The Napoleon of Notting Hill

Name: The Napoleon of Notting Hill
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.2 (4 reviews)
Author: G. K. Chesterton
ISBN: 9781470860776

Author: G. K. Chesterton

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 6 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 12/06/2016

Categories: Fiction, Classic

Synopsis

In 1904, Great Britain was at the height of its prosperity; but G. K. Chesterton saw the drudgery of capitalism and bureaucracy eating away at the eccentricity and spontaneity of the human spirit. In The Napoleon of Notting Hill, his first novel, Chesterton creates a witty satire of staid government, set in a London of the future.Auberon Quin, a common clerk who looks like a cross between a baby and an owl and is often seen standing on his head, is one day told that he has been randomly selected to be His Majesty the King. He decides to turn London into a medieval carnival for his own amusement—with delightful results.

About G. K. Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) published numerous works which include compilations of his voluminous journalism, novels, biographies, histories, criticism, Christian apologetics, poetry, and plays. Many of his novels have the genuine marks of genius. His books on Dickens (for whom he had a considerable affinity) and Saint Thomas Aquinas are considered classics in their fields.

About Frederick Davidson

Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Werner on September 30, 2009

Broadly speaking, this 1904 imagining of the world of the late 20th century and beyond can be called science fiction, but it's strictly a speculation in the social, not the technological, sciences; Chesterton had little interest in technology, --and, indeed, posits a future with no new technology, i......more

Goodreads review by D. J. on January 11, 2008

A very strange book. I can honestly say that I've never read anything quite like it before and probably never will. It's a rather surreal story that is equal parts philosophical allegory, fantasy, dystopian fiction and satire. It's all of these things and nothing. Totally original in its genius; tot......more

Goodreads review by Abhinav on March 22, 2013

Let me start this review by stating how surprised I am to know that none of the people on my friends list here have read this book. I mean, this has to be one of the best debut novels ever written in the 20th century by a not-so-unknown English author & yet this book fails to make even the to-read l......more

Goodreads review by Javier on March 09, 2024

Novela inclasificable. Una especie de distopía satirico-político-filosófica en clave de humor subrealista, con unos toques muy MontyPythonescos. Me ha resultado demasiado británica, demasiado absurda y demasiado aburrida. A pesar de parecer muy original, inteligente y divertida, no le he pillado el......more

Goodreads review by Cleo on February 21, 2025

Oh my! Another romp with Chesterton. This time we are in London in 1984 (eighty years after the book was written in 1904). The world is relatively quiet, there are no wars and life goes on placidly and uneventfully. That is until one of three friends, Auberon Quin, is chosen to be king. Auberon is n......more

Quotes

“Every page contains some delightful and pregnant phrase: the vitality, energy, and exuberant delight in his own handiwork it would be difficult to over-praise.” Daily News