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The Man Who Was Thursday
- Narrated by: Toby Longworth
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
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The Man Who Was Thursday
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Publisher's Summary
Exclusively from Audible
Chesterton's allegorical masterpiece is a surreal, psychologically thrilling audiobook that centres on seven anarchists in turn-of-the-century London, who call themselves by the names of days of the week.
The story begins when poet Gabriel Syme is recruited as a detective to a secret anarchist division of Scotland Yard by a shrouded, nameless person. Syme infiltrates a secret meeting of anarchists who are intent on destroying the world and becomes known as 'Thursday', one of the seven members of the Central Anarchist Council.
Narrator Biography
Formerly half a double-act with Bill Bailey, actor Toby Longworth left in order to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. Now a specialist in voiceover, his prominent work includes roles in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). He has appeared in audiobooks such as The Wolf Trial and The Lubetkin Legacy. He has also narrated documentaries for the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who DVD range; several of Games Workshop's Black Library audiobooks; and voiced the main character in the video game Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. His television work has included roles in BBC's Extras (2006) and Not Going Out (2013-2014), as well as Channel 4's The IT Crowd (2006).
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What listeners say about The Man Who Was Thursday
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Darwin8u
- 11-02-13
A clever Christian allegory
A clever Christian allegory filled with fantastic dialogue and Chesterton's wonderful inversions and paradoxes. I might not always agree with how Chesterton sees the world, but I think my vision is improved by looking through his literary lens.
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26 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jay Kuykendall
- 30-09-07
Witty and mysterious
If you too find yourself pondering the words behind words, this book may be one you’ll enjoy. It seems hard to admit, but I occasionally enjoy inferring the "thesis" out of a book. I am already enjoying the work again. Unremarkable phrases mysteriously offer subtle clues. Or do they? Such is the enjoyment of a work whose soul is never quite explicit. The work stuns and turns and grows mysterious.
To some, the quixotic nature of the work may be troubling, but few would argue that it fails to capture your attention. The problem, if you indeed see it as one, is the eventual realization that the work is allegorical.
While the allegory may not suit many readers, the work is well written and well read. The sentences seem to possess an unnamed beauty, and the wordplay is engaging.
All of this, to me, is one big recommendation for a work that is not likely to grow stale the moment you’ve finished it.
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19 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Patrick
- 14-06-10
Fantastic Twists and Turns
I got on to Chesterton after seeing his name on various quotes in Neil Gaiman's work, and I was not let down by this story. It is a great weave, and though the final twist could disapoint some I found it put a smile on my face. (but I won't spoil it for you)
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 26-03-08
Its not about realism
Some people think this book gets a little odd halfway though. It does, the style of the book changes. Once you've read it all, you may need to re read it with the understanding you've got from the second half. I certainly will.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MamaBear
- 07-11-22
Extraordinary, allegorical, & compassionate
I find in Chesterton’s writing such a deep well of compassion for humanity, in all of our conditions, that I come back to read him again and again. I think he must have been a truly good man, and perhaps not always an easy one to know.
This story begins as a struggle between “good” and “evil” and then it becomes something much more incredible, nuanced, and interesting.
This is a book that will be with me for some time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Charles Daniel Barry
- 22-08-19
volume fluctuations but good story
The story is one of my favorites.
The volume changes a bit too much.
I think the Audio could be edited easily to fix this!
if I had the source files I could even fix the volume easily enough myself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Desert Shopper
- 21-10-23
Classic!
Read if you loved That Hideous Strength. Revelatory in the purpose of the wheels of the world
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-08-23
My First Chesterton
I enjoyed the narration very much. I also liked the story. I feel as though it’s something worth revisiting a couple times and ruminating on. I really loved how he wrapped up the “nightmare.”
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tamera L. Brennan
- 12-08-23
Excellent story and reader!!
Excellent story and reader!! One of my favorites:)
Loved it!!! Will listen to this one again ❤️
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JS
- 03-08-23
A Masterpiece Performance for Free!
GK Chesterton has been applauded by such Literary Giants as CS Lewis, Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett as a master of English prose. Not even the antithetical religious standing of Christopher Hitchens could stop him from granting Chesteron the title of Literary Savant. The Man Who Was Thursday is oft considered the greatest of Chesterton’s Fiction works and no greater of a performance could have been done to express such excellence than that of Toby Longworth. This most certainly ranks as the very best Audio Reading performances I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. The fact that this edition is included with an Audible Membership is unbelievable. Make no mistake this entire Audiobook from start to finish is a Masterwork of English Whit and Philosophical Exposition performed with the splendid animation only equaled by such other greats as Stephen Fry. Download this book, you won’t regret it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-01-08
The Man Who Was Thursday
I only knew GK Chesterton's Father Brown stories before I listened to this. This is a great read. I found it funny (especially with the different voices given to the characters by the narrator) and fast paced. Thoroughly recommended.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 26-06-11
I need hardly say there was a collision.
This is excellent and one of my favourite books. Subtitled A Nightmare, it follows that dream logic in which the rational world is twisted kink by kink until you are running for your life. Surely too some seeds of The Goon Show and Monty Python spring from here. Toby Longworth's reading is a joy, clearly revelling in the comic absurdity, witty lines, and giving terrifying voice to the Man who is Sunday.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- sora
- 23-06-14
brilliantly written and read, but v strange story
This starts off so brilliantly, with Chesterton's characters pursuing each other with the all the wit and intelligence that he used for Father Brown. But the last section does drag and becomes very surreal and quasi-religious. I felt very frustrated by the way it ended.
The performance is very good - almost every character is distinctive and consistent and there are no odd pauses or pronunciations.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Darren - UK
- 04-02-15
Overly intellectual but interesting, a good read.
A fun and enjoyable book I'm not sure I get the point, but it's an interesting book nonetheless.
Good audio quality and good narration.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alan Coady
- 11-09-19
Wild Tale
This wild tale by Chesterton is very engagingly read by Toby Longworth, who has quite a compendium of voices to keep going. Although much of it is very funny, there are serious points to be made. Plot-wise, it'll keep you guessing to the end and perhaps beyond.There is a great accelerando in the telling; as more characters come aboard, the tempo of the adventure increases and this is well handled by Longworth, for whom I shall look out in future as a favoured narrator.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- S Wood
- 02-01-15
Unusual
Don't expect Father Brown. This is a philisophy thriller very much of the Edwardian era. A great period piece. If you like Wilkie Collins then you would probably get on withthis book. Very enjoyable and a nice surprise.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adrian Clark
- 03-05-20
Multi Layered
I wondered in the first chapter why Kingsley Amis rated it so highly. That became apparent as the story unfolded. I could not have begun to imagine the direction we were taken. A profoundly thoughtful story. commended.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- DippersNest
- 15-12-19
Like a tube of toothpaste with the end cut off
The performance is top rate. The front 90% of the story is just brilliant, weaving philosophy, chases, comedy, and swordfights. The end is awful. Chesterton probably loved it. But he should have stuck with allegory.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 17-02-20
A strange, delightful book
Witty, funny, and with a lot of profundity under the fun. You think you know where it's going but you're probably quite wrong, and several times. I'm still not quite sure I know what to make of it, but I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Chigorin
- 13-01-15
Disappointing
I guessed the identity of the main protagonist about mid way through and was curious how the story would be resolved. I was disappointed. It was very surreal and then cliched.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Matt Baker
- 03-11-22
Fascinating and Clever
Intriguing allegory by an amazingly intelligent writer, and narrated by one of the most versatile narrators I've ever listened to.
The book didn't even have to make sense for me to enjoy it.
I'll be checking out more books by Chesterton and more books narrated by Longworth.
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