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Hawksmoor cover art

Hawksmoor

By: Peter Ackroyd
Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
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Summary

Peter Ackroyd's Hawksmoor was first published in 1985. Alternating between the eighteenth century, when Nicholas Dyer, assistant to Christopher Wren, builds seven London churches that house a terrible secret, and the 1980s, when London detective Nicholas Hawksmoor is investigating a series of gruesome murders on the sight of certain old churches, Hawksmoor is a brilliant tale of darkness and shadow.

©2014 Audible, Inc.; 2002 Peter Ackroyd

What listeners say about Hawksmoor

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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

London as a place of darkness and enlightenment

I first read this book well over twenty years ago and immediately identified with Peter Ackroyd’s vison of London as being a place with a unique arcane character. Living in London's East end (having moved down from up North) I was immediately struck by the curiously elegant Hawksmoor churches that stood out brilliantly against the decay and grime of the City's edge and I often wondered if there was something behind their strange otherness. This is beautifully addressed in this novel where the author tells us about the building of the churches and mixes historical facts with a fictional story of mystery, arch villainy and magic. Here the architect is Nicholas Dyer; a man on one hand is firmly rooted in reality and with a very human and petty sense a rivalry with Sir Christopher Wren. In contrast he harbours dark and murderous secrets and beliefs that belong in the world of paganism and devil worship. The historical story is interlaced with the tale of the modern day Nicholas Hawksmoor who is a detective investigating a series of murders centred on the Hawksmoor churches and seems to have a link with the erstwhile Mr Dyer. This is a book that is difficult to describe but for those who enjoy chilling, imaginative and innovative fiction it is a wonderfully atmospheric experience which will entice you to find out more about London’s incredible history.
I think on balance I enjoyed reading the book more than listening, but I really liked Derek Jacobi's performance and in particular his interpretation of Nicholas Dyer which very neatly avoided the obvious temptation to make him sound too much like a pantomime villain. As an aside, if you want an easier introduction into Peter Ackroyd’s fiction, I recommend Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem and I think from that you could very easily develop an addiction to this very special author.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Strangely compelling

One of the strangest and yet most compelling books I've listened to. About 45 minutes into this, I thought I would have to abandon it because the story seemed to be going nowhere. It was only the love of Sir Derek Jacobi's voice which kept me listening. And then I "got it". Well, sort of got it!. If you are expecting a conventional murder mystery, this is not it. The beauty of the book lays in the manipulation of words and images far more than it does the plot. I do not think I could read the print version of this, for me it only works because of Jacobi, I truly think he is the only actor who could narrate this. The speed, clarity and dexterity of his delivery is awesome. I shall listen to this one again, not for the story but for the comforting feeling of listening to well-written English prose read by one of the best actors ever.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Convoluted and confusing

Whilst considered to be an excellent book, it doesn't make the translation across to audio very well. The story covers an set of events played out around the London churches of an architect, with recurring themes of murder, time and death. The complexity comes from the story following several characters in two different time periods who echo each other's actions. This makes for a highly involved story and the audio media does not encourage ease of understanding. Derek Jacobi's narration, whist energetic and rounded sometimes does not help to increase the clarity. Probably one to read in print if possible.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

UTTERLY GRIPPING!!

Mindblowing!! So intelligently written!! The twists and turns, walking through centuries, on a parallel with one another!! I honestly think, that this is one of the best books, I have come across!! Straight to listening to it again!!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Disconnected, unengaging, directionless

I love his historical stuff, so gave the fiction a go. Didn't work for me at all. Unpleasant characters who didn't seem to have any particularly comprehensible motives. Difficult to follow the narrative shifts on audio too.

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5 people found this helpful

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

Interesting and beautifully written

Not a traditional murder mystery. The murders are just links that hold the two main characters together. I liked Derek Jacobi narration ( who wouldn't ) and found it very easy to distinguish the two main characters ( or should I say one character two time zones ) it's a book that makes you think and in that sense is a difficult book to fully understand. It has inspired me to visit the churches and walk the areas so vividly described. A beautifully written book which is always lovely listen to coupled with a fantastic orator.

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4 people found this helpful

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

So Hard To Follow

The storyline is very intriguing and at times I felt like maybe it was finally gathering momentum. It just never happened. Very difficult to follow. The narrators voice is beautiful and characters were defined enough but I couldn’t tell when it was changing chapters let alone time periods.
I honestly have no idea what happened in the end? Did they find The murderer? Is Hawksmoor delusional? I couldn’t tell you.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Didn't work for me as an audio book

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I really tried to get into this book but I just couldn't 'get it'. It probably works better as a traditional book. This could have helped me follow the different threads and find a meaning to the plot. The narration (although I love Derek Jacobi's voice) didn't help; distinguishing between characters and centuries was difficult and trying to keep track of which century we were in just interrupted my mental 'flow.

Would you ever listen to anything by Peter Ackroyd again?

Sceptical of buying another audio book by him

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3 people found this helpful

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

awful it only has one star because I had to

What would have made Hawksmoor better?

nothing could make this blather better

What was most disappointing about Peter Ackroyd’s story?

boring to screaming point

What didn’t you like about Derek Jacobi’s performance?

Derek Jacobi performance was as usual great

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger that I actually paid for this

Any additional comments?

Just don't buy it if you want to be interested and amuse by a book and not bored out of your brain

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3 people found this helpful

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

Thank Heavens for Derek Jacobi

Long ,long, long. If it wasn't for the narrator I would have given up after the first chapter. Not entirely sure what it was about, or why it was written or, even, why I was persuaded to buy it. Thought it may have some meaning eventually, sadly I was wrong.

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2 people found this helpful