The Pillow Book: Series 1-11

A Full-Cast Historical Crime Drama

By: Robert Forrest

Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cal MacAninch, full cast, Mark Bazeley, Ruth Gemmell

A thriller and love story set in 10th-century Japan.

Lady Shonagon is an imperial courtesan, living at the court of the Japanese Emperor in the 10th century. When a series of disturbing thefts within the palace walls throws the court into confusion and unrest, Shonagon is appointed guide and assistant to Lieutenant Yukinari as he investigates.

Together, Shonagon and Yukinari must solve the mysteries and escalating crimes that plague the Japanese court, and their romance blossoms in the tightly enclosed world behind the high palace walls. But soon Shonagon's lover Tadanobu becomes uncomfortable with how closely they are working together....

The Pillow Book is inspired by the writings of Sei Shonagon, a poet and lady-in-waiting to the empress of the 10th-century Japanese court. The work of the real-life Sei Shonagon consists of essays, lists, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages about her daily life.

This full-cast drama stars Ruth Gemmell as Sei Shonagon, with Yukinari played by Mark Bazeley in series 1-3 and Cal Macaninch in series 4-11. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Tadanobu in series 1.

Directed by Lu Kemp.

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

New favorite book! I'll listen to it again!

I'm sad that I won't be able to find another book as charming as this one. and the voice acting is great.

Beautiful story, horrible sound engineering

Great story, great actors, horrible sound engineering... One minute loud, next minute unintelligible whispers

Sublime.

The story and the cast are superb, and the prose is an ethereal delight. Ruth Gemmell is a triumph.

Too much of a good thing.

The book is great up to chapter twenty something. Each chapter begins with musings that could come from the real "Pillow book" and that are interesting and witty and the plots are nice to and pleasant to listen but the chapters from twenty onwards are too contrived to be enjoyable with the notable exception of the final ones. In the least episode the Palace Lady's life takes an interesting turn and the story becomes much more interesting, at least as far as she is concerned, I find the other brother persona far-fetched and, as a consequence, boring.

Magical story

A mystery, a love story, a comedy of manners and a window into the different pace of courtly life. Slow and enthralling.