Richard Armitage to narrate The Garden of Angels
Post author
By David Hewson
Post date
November 30, 2020

I’m delighted to tell you Richard Armitage is the voice of my forthcoming Venetian novel, The Garden of Angels, out at the end of January.

This is the third time Richard’s performed my work – first on Hamlet, the collaboration with AJ Hartley, and then my own Romeo and Juliet which won us an Audie for best original work two years ago (right, that’s him in the studio for the project).

The moment I finished this latest book I knew Richard would be the perfect performer to bring it to life. There’s something in the story, both personal and through the narrative across three generations too, that I felt was made for his wonderfully subtle, multiple character narration-cum-performance.

I’ve also been lucky enough to listen to a few of the early ‘rushes’ from Richard’s takes. Just as he did with Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, he imbues the characters of the story with energy and personality as they travel through a tale that runs from the perils of wartime Venice to 1999 and then on to the present day. It’s a real privilege to have him back in the studio conjuring magic from my words. So I’m immensely grateful to him for recording it during his busy schedule, and to my audio publisher WF Howes for bringing him into the project.

Here’s the press release from WF Howes.

Richard Armitage, star of the hit Netflix drama The Stranger, will narrate the audiobook version of the latest David Hewson novel, The Garden of Angels. This powerful and intriguing historical thriller explores one of Italy’s darkest moments—the Nazi occupation of the country during World War II.

According to Hewson, The Garden of Angels is “a story of courage against tyranny, of the desperate choices made by ordinary people when faced with oppression and terror.” Armitage has been teasing his involvement in the audiobook to his legions of fans across social media and has praised Hewson for his “masterful impassioned writing.”

Hewson said, “It’s a delight to have Richard performing my work once more after we won a 2018 Audie for Romeo and Juliet. The moment I finished The Garden of Angels, I immediately thought that its blend of thriller, history, and emotional resonance was made for his formidable storytelling talents. It’s wonderful to hear him bringing my words to life so vividly again.”

Armitage said, “I’m a huge fan of David’s work—in The Garden of Angels, not only do we explore his characters over three generations of life changing circumstances, but also the city of Venice equally ‘in extremis.’ It awakens the senses and opens the heart.”

This is the talented duo’s second collaboration, having previously worked together on the award-winning Romeo & Juliet (Audible Originals), which received great reviews for both the writing by Hewson and the performance by Armitage.

Jodie Coles – UK Acquisitions Manager said. “It has been a delight to reunite David and Richard. Richard’s narrating talents perfectly complement David’s storytelling, creating a definite must-listen audiobook”

The Garden of Angels is to be released on the 29th of January 2021 by W. F. Howes Ltd

Review by

Jenna R, Reviewer
Last updated on 09 Dec 2020
My Recommendation
I was granted complimentary access to the audio ARC of The Garden of Angels by David Hewson through the publisher, W.F. Howes Ltd, via NetGalley is exchange for an honest review. Thank you to all involved in giving me this opportunity! This has not swayed my opinion. My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

The Garden of Angels is a story split between the present and the past. In the present, Nico Uccello has been suspended from school for a week for watching classmates attack a Jewish newcomer. When he confesses this to his dying grandfather, his grandfather gives him his own story, written down in parts, to read and keep secret until he is finished. In the past (grandfather Paolo's memoir), young Paolo lives in Nazi-occupied Italy and finds himself entangled in the underground Jewish resistance.

The former history student in me jumped at the chance to review this title! 20th Century wartime history was my focus, but I didn't get much from the Italian perspective in my studies. Even though this is fiction, it's clearly steeped in historical fact. That alone made this an enjoyable read to me. Add in the suspense aspect of not knowing how Paolo's story will resolve or what Nico will do with this new knowledge and I couldn't put it down!

The majority of this book set in the past reads like a novelized autobiography of the sort my history professors would have assigned to undergrads to understand the mindset of the people we were studying, like when we read Hilary's The First and the Last. The portions set in the present beautifully illustrate a teenage boy's breakthrough from complacently racist and passive to informed, righteous, and ready to stand up for the rights of others. I was particularly struck by the way the elders in his life responded when he started asking for other memories to go alongside his grandfather's and how not all of them were as willing. He didn't realize what sort of pain and fear he was asking them to uncover, and their sharp responses made him realize how little respect he was giving them and their past.

Overall the story this book tells is beautifully heartbreaking, or heartbreakingly beautiful. It has a thriller element, and though it isn't overly fast-paced, there are no dull moments. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves history, historical fiction, or heartfelt life lesson stories.

Richard Armitage's narration is excellent! He does such a great job making sure all major characters sound distinctly different, and handles accents and Italian names well. I appreciate that he hasn't tried to pitch up female voices to the point of sounding comical, as some male narrators tend to do. His own lower voice is so pleasant to listen to, I wouldn't want any squeaky falsetto interruptions to the buttery flow of everything else. I will absolutely look for Richard Armitage listed as the narrator when browsing titles in the future.