Some Tame Gazelle

A Novel

By: Barbara Pym

Narrated by: Mary Sarah

Belinda and Harriet Bede live together in a small English village. Shy, sensible Belinda has been secretly in love with Henry Hoccleve - the poetry-spouting, married archdeacon of their church - for 30 years. Belinda's much more confident, forthright younger sister Harriet, meanwhile, is ardently pursued by Count Ricardo Bianco. Although she has turned down every marriageable man who proposes, Harriet still welcomes any new curate with dinner parties and flirtatious conversation. And one of the newest arrivals, the reverend Edgar Donne, has everyone talking.

A warm, affectionate depiction of a postwar English village, Some Tame Gazelle perfectly captures the quotidian details that make up everyday life. With its vibrant supporting cast, it's also a poignant story of unrequited love.

©1950, 1983 Barbara Pym (P)2020 Tantor

Narrator is distracting

Barbara Pym is my favorite author. It’s a pity the narration isn’t better. The reader has a rather affected style, and what accent she is using seems to change at times, sounding rather Irish at times. At least, to my ears. Also, the editing is poor. There are a few repeated or wrongly read phrases. I’m very familiar with the book, so it’s annoying. I gave a good rating overall, because I love the story.

Reading Far Too Fast!

I am so disappointed. I have read and enjoyed Pym for years. The speed of the narrator too fast. Words are lost in almost every sentence. The beauty of the writing is obscured or lost. Please slow down and relish the words and meaning.

Please do not use this narrator for any further Audible Barbara Pym books!

Barbara Pym’s books are wonderful, but Mary Sarah’s narrations are almost unbearable. Please find a better narrator for future recordings.

Big fan of Barbara Pym

I have read all of Barbara Pym’s novels ant this one is a favorite. This reader almost ruined it for me, however. She is SO affected and her breathless, fainting away reading made me want to stop listening. I will avoid any more books read by her.

Narrator ruins it

This narrator is American, and ruins what should be a wonderful Barbara Pym novel by speaking with a very strange accent. Mary Sarah should stick to American fiction.