Here We Are

Lyrical short novel about magicians and their own magical life transitions.

While the events in this book take place in 1950s England, we meet Eve in the present as she recalls that memorable summer in Brighton when she was as a magician’s assistant. The magician is Ronnie, who is the main character in this book. The story is sweet, nostalgic and well written.

I loved Ronnie's story, which is written in a beautiful, lyrical way, but I would have loved to learn more about Eve and Jack, who is another key character her. I felt this roles and backstories could have been more developed. However, in a novel as short as this one, I think the author did an excellent job bringing them to life.

As I got this one on audiobook, I thought it was an excellent choice - the narration is calm, well done, and it kept my interest throughout. I highly recommend this version if you're interested in this novel.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick audiobook set in the 1950s about magicians that sadly left not fully satisfied. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions the author presents, but at times the plot felt repetitive and my engagement with the characters fell flat. Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for granting me access to this audiobook fin return for my honest opinion.

Here We Are by Graham Swift is an interesting story about magicians.

Here We Are brings you into a magician and his assistant’s head. I loved hearing both sides of the story. It took me a while to get into this book. However, once I got pulled in I was invested in the story.

Phil Davis did a great job narrating. His voice really fit with the story. However, I prefer narrators with more emotion in their voices. I don’t think that would’ve been as fitting with this story. I might have preferred to read instead of listen to Here We Are.

I recommend Here We Are to magician fans. It reminded me of a lighter version of The Prestige.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for Here We Are.

Here We Are by Graham Swift
Narrated by: Phil Davis
Publication Date: September 22, 2020
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Description from Publisher...
“It is Brighton, 1959, and the theatre at the end of the pier is having its best summer season in years. Ronnie, a brilliant young magician, and Evie, his dazzling assistant, are top of the bill, drawing audiences each night. Meanwhile, Jack – Jack Robinson, as in ‘before you can say’ – is everyone’s favourite compère, a born entertainer, holding the whole show together.
 
As the summer progresses, the off-stage drama between the three begins to overshadow their theatrical success, and events unfold which will have lasting consequences for all their futures.”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @simonschusterca @dreamscape_media for the audiobook ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
I have enjoyed Graham Swift books in the past and I have enjoyed this audiobook as well. Phil Davis’ voice and tone was perfectly suited to be the story-teller. On the surface, it may seem not much is happening. But, underneath that surface, it was softly bubbling. The story was gentle, rich, and complex. It was quite lyrical and deep for a seemingly ordinary story. As someone who is a fan of historical fiction, I appreciated the story of an evacuee child as he grew up. Magic and reality really comes together to weave a story about memories and humanness.

Graham Swift never disappoints with his ordinary characters and gentle, descriptive storytelling. Jack, Evie and Ronnie are center this somewhat magical time of 1959. Their story is one of friendship, love, longing, mystery and desire. Beautifully told as to captivate the reader into the magic of their vaudeville-esqe show, weaving yesterday and today back and forth. Will remember these characters and the feeling of wonder for a long time to come.

Maybe it is because my cousin's cousin is an illusionist, I was really interested to read (listen) to this audio.

"You never knew what might happen next." "Come and see the Great Pablo." "People were always playing tricks, but magicians, he'd say it one more time, did illusions."

I’m not sure what it was about this book (and especially the narration), it seemed like it reached inside me an and grabbed my heart. Don’t you love it when audiobook narrators sing the the “song/lyrics” in a book. The narrator, Phil Davis, does a hauntingly wonderful job of transporting you back in time.

My two constant thoughts while reading this book.
1) suggest this book to above said magician Jason Hudy and to my cousins (check out some of Jason's illusions; he really is quite good.
This trick is short, a couple minutes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6GV4...
and this entertaining performance is about an hour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqpiM... )
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2) I can’t wait to reread this book. Which I very rarely reread books, so to constantly have this thought (for me) is quite rare.

Beginning to end, I was captivated by this book. I really don’t understand why GoodReads doesn’t have this rated a bit higher.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the author/Graham Swift for an advance read copy of this audiobook.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the copy.

A concise and beautifully written story about magic and love in post WWII Britain. Really enjoyed the storyline of the war evacuations and the caring moving way it was narrated. I just wish there was more of it. At times found keeping track of the different names confusing. Much is unsaid in this novel and left to the imagination of the reader. The narrator only gives the reader so much. If one is looking only for the bare essential in a novel, this is the story to read.

I've been a fan of Graham Swift for over 20 years. His narratives, set in the present, are heavily influenced by a pivotal moment of time in the past, and the deep introspection that ensues usually raises a mystery that is not answered until the very last. I have taken to audio format for Swift's work since his style is better served by that format. This one is one of his best. Phil Davis's delivery is impeccable, his gravelly voice conveying the regret of the present combined with the nostalgia for a time forever past. In this case, the past isn't as remote as other Swift journeys -- 1959, the end of the vaudeville era on the Brighton Pier, but the fascination for magic never grows stale, and that is the core. Those 50 years ago, three young performers had a life changing summer, and Swift beautifully captures both the waning summer and the waning of that form of entertainment. In present day, Evie is the only one left, the woman at the center of the mystery all those years ago, and it is her memories that form the crux of this story.

This is a very well written story of a lifetime of memories from a wartime childhood, a mother's absence during the war and a father KIA. Ronny follows in foster Father's footsteps of being a Magician. Our main characters experience a great love, conflicted family dynamics, friendships and loss. This is a deeply moving book. You fall in love with the characters. Choices made by them aren't always what we would choose and we can't always see the consequences. That is very much like real life though isn't it?

The Narration is lovely for a haunting tale of a bittersweet life being recounted. I would read other books by this author. I will be following the Narrator as his style is like being read to by your favorite uncle.

I recommend this book on many levels as it reads like a memoir and historical fiction from WW1 to WW2

I was given a ARC copy of Here We Are by Graham Swift. #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley upon my request and review it freely.

Discovering a brilliant author is like falling in love, and that is how I felt while listening to Here We Are! I have always wanted to visit Brighton although I realize it is not now as it was, but listening to Here We Are gives the audience the feeling of going back in time. My heart was immediately captured by the description of Ronnie the little boy (Pablo, stage name, with an explanation for why that name was chosen that will touch anyone who has ever loved a pet) being sent to a magical home during the Blitz, a place Ronnie could not possibly know was magical until he fell in love with it. Who doesn't love a book about magic? Swift is himself a conjurer of words and a wonderful discovery for me in 2020.#DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

Graham Swift's, Here We Are is a delightful and magical treasure. I wasn't sure quite what to expect from this brief and pithy novel, but found myself drawn into the lives of the three main characters quite easily.

This story is about Ronnie, Evie and Jack. Together they are The Great Pablo and his assistant Eve - a magical act, and Jack Robinson who is the M.C. and comedian of the trio's vaudeville act in the late 1950's. A perfect setting.

The story pivots from 1959 to the past, during WWII when Ronnie is sent to Evergrene, a home with a loving couple, Penny and Eric Lawrence to keep him safe during the war. There, Ronnie is not only taken by their estate, the fact that they have two bathrooms and even a car, but by the couple themselves, who love him in ways his own parents couldn't. It is here, at Evergrene that Ronnie becomes a sorcerer's apprentice and magic becomes an important part of his life.

We spend time with the trio as they perfect their act and create their own love triangle that will change things for everyone.

We also pivot forward to where the trio are, or might be. There are unanswered questions, grief and bereavement and pining for those magical moments of the past.

I loved how this book was written. It's emotional, without being overly so. Ronnie was my favourite and I felt that I got to know him on the deepest level with their still being an air of mystery surrounding him. The ending leaves us, like the characters, without all the answers and I believe that's how it should be.

I also loved how this book was narrated by Phil Davis. He takes his time and allows the listener to absorb each and every word. When the songs from the act appear, he doesn't just read them, he sings them and it's perfect I thought his narration enhanced the story and was grateful to be able to listen to it.

A delightful read for a rainy Saturday morning in October.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a free e-copy of this audio book for an honest review.

It was ok. I’m so confused by the ending. It started out interesting but fell flat at the end. I wish there would have been more to the story in between the disappearance and her older years.

Graham Swift is one of those authors whose book releases are a much anticipated event for me, and “Here We Are” certainly did not disappoint my high expectations for it. Anchored in a 1959 Brighton pier variety show setting, the interconnected stories of show compere Jack Robbins and of magician Ronnie Deane and his assistant and fiancée Evie White unfold in flashbacks and leaps ahead, illuminating the complicated relationships between the three and the repercussions of the past on the future.

But it’s Ronnie Deane’s past that, for me, is the heart of the book, beginning with his evacuation from the flat he shares in London’s East End with his housekeeper mother and absentee sailor father during the London Blitz in the early days of World War II. In one of the most moving and beautiful scenes I have ever read, Swift describes the sea of tearful mothers, most waving white handkerchiefs bought specially for the occasion, as the train loaded with their children pulls out of the station. Ronnie gets lucky: He is sent to Oxfordshire to live at Evergrene with the Lawrences, a genteel childless couple who open up what seems like a magical world to him and then introduce him to actual magic, the “illusions” which his foster father teaches him. Ronnie’s memories of these years, a sort of halcyon period, shape the rest of his life and lead directly to his relationship with Evie, which in turn leads to one final illusion—Ronnie’s most audacious yet.

I loved this book—the elegiac tone, the gorgeously depicted scenes from a vaudeville past in England that was even then fading away, the dreamy feeling that—much like with Ronnie’s illusions—Swift is lifting the veil only on what he wants us to see, leaving so much more shrouded in mystery. And the writing is superb. In fact, my only complaint is that I listened to “Here We Are” as an audiobook—an extremely well-read and enjoyable one (especially in the show sections, which included snatches of Jack Robbins’ musical interludes) but nevertheless a format that didn’t allow me to highlight and linger over and really appreciate Swift’s gorgeous prose. Definitely worth buying the book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here We Are is the 2nd novel that I've read by Graham Swift. Almost 10 years ago I read The Light of Day which is also by Swift. I was excited to pick up another book by this author especially since it was about a vaudeville/variety show. This story takes place in 1959 on the British coast. The three main characters are comedian Jack Robinson and the magic act of The Great Pablo and Eve. They spend their summer at Brighton Pier. A bit of a love triangle develops between Jack, "Pablo" and Eve.

I had high hopes for this book given the variety act setting but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I found it a little dry and hard to follow. I never truly "bonded" with any of the characters or felt the full joy/magic of the show. While the writer is obviously talented, this particular novel didn't quite connect with me.

I listened to the audio book which was narrated by Phil Davis. His British accent helped build the scene for the book. The delivery was a little dryer then expected but it matched the tone of the book.

What to listen to while reading...
When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along by Dion and the Belmonts
Dream Lover by Bobby Darin
Summertime by Scarlett Johansson
Wonderwall by The Cooltrane Quartet
Crazy in Love by The Puppini Sisters

This is a novella that should have been a short story. There just isn’t enough content in this love triangle. It is comprised of the all tell - no show relationships of Jack, the handsome singer/comedian/host of a variety show in Brighton, Ronnie, his army buddy who is now a magician, and Evie who is engaged to Ronnie and adds the sex appeal to his act. We learn at the beginning that Ronnie disappeared after a performance and was never seen again. Unfortunately, there is no payoff to this slight mystery. I listened to the audio book edition of this book. The narrator was OK, but his monotone delivery didn’t really enhance the story and he sounded significantly older than the characters. This was disappointing.

I received a free copy of this audio book from the publisher.

A good historical fiction story about how love, companionship and circumstance. Sometimes we are a moment too late and our entire life may unfold differently based on one single decision. A thoughtful, reminiscent tale of reflecting on one's life and not taking moments for granted.

Author Graham Swift never disappoints with his relatable, ordinary characters and the lovely, gentle and extremely descriptive storytelling. We begin in a magical time of Brighton Beach Boardwalk with Jack, Evie and Ronnie. Their story is one of loneliness, abandonment, friendship, love, longing, mystery and desire. Mr. Swift is able to captivate the reader into the magic of the Brighton shows, weaving seamlessly between yesteryear and today. He has a way of causing the reader to retain the feeling of wonder of the story and his excellent characters for a long time to come. What a pleasurable read.

I would like to thank Graham Swift, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3 stars

I was given an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. Today (September 22nd) is actually its official publication date!

This book is set in Brighton, England and is centered around a trio of performers, including a magician and his assistant, during the summer of 1959. It jumps around between that time period and what happened among the group during that summer as well as the past history and futures of the performers.

This was a fairly short book and moved pretty quickly. I thought the parts of the book surrounding the magic show and the setting were interesting. However, I didn’t feel like the characters were given as much depth as I would have liked. I also felt like the story was told in a way that made me feel like I had missed key details, I kept having to go back and replay several chapters. Towards the end I got into the swing of things and was okay with it because it kept me guessing, but it did make it hard for me to follow for the first 3/4 of the book.

Phil Davis narrated the book and I thought he did a great job and was a perfect fit for the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio for my audiobook copy of Here We Are by Graham Swift in exchange for an honest review. It published September 22, 2020.
To be honest, I completely forgot the premise of this book! So it was a bit of a surprise once I started listening. I enjoyed the unfolding of things and how the story was told. I felt that the it was artfully written with numerous clever devises highlighted by the narration.
The narrator was extremely skilled and I could listen to his narration of basically anything!
I had a hard time keeping the characters in order because I think they had the same name? I would've benefited from the physical copy for this part, however, for those that are more of audio, vs. visual learners, I'm sure this detail won't confuse them!
I think if you're looking for a post-WWII book about magic and magicians, you would enjoy this short book.