The plot of The Chopin Manuscript moves at dizzying speed, ranging from being simply fast moving through to eye wateringly supercharged twists and turns. The roller coaster ride of a plot can be explained by the fact that each chapter of this audiobook has been written by one of the 15 thriller writers who participated in this project. This unusual approach results in each writer introducing the listener to new characters, developments and red herrings before handing the story over to the next writer. The rapid pace is compounded by the fact that the audiobook was originally written as a serial and therefore each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. As the audiobook heads towards the conclusion, loose ends are tied by explanations or, in some cases to keep the plot from becoming too complex, by simply by killing the characters off.
The Chopin Manuscript Authors
The fifteen authors behind The Chopin Manuscript are: Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Lisa Scottoline, Joseph Finder, David Hewson, James Grady, S. J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo and P. J. Parrish
The Chopin Manuscipt Audiobook Narration
The Chopin Manuscript is ably narrated by Alfred Molina. The narration of this audiobook is part of the key to its success. Without good characterization it would be very difficult to follow the different characters and plot twists. Alfred Molina is an experienced English actor and, as well as narrating this and other audiobooks, he appears regularly on stage and in films such as Spider-Man 2, Boogie Nights, and Chocolat.
Does This Approach to Audiobook Creation Work?
The Chopin Manuscript audiobook was the overall winner of the 2008 Audies awards – so yes, the spoken word industry certainly recognizes that this is an innovative and interesting approach to the creation of a audiobook. Listeners who are aware of the background of the audiobook will appreciate the features of the book and will enjoy listening to the way that the different authors take the plot and will find any anomalies and loose ends part of the audiobook's attraction. Anyone listening to the audiobook who is not aware of the collaborative approach, however, may well find the pace implausible and wonder whether they had stumbled on a book written by a creative writing class or if the editor was having a few off days when they were putting the book together.
Interview
The audiobook also features an interview with Jeffrey Deaver, Lee Childs and David Hewson, and they share some of the fun that they had writing the book and explain how they approached it. It is apparent that some of the writers know each other well and perhaps were having fun with each other, throwing in the odd red herring or setting up a situation for the next writer to get out of. The interview provides an interesting insight into the process of creating this audiobook.
Conclusion
This is one audiobook that would definitely be worthy of a second – or even third - listen. If nothing else it would be fun to listen again to the plot twists and turns, identify the false leads and the fun that the writers had with each other. This is a thriller with a difference and, while this is an interesting and refreshing change to the standard format and enjoyable as a one off project, many readers will find the traditional approach to writing a more satisfying listen.
Note: There is occasional swearing and there is adult content in line with that expected in the thriller genre.
Further Information
More about the The Chopin Manuscript, including the opportunity to listen to the first chapter, can be found on the Audible.com website.
More Audiobook Reviews at Suite101.com
Take a look around the rest of the Audiobook category at Suite101.com for more reading about audiobook including news and reviews, including a review of Sail by James Patterson.
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