The Red Necklace

By: Sally Gardner

Narrated by: Tom Hiddleston

The story of a remarkable boy called Yann Margoza; Tetu the dwarf, his friend and mentor; Sido, unloved daughter of a foolish Marquis; and Count Kalliovski, Grand Master of a secret society, who has half the aristocracy in thrall to him, and wants Yann dead.

Yann is spirited away to London but three years later, when Paris is gripped by the bloody horrors of the Revolution, he returns, charged with two missions: to find out Kalliovski's darkest deeds and to save Sido from the guillotine.

With a tangle of secrets, a thread of magic and a touch of humour, the follies of the aristocracy and the sufferings of ordinary people are unfolded as their lives move relentlessly towards the tragic and horrific days of the Terror. THE RED NECKLACE is not only a tremendous adventure story but a vibrant and passionate picture of Paris in turmoil and of a large cast of memorable characters.

Read by Tom Hiddleston
(P)2004 Orion Publishing Group.Ltd©2007 Sally Gardner

Critic reviews

A gripping read

A tense and believable fantasy

Enthralling

A tremendous adventure story told at breathtaking pace

Sophisticated, unpatronising ... extremely rewarding

Told with relentless pace

One word to describe The Red Necklace: Fantastic! (Alexandra Dignan, Aged 12)

A truly original voice ... a thrilling read

A rattling good story

Peopled with thrilling characters and gorgeously suspenseful

[A] compelling marriage of magic and history

A new star in historical children's fiction

A splendid story

Exciting and enthralling

Enthrallingly told, it offers action, surprise and protagonists to care about

Amazing

It was truly enjoyable, I became addicted to lessoning to it. I think for a first audio book, I picked the right one.

Absolutely superb!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes I will and I have

Who was your favorite character and why?

ooo thats hard I fell in love with so many of the characters good and bad.

Which scene was your favorite?

That's a hard question. I cant really pick one as there where so many that were so moving and others that were genius and funny. The ones that moved me the most was Topolain's last stand, the bravery gave me shivers. Another one was Sido's scene when she pulled her self together and walked with her head high to face her judgement.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes definitely. It took me 2 days to listen to it. I listened to it everywhere, even in the shower and fell asleep to it at night. I will most defiantly listen to it again.

Any additional comments?

The performance was superb! I connected with all of the characters could not have imagined that it was read by only one person.

Fantastic story!

The story is wonderful, and read with amazing character voices by Tom Hiddleston. Looking forward to reading more of Sally's books, and hearing more of Tom's narrations.

Unlike any other audiobook I've listened to

I bought this book as an escape from my business and personal development books, and because Tom Hiddleston narrated it. I didn't know much about it, and had no expectations. What I got was a story filled with magic and mystery, and was pleasantly surprised when I realised Tom was playing all the characters as if he were in the theatre. The way he can manipulate his voice is impressive. This book kept my attention and I was entertained from start to finish. A fantastic plot, and a brilliant performance from Tom. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this book is adapted to the big screen now. Thank you Sally for your imagination, and to Tom for your devotion to bringing the audiobook to life.

Brilliant!

I never listen to abridgements on principal. When I listened to this I didn't realise it was abridged. It was only when I noticed "The Red Necklace" listed as a new addition and for 2 credits that I realised what I had done. I may have to revise by "rule" regarding abridgements. This is an astounding, historical fiction novel written primarily for the Young adult market. Don't let that put you off. You will love this tale of adventure , suspense, magic and friendship. I bought it because my son (9) is interested in the time period and there is a dearth of material on this subject for children. Because of the subject matter I previewed it and decided very quickly that it was a little mature for a 9 year old boy, but much to my son's annoyance I did not stop listening. This is one of the best audio download decisions I have made. I have not heard the narrator of the full unabridged 2 CREDIT version, so I can't compare but Tom Hiddleston does a brilliant job with this book. I just cant imagine anyone performing this story better than he did. I am going to listen to it again very soon. I very rarely do that. Definitely credit worthy.