Queenie - Audiobook
If you are looking for a story that is as bitingly funny as it is deeply moving, the by Candice Carty-Williams is a must-listen. Often described as a "Black Bridget Jones" but with far more political and emotional weight, this debut novel has become a cultural phenomenon, exploring the complexities of being a young Jamaican British woman in modern London. Audiobook Overview Queenie Audiobook by Candice Carty-Williams, Shvorne Marks
The success of any audiobook hinges on the narrator. For Queenie , the narration (often performed by Vivienne Acheampong in the UK edition, or Shvorne Marks in other iterations) is nothing short of a masterclass in character study.
If you are looking for a book that feels like a conversation with a best friend—messy, honest, and deeply human—the Queenie audiobook is the ideal choice. It takes a five-star written story and elevates it through performance, ensuring that Queenie Jenkins’ voice will stay in your head long after the final chapter ends. queenie audiobook
Listeners have praised "Queenie" for its engaging storyline, well-developed characters, and the narrator's excellent performance. The audiobook has received rave reviews for its thought-provoking themes, witty dialogue, and emotional depth.
Queenie is often described as a "reply" to Bridget Jones’s Diary , but the audiobook underscores how it stands on its own as a distinct cultural document. Hearing the racial microaggressions Queenie faces—particularly in her interracial relationship—spoken aloud is jarring and necessary. It forces the listener to sit with the discomfort of the racism she endures, making the book’s political points impossible to ignore. If you are looking for a story that
Whether you are commuting, walking, or just relaxing at home, pressing play on Queenie is an invitation to look at the world through a vital and necessary lens.
Queenie is written in a close first-person, present-tense style, immersing the reader in the protagonist’s immediate thoughts. In print, this creates a breathless, sometimes claustrophobic effect. In audio, narrator Shvorne Marks faces the challenge of sustaining this urgency for over nine hours. Marks adopts a technique of subtle tempo shifts: during Queenie’s anxious spirals (e.g., texting her ex-boyfriend Tom or her encounters with casual racism at the Daily Read newspaper), her delivery accelerates, mimicking the racing heart. Conversely, during therapy sessions with her counselor, Margaret, Marks slows her cadence, inserting audible pauses that mimic real therapeutic silence. This paper posits that these vocal choices create a "dual consciousness"—the listener experiences Queenie’s chaos and the narrator’s reflective distance simultaneously, a feat difficult to achieve in print. For Queenie , the narration (often performed by
Works Cited (example) Carty-Williams, Candice. Queenie . Narrated by Shvorne Marks, Audible Studios / Orion Publishing Group, 2019. Audiobook.