations and becoming capable of things you never imagined. The brotherly relationship between Fat Charlie and Spider paints us a full rainbow of emotions. It's Gaiman after all!

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Absolutely wonderful

I have read the book and listened to the audio book now at least 5 times, and I don’t think I could ever bore of it. Wonderfully written, fantastic character development and a perfect ending. What else could you want! The narration by Lenny Henry is spot on for the characters and really brings the characters to life. Can’t recommend enough.

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Fantastic

Fantastic in all ways. Great feel good story. Perfect narration. Nobody could have read it better than Lenny Henry. This story could have been written for him to perform.

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A great performance from lenny

If you like hitchhikers then you'll live this well thought through adventure, acted excellently by lenny henry.
Changing from a comedy, to an adventure, to a thriller and a murder mystery, the book takes you through the story seamlessly, with interesting and we'll developed characters and set pieces. Recommended.

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Humorous but the spun web isn't that intricate

It was easy to listen to and the performance was riveting.
Not to many characters to keep track of.
The theme in American Gods about how ancient gods made redundant by more modern gods can be reenergized by being remembered in some way.
Each god seems to have it's own pantheon & backstory & rivalries. It gave the already fictitious story an otherworldly incomprehensibility when you tried to match it with the backstories of gods introduced in American Gods.
The gods seemed unaware of other gods not in their own story.

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A world of it's own

Lenny Henry is fantastic - it's like he was made to read Gaiman. This is a beautiful, intelligent, entertaining story read with style, humour and passion. Everything an audio book should be and more.... thank you.

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Great narration with a good story

What did you like most about Anansi Boys?

I have previously read Neil Gaiman books and not really got into them. This story however had a good sense of humour and fun throughout (it reminded me of Good Omens, a book Neil Gaiman wrote with Terry Pratchett).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Anansi Boys?

Hmmm... spoilers! Actually some of the best moments were relatively early when the main character, Fat Charlie, encounters Spider and much of his life is flipped upside-down.

What does Lenny Henry bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He's a brilliant narrator and perfect for this. I understand that Neil Gaiman requested him for the audiobook and his voices fit perfectly. I don't think I'd have enjoyed it anywhere near as much without his crazy voices and emotion.

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

Laugh mostly, but there were some serious moments as well.

Any additional comments?

The book is not perfect, in particular the main villain's motivation is rather weak and he is almost entirely one dimensional. However I've enjoyed listening to this more than any other audiobook before or after and strongly recommend it.

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good read

I wasn't sure I would enjoy Lenny Henry as a narrator but he fits well. some of the accents are a little off but it doesn't detract

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Charming and funny.

I am not a fan of Lenny Henry usually but his narration is brilliant.

This book is warm, enjoyable and made me smile. Kind of like a pair of cosy slippers. Gainman is spot on here.

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Superb!

Absolutely brilliant! Delightful characters, splendid story. Gentle humour, such a wonderful listen - Lenny Henry really did this justice, I enjoyed every minute of listening to this.

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