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  • The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

  • By: Hilary Mantel
  • Narrated by: Jane Carr
  • Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (84 ratings)
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The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher cover art

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

By: Hilary Mantel
Narrated by: Jane Carr
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Summary

A brilliant collection of short stories from the double Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Hilary Mantel is one of Britain's most accomplished and acclaimed writers. In these ten bracingly subversive tales, all her gifts of characterisation and observation are fully engaged, summoning forth the horrors so often concealed behind everyday façades. Childhood cruelty is played out behind the bushes in ‘Comma'; nurses clash in ‘Harley Street' over something more than professional differences; and in the title story, staying in for the plumber turns into an ambiguous and potentially deadly waiting game.

Whether set in a claustrophobic Saudi Arabian flat or on a precarious mountain road in Greece, these stories share an insight into the darkest recesses of the spirit. Displaying all of Mantel's unmistakable style and wit, they reveal a great writer at the peak of her powers.

©2014 Hilary Mantel (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

What listeners say about The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

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

Some Good Stories Spoilt by the Reader

Having just read the Wolf Hall trilogy, I thought I'd try more by HM. Sadly, it took a while to get over the irritating voice of the narrator who reads as if you're a naughty child in the Head Mistress's office. Some stories are better than others, but I recommend you borrow the book and read it yourself.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Brilliant writing; wonderful collection of stories

Superb collection of beautifully written and narrated stories.

The first story in the collection describes a woman in Saudi Arabia who offers assistance to a chance visitor, a stranger, who then becomes a persistent, and unwanted, admirer. Hilary Mantel herself describes the story as one of a person being trapped and constrained, whose agency is limited by circumstances and cultural difference.

The book title is derived from a story, in turn based on an experience of the author, in which her apartment overlooks the grounds of a nearby hospital at which Margaret Thatcher has received dental attention. In the story, the woman is expecting a plumber at the time Margaret Thatcher is scheduled to be leaving the hospital and in full view of the apartment window. The 'plumber' arrives and sets about assembling a rifle, engages in conversation with the apartment owner, and turns out to be an IRA assassin. After discussing Mrs Thatcher, fully aware of the intended assassination, the apartment owner brings the IRA operative a cup of tea...

The most beautifully written story concerns an author coming to talk about her work in a small town where she is booked overnight at a crumbling local hotel. There she converses and engages with a physically disabled girl, an employee at the establishment, who attends to her needs. Their exchange is brought to the foreground and the tired run-of-the-mill greying bookclub recedes in importance.

Wonderfully written with Mantel's characteristic blend of evocative language, psychological insights, and humour. Superb.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Not enjoyable

Only listened to the first two stories and neither myself or my wife enjoyed either so gave up and didn't listen to the rest.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Excellent !

What did you like most about The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher?

The originality of the work

What other book might you compare The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher to, and why?

None really, it is a 'stand alone'

Which character – as performed by Jane Carr – was your favourite?

I liked most of the 'cast'

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

The endings

Any additional comments?

A classic and much as expected by HM in a class of her own

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3 people found this helpful

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

Disappointed!

I should state that I don't really enjoy short stories.

i was reading this for a class.

The problem comes with the reader 'running' on from oe story to another, with little differentiation in her voice.

I think it would have been better, read straight from the book.

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2 people found this helpful

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

a dull and uninspiring collection of rubbish

i really struggled to get through these stories. Not one of them was worth the time i wasted

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2 people found this helpful

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

Great short stories, great narration

Where does The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

2nd - after the Collectors by Philip Pullman

What other book might you compare The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher to, and why?

Difficult to say - all short story collections have their special flavour.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

It would spoil the fun...

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - one story at the time. Like a good chocolate.

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

Not a great audio title to be honest

I have no doubt from a literary point of view these stories are top draw, I have to say however they don't seem to work that well as an audio listen. A couple of the stories stay with you, which is good, but the rest are, well, dull to be honest. One for a paperback I would say rather than a download. Performance is good but you can only make tea parties and anorexia so interesting without being depressing.

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2 people found this helpful

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

A let down

Would you try another book written by Hilary Mantel or narrated by Jane Carr?

Following the fantastic Wolf Hall and Bringi up the bodiesthis was a pale shadow, I would think twice before buying another Mantel, narration was fine.

Would you ever listen to anything by Hilary Mantel again?

A follow up to Bring up the bodies would be a certain choice, anything else would require closer analysis of reader reviews.

How could the performance have been better?

The stories were too shallow and often too short. I did not get to the end of the series of short stories because it was not an enjoyable experience to listen

What character would you cut from The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher?

N/a short stories

Any additional comments?

Not recommended

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2 people found this helpful

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

A delightful mixture of short stories

Witty and at times naughty the stories flow easily. At times we are lost in the imaginative brush strokes of the stories and at other times we see a new world. One that we have not seen before. Beautifully read

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