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Letters of Note: Love

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Letters of Note: Love

By: Shaun Usher
Narrated by: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriram Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Meera Syal, and more
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About this listen

In this moving collection, Shaun Usher gathers together some of the most powerful letters about love ever written. Whether inspired by love’s first blush or the recriminations at its ending, the regrets of unrequited feelings and the joys of passions known, Letters of Note: Love is essential listening for anyone with a heart.

A star-studded cast of readers brings the letters to life, with contributions from Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong and Meera Syal.

The collection features letters by Simone de Beauvoir, Vladimir Nabokov, Zora Neale Hurston, Nelson Mandela, Maud Gonne, Johnny Cash and many more.

Letters of Note: Love also includes audio exclusive bonus content drawn from recordings made at performances of Letters Live, the live events series produced by Canongate in partnership with SunnyMarch and Shaun Usher. Hear Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read Chris Barker’s letter to Bessie Moore at the Royal Albert Hall, Tom Hiddleston reading Gerald Durrell’s letter to his wife at the Freemasons’ Hall and Nick Cave perform his song, Love Letter, at the Union Chapel.

Ten per cent of the proceeds* received from this audiobook will be made available by the publisher, Canongate Books, to The National Literacy Trust for their work with improving the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in the UK's poorest communities, with a focus on children and young people.

The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity in the UK with charity numbers 1116260 and 5836486 (England/Wales), and SC042944 (Scotland).

*Proceeds means the cash-price or cash-equivalent price less sales taxes.

©2020 Shaun Usher (P)2020 Canongate Books Ltd
Letters & Correspondence Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Heartfelt United Kingdom
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Another inspiring entry in the series, wonderful collection of love-themed letters.

This series always has me in tears and resolving to write more on paper, to preserve memories for myself and others. The theme of this collection is Love, and it was wonderful hearing them read out by famous faces, putting voices into the words.

Napoleon's letter to Josephine, Nelson Mandela's letter to Winnie. They bring people who feel so huge in history, so untouchable and momentous feel as human and vulnerable, funny and flawed as the rest of us whose names won't be remembered.

The actors portraying these figures are wonderful, sometimes recognisable and sometimes not, but bringing professional and charismatic readings to the letters.

There are some moving moments, Frida Kahlo for example. There are erotic and arousing love letters, making you visualise passionate love affairs. A funny letter from a farmer to the woman he's taken a fancy to (but he has backups if she won't have him).

I loved it. I'd read it again. This series is amazing and brings the everyday, anecdotal, mundane and most wonderfully normal human interactions come alive. Thank you Shaun Usher for creating this series.

Highly recommended to anyone with a heart. Or indeed, who needs one.

Another inspiring entry in the series

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I got move by some letters.
letters to me are an insight into people's most precious thoughts and having that view on love is incredibly moving.

love on pages

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A relaxing listen. The letters themselves weren't very interesting to me and I was never really moved, even though the cast did a great job in bringing them to life. I guess it was just not for me.

Relaxing

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