Headlong, Michael Frayn
Headlong, Michael Frayn
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Headlong

Author: Michael Frayn

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 11 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/17/2010

Categories: Fiction, Humorous

Synopsis

An unlikely con man wagers wife, wealth, and sanity in pursuit of one of art’s elusive old masters.Martin Clay, an easily distracted philosopher, and his scrupulous art-historian wife are invited to dinner by a boorish local landowner to assess the value of three dusty paintings moldering in the freezing breakfast room. But blocking the soot from the chimney is nothing less, Martin believes, than one of the world’s lost treasures, camouflaged by misattribution and the grime of centuries. Thus begins a wild trail of lies and concealments, soaring hopes and sudden panics, as Martin embarks on an obsessive quest to prove his hunch, separate the painting from its owner, and resolve one of the great mysteries of European art.

About Michael Frayn

Michael Frayn is the author of thirteen plays, including the classic comedy Noises Off, and Copenhagen, which was named Play of the Year by the Evening Standard and won the Drama Critics Circle award. Frayn has also written seven novels and three screenplays, as well as being a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and translator of Chekhov. Headlong is his first novel to appear in the United States since 1993. He lives in London.

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 Antonio on September 08, 2021

This book was a very different, and somewhat overwhelming, reading experience. Taking into account Michael Frayn's expertise as an excellent playwright, this book is not short in proving his prowess in dialogue development. In it, we are introduced to Martin, who narrates his moral and ethical strugg......more

Goodreads review by Steve on April 27, 2010

I like boffin comeuppance humor – the kind where some bloviating egghead from the remotest groves of academe finds that his cluelessness about real life can come back to bite him. Martin, a second-rate professor of philosophy and a first-rate pedant, is the storyteller in this one. As you already kn......more

Goodreads review by Maria on April 09, 2012

Huge entertaining and informative, Michael Frayn's book about an art historian turned frantic detective is a delight from start to finish. I simply coudn't put it down and when it ended, I went straight to my local library to get out books about the Netherlands and old Dutch masters! The book will no......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on March 19, 2009

What a frustrating book... It *should* have been a very interesting book, good premise and good writer (from other books I've read of his prior to this one) but somehow between way too much academic research and one-dimensional characters it fell off the rails. I really, really wanted to like it, bu......more

Quotes

“Rueful and amusing…Frayn is that rare writer who succeeds as both a novelist and a dramatist.” New York Times Book Review

“Finely wrought and highly comical…a perfect introduction to a writer who likes to pull the rug out from under your feet while offering you the most seductive of smiles.” Seattle Times

“Delightful...deadpan hilarious and wonderfully written…as effective a work of historical reconstruction as it is a comedy.” Philadelphia Inquirer

“Exceedingly funny, both in event and in intellectual high jinx.” Boston Sunday Globe

“Headlong offers an enthralling and refreshingly grown-up take on the alarming speed with which our morals shift to accommodate our desires, and on the lofty and low ways in which the great art of the past continues to affect us.” Elle

“Art historians will rejoice over the subject matter and the intricate descriptions of the paintings and their provenance…[Davidson’s] vocal changes bring forth believable characters with pleasing sounds.” AudioFile

“Davidson’s decidedly British accent helps bring the story alive.” Booklist

Awards

  • Man Booker Prize
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