
Rumpole of the Bailey
The Rumpole of the Bailey Series, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Frederick Davidson
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By:
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John Mortimer
About this listen
Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he’d rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.
In this first title of the popular series featuring Rumpole, all of the major characters who occupy the Rumpole stories make their introductions: the sneaky, slightly effeminate Erskine-Brown, the bumbling Guthrie Featherstone and various and sundry other lawyers and clerks whose lives weave in and out of these stories. These six stories include the "Younger Generation", the "Alternative Society", the "Honourable Member", the "Married Lady", the "Learned Friends", and the "Heavy Brigade".
It's legal: download more of Rumpole's cases.©1978 Advanpress, Ltd (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Rumpole of the Bailey [AudioGo]
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Robert Hardy
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In these witty and comic stories, Horace Rumpole takes on a variety of clients and activities. He, of course, brings each case to a successful end, all the while quoting poetry and drinking claret.
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Wordsworth in a Wig
- By Ian C Robertson on 04-27-13
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
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One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
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There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole a la Carte
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rumpole unenthusiastically accompanies Hilda and her cousin to a very fashionable restaurant. Rumpole hates the ostentatious ambiance and pretentious food with its scant portions. He requests steak and kidney pudding. Jean Pierre O'Higgins, the owner, is insulted that Rumpole would expect him to prepare such low-class dishes. Suddenly, pandemonium strikes when a live mouse jumps out from the serving dish at another table. Unfortunately, the diners are Erskine-Brown with an attractive colleague that he's romancing.
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Leo McKern as John Mortimer’s Rumpole is the best!
- By Guy on 11-27-23
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Full Cast, Desmond Barrit
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Christmas Day in a chilly Norfolk village and a trip to the pantomime provide Horace Rumpole with the opportunity to solve a crime involving a duplicitous dame and to indulge in a little seasonal, charitable blackmail.
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole of the Bailey [AudioGo]
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Robert Hardy
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these witty and comic stories, Horace Rumpole takes on a variety of clients and activities. He, of course, brings each case to a successful end, all the while quoting poetry and drinking claret.
-
-
Wordsworth in a Wig
- By Ian C Robertson on 04-27-13
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
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-
One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
-
-
There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole a la Carte
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole unenthusiastically accompanies Hilda and her cousin to a very fashionable restaurant. Rumpole hates the ostentatious ambiance and pretentious food with its scant portions. He requests steak and kidney pudding. Jean Pierre O'Higgins, the owner, is insulted that Rumpole would expect him to prepare such low-class dishes. Suddenly, pandemonium strikes when a live mouse jumps out from the serving dish at another table. Unfortunately, the diners are Erskine-Brown with an attractive colleague that he's romancing.
-
-
Leo McKern as John Mortimer’s Rumpole is the best!
- By Guy on 11-27-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Full Cast, Desmond Barrit
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas Day in a chilly Norfolk village and a trip to the pantomime provide Horace Rumpole with the opportunity to solve a crime involving a duplicitous dame and to indulge in a little seasonal, charitable blackmail.
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Age for Retirement
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Leo McKern is Horace Rumpole! Here he reads about the life and trials of the eccentric barrister, famous for his inestimable knowledge of blood stains, blood groups and forgery by typewriter. Witty and cynical as ever, Horace Rumpole will once again delight listeners with his irreverent behavior and legal triumphs. Will he and his longtime client Percy Timson both be forced to retire, one to sunny climes, the other to jail?
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
While Rumpole defends a union activist accused of manslaughter, Hilda creates her own union and goes on strike as Rumpole's cook because of his unpredictable and frequent late hours. Rumpole is under pressure to win his case and negotiate a proper labor settlement with “She Who Must Be Obeyed”.
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sickkk
- By Dean on 09-26-18
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Penge Bungalow Murders and other stories
- Three BBC Radio 4 dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Timothy West, full cast, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.
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Fun to read
- By Frances Rouse on 07-17-18
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Married Lady
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 48 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rumpole takes on a divorce case. He represents a Mrs. Thripp, who accuses her husband of unbearable conduct since he has not spoken to her for at least three years and communicates with her in their home only via written notes. But at home, Rumpole finds his wife, Hilda, in a horrid temper, since their son, Nick, has moved to Florida. When his client telephones him at home, Hilda eavesdrops on Rumpole’s conversation and thinks that Rumpole is now in the throes of an affair. Will Rumpole now have to find a divorce lawyer for himself?
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole's The Old, Old Story
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After a fight with his wife, Rumpole stays with Erskine-Browns and finds that Portia is prosecuting one of his clients.
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Leo McKern’s characterizations
- By Roger Dornbierer on 04-25-24
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Man of God
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Known as “The Bailey Hack” for his chain smoking, the irrepressible Rumpole is engaged to defend a church vicar who is accused of theft and whose only defense for now is “divine intervention”. Meeting up with old friend George Frobisher for after-work drinks, Rumpole can't help but notice that George's female companion looks suspiciously familiar.
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Leo is rum pole!
- By jennifer booth on 07-16-21
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Alternative Society
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 47 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Our Horace Rumpole, the most traditional of traditionalists, defends a hippie-like schoolteacher on a drugs charge. Quite unexpectedly, he finds himself attracted to her and to her unusual lifestyle.
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A Mortimer/McKern Pleasure
- By G Fred on 10-13-10
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole and the Younger Generation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Rumpole must now defend a young member of the Timson family, an extended clan of petty thieves who are otherwise decent South London rogues. Adding to Rumpole’s anxiety, his own son now appears to be acquiring some of the less respectable Timson family traits.
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Sleeping Partners & Other Stories
- Three BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jasmine Hyde, Timothy West, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole.
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Excellent dramatization of Rumpole
- By T Searl on 08-07-18
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Teenage Werewolf & Other Stories
- Four BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Timothy West, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in this collection of cracking court cases, including Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf, Rumpole and the Right to Privacy, Truth Makes All Things Plain, and The Past Catches Up with Us All....
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This was WONDERFUL! ❤️
- By R. Perrault on 08-03-20
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Primrose Path & Other Stories
- Four BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations Starring Timothy West
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Prunella Scales, Sam Ballard, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in this collection of cracking court cases. The stories included are: Rumpole and the Primrose Path, Rumpole and the Scales of Justice, Rumpole and the Vanishing Juror, Rumpole Redeemed.
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Kill the annoying music and intros
- By Joe Black on 11-09-22
By: John Mortimer
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Rumpole: The Gentle Art of Blackmail & Other Stories
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, full cast, Timothy West
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young Horace Rumpole in this second stellar collection of court cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. 'Rumpole and the Man of God': It is 1959, and Rumpole must defend a clergyman accused of shoplifting who, although he clearly did not commit the crime, is curiously reluctant to be cross-examined under oath. Meanwhile, Hilda (she who must be obeyed) has big news....
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Another series of Mysteries acted out amazingly!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-19-18
By: John Mortimer
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Rumpole of the Bailey
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Alice Davis
- 07-26-18
standard Rumpole
Guthrie Featherstone for the prosecution, judge bullingham thundering from the bench, and Nick visiting from Baltimore to watch his daddy defend the Timpson clan from the workings of British justice.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
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- Meegan Linklater
- 05-03-21
Fun Read
Not my usual but very entertaining, light read. Performance Excellent. It was a refreshing change of pace.
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- Sandra
- 08-06-18
Overall wonderful!
I can listen to these stories over and over again! Rumpole is such a character and Davidson’s reading just seems to capture him perfectly.
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- Findlaigh
- 11-28-21
Briefs, Bowlers, Barristers and Wordsworth....
An Absolute delight. The Narrator is a vocal caricaturist of infinite range; a transcendental genius.
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- Shirley Savaglio
- 08-14-24
Very well read, and very funny
John Mortimer wrote excellent, very engaging stories. The characters are well drawn. Fredrick Davidson is an exceptional narrator.
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- VW
- 08-30-18
Rambling and irreverent, Rumpole captures you
Rumpole is not always likable, not often successful , at least according to his colleagues, but he has a sense of humor and you, as a reader, root for him.
This book covers quite a long swath of history as lived by the main characters and that is interesting. The crimes described are not particularly complicated. The trial process and the related human interactions is what is important here.
The voice actor is very good. He brought the story to life.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- cmartin
- 07-04-11
rumpole of the bailey series, book 1
in addition to a good story, the narrator is what prompts me to make a final choice when purchasing an audio. this one has it all!! when you love a story, you never want it to end so i tend to love series. i always loved reading even as a child. sadly as we grow older responsilbities to life seem to overtake the things we loved as a child. as a crafter my hands are always kept busy. so in writing my first review of my first audiobook ever, i am also writing a review about audible. hands down am so happy to discover all that you have to offer!!
my experience with you has opened up a whole new world for me. better yet you make it so easy. the entire site is so user friendly and i thank you from the bottom of my heart. i have already recommended audible to some of my friends and would recommend you to anybody. thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. sincerely, cheryl
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4 people found this helpful
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- Macburger52
- 03-24-24
Absolutely great stories
Both the stories and performance are wonderful. Rumpole is a very likable, though challenging man. He's brought out marvelously by the narrator.
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- S. Woodby
- 05-19-22
Davidson is magnificent, but audio problems...
tend at times to distract from his performance. Nothing that can't be tolerated, but when someone reads so well the production should support it. I'm a Rumpole fan so of course, loved the story.
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- Andrew C
- 03-07-22
Not my cup of tea
I heard good things about Rumpole, so I thought I'd take a listen to this audiobook. I quit after the second chapter because it ended up being a bit too snobby and critical for my taste. That said, this work is very erudite, and the wordsmithery is impressive. The narration is top-notch, both in terms of performance and mastering. However, the main character's cynicism and critical nature ended up being too grating for me, but I suspect that those who like sardonic, sarcastic humor will enjoy this.
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