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The Eyre Affair

Thursday Next Book 1

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The Eyre Affair

By: Jasper Fforde
Narrated by: Gabrielle Kruger
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About this listen

 There is another 1985, somewhere in the could-have-been, where the Crimean war still rages, dodos are regenerated in home-cloning kits and everyone is deeply disappointed by the ending of 'Jane Eyre'. In this world there are no jet-liners or computers, but there are policemen who can travel across time, a Welsh republic, a great interest in all things literary - and a woman called Thursday Next.

In this utterly original and wonderfully funny first novel, Fforde has created a fiesty, loveable heroine and a plot of such richness and ingenuity that it will take your breath away.

(P)2013 Hodder & Stoughotn©2001 Jasper Fforde Absurdist Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Humorous Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Science Fiction Crime Witty

Critic reviews

It's 1985 in England, at least on the calendar; the Crimean War is in its hundred-and-thirty-first year; time travel is nothing new; Japanese tourists slip in and out of Victorian novels; and the literary branch of the special police, led gamely by the beguiling Thursday Next, are pursuing Acheron Hades, who has stolen the manuscript of "Martin Chuzzlewit" and set his sights on kidnapping the character Jane Eyre, a theft that could have disastrous consequences for Brontë lovers who like their story straight. This rambunctious caper could be taken as a warning about what might happen if society considered literature really important-like, say, energy futures or accounting.
"Neatly delivers alternate history, Monty Pythonesque comedy skits, Grand Guignol supervillains, thwarted lovers, po-mo intertextuality, political commentary, time travel, vampires, absent-minded inventors, a hard-boiled narrator, and lots, lots more. . . . Suspend your disbelief, find a quiet corner and just surrender to the storytelling voice of the unstoppable, ever-resourceful Thursday Next."
"Fforde's imaginative novel will satiate readers looking for a Harry Potter-esque tale. . . . The Eyre Affair's literary wonderland recalls Douglas Adams's Hitchhikers series, the works of Lewis Carroll and Woody Allen's The Kugelmass Episode."
[Thursday Next is] part Bridget Jones, part Nancy Drew, and part Dirty Harry. (Michiko Kakutani)
Delightfully clever . . . Filled with clever wordplay, literary allusion and bibliowit, The Eyre Affair combines elements of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but its quirky charm is all its own
Jasper Fforde's first novel, The Eyre Affair, is a spirited sendup of genre fiction-it's part hardboiled mystery, part time-machine caper-that features a sassy, well-read 'Special Operative in literary detection' named Thursday Next, who will put you more in mind of Bridget Jones than Miss Marple. Fforde delivers almost every sentence with a sly wink, and he's got an easy way with wordplay, trivia, and inside jokes. . . . Fforde's verve is rarely less than infectious
Always ridiculous, often hilarious ... blink and you miss a vital narrative leap. There are shades of Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll, 'Clockwork Orange' and '1984'. And that's just for starters
All stars
Most relevant

Would you listen to The Eyre Affair again? Why?

Such a good listen, funny, clever and full of engaging charecters The Eyre Affair was so good that when it finished I wanted to listen to it all over again to pick up the bits I might have missed first time round.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thursday Next has to be one of my favourite charecters of all times. She's clever, confident but oh so human. Love the fact that she hardly ever has a plan but just blunders along like the rest of us and her Swindon sounds far more interesting than the ours.

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

Gabrielle Krugers wonderful voice charecterisation really helped propel the story along. She's an excellent narrator and I hope she does the rest of the series.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Loved Jane Eyre but hated the ending? Well Thursday Next may be able to help with that"

Any additional comments?

I want my very own dodo

Thursday is my new favourite

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Where does The Eyre Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amongst the top 5 Audible audiobooks I've listened to so far.

What did you like best about this story?

The puns, the jokes, the character names, the little pieces of humour slipped in amongst the paragraphs.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Every scene was enjoyable for its own reason but the ending. ?..well....

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

This is not an emotional book, not designed to tug at your heart strings.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett then this is for you. Fan of Agatha Raisin? This is for you. Enjoy science fiction? Crime novels? This is for you.

Made me smile every time I listened.

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The story was exciting and interesting. It was a great tale to help me get over the lack of unread Douglas Adams books remaining on my shelf. The narrator was expressive and never boring. However, the recording and sound quality was not great.

Fab story & narrator, crap sound mixing & quality

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Fab story. Couple of repeated lines where the audible editor failed. Lots of fun. Off to get book two!

Hilarious

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If you could sum up The Eyre Affair in three words, what would they be?

Funny, wacky, intelligent

What about Gabrielle Kruger’s performance did you like?

She established Thursday's character well and has the kind of conservative, understated delivery Fforde's books need

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

Its surreal but understated humour made me smile and the book kept me interested, as there's a good plot with plenty of twists.

Any additional comments?

This is the first in a long series and I've already bought book two. My introduction to Fforde was The Big Over Easy which I think is even better. He's a great author.

Fforde at his nearly best

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