A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Tim McInnerny
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By:
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John Boyne
About this listen
From the best-selling author of A Ladder to the Sky - “a darkly funny novel that races like a beating heart” (People) - comes a new novel that plays out across all of human history: a story as precise as it is unlimited.
This story starts with a family. For now, it is a father and a mother with two sons, one with his father’s violence in his blood, one with his mother’s artistry. One leaves. One stays. They will be joined by others whose deeds will determine their fate. It is a beginning.
Their stories will intertwine and evolve over the course of 2,000 years. They will meet again and again at different times and in different places. From Palestine at the dawn of the first millennium and journeying across 50 countries to a life among the stars in the third, the world will change around them, but their destinies remain the same. It must play out as foretold.
From the award-winning author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies comes A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom, an epic tale of humanity. The story of all of us, stretching across two millennia. Imaginative, unique, heartbreaking, this is John Boyne at his most creative and compelling.
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In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
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A new Golden Age
- By Stefan Filipovits on 01-26-21
By: Natalie Haynes
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A Brightness Long Ago
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count - and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast.
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Another Masterpiece from Mr. Kay
- By Craig Cassar on 06-01-19
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
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Daughter of Fortune
- By: Isabel Allende
- Narrated by: Blair Brown, Isabel Allende
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-intentioned Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans of every stripe have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquín takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him.
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An adventure to the California Gold Fields of 1849
- By Jean on 07-20-20
By: Isabel Allende
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The Women of Chateau Lafayette
- By: Stephanie Dray
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert, Emma Bering, Rachel L. Jacobs
- Length: 23 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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An epic saga from New York Times best-selling author Stephanie Dray based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy.
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An absolute masterpiece of a book!
- By Kindle Customer on 05-15-21
By: Stephanie Dray
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Silent in the Grave
- By: Deanna Raybourn
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests.
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Happily surprised
- By 9S on 07-04-09
By: Deanna Raybourn
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Asura
- Tale of the Vanquished: The Story of Ravana and His People
- By: Anand Neelakantan
- Narrated by: Denzil Smith
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of the Ramayana had been told innumerable times. The enthralling story of Rama, the incarnation of God, who slew Ravana, the evil demon of darkness, is known to every Indian. And in the pages of history, as always, it is the version told by the victors that lives on. The voice of the vanquished remains lost in silence. But what if Ravana and his people had a different story to tell? The story of the Ravanayana had never been told. Asura is the epic tale of the vanquished Asura people, a story that has been cherished by the oppressed outcastes of India for 3,000 years.
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Makes you thinks about everything
- By Anonymous User on 12-04-23
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Bellefleur
- Gothic Saga Series, Book 1
- By: Joyce Carol Oates
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 27 hrs and 28 mins
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A wealthy and notorious clan, the Bellefleurs live in a region not unlike the Adirondacks, in an enormous mansion on the shores of mythic Lake Noir. They own vast lands and profitable businesses, they employ their neighbors, and they influence the government. A prolific and eccentric group, they include several millionaires, a mass murderer, a spiritual seeker who climbs into the mountains looking for God, a wealthy noctambulist who dies of a chicken scratch.
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Old School Gothic Literature (Not a beach read)
- By Keijon ford on 05-01-20
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Dragon's Child
- The King Arthur Trilogy, Book 1
- By: M. K. Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The future of Britain is at stake. In the turbulent times of the Dark Ages, the despotic Uther Pendragon, High King of Celtic Britain, is nearing death, and his kingdom is being torn apart by the squabbling of minor kings. But only one man can bring the Celts together as a nation and restore peace - King Arthur. Artorex (Arthur) doesn't yet seem like the great man he will grow into. We meet him as a shy, subservient twelve-year-old living in the foster home of Lord Ector, who took in Artorex as a babe to protect him from murderous kin.
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A Dry, Dull Tale, Marred in "Realism"
- By Steven on 09-21-15
By: M. K. Hume
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The Bard's Blade
- The Sorcerer's Song, Book 1
- By: Brian D. Anderson
- Narrated by: Andrew Kingston, Tamsin Kennard
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Mariyah enjoys a simple life in Vylari, a land magically sealed off from the outside world, where fear and hatred are all but unknown. There, she's a renowned wine maker, and her betrothed, Lem, is a musician of rare talent. Their destiny has never been in question. Whatever life brings, they will face it together. Then, a stranger crosses the wards into Vylari for the first time in centuries, bringing a dark prophecy that forces Lem and Mariyah down separate paths. How far will they have to go to stop a rising darkness and save their home?
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Something new
- By Blaise Ancona on 02-20-20
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The Painted Veil
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1925, The Painted Veil is an affirmation of the human capacity to grow, change, and forgive. Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, it is the story of the beautiful but shallow young Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to a remote region of China ravaged by a cholera epidemic.
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What An Unexpected Delight!
- By Mimi on 10-22-08
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Mayhem
- By: Sarah Pinborough
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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A new killer is stalking the streets of London’s East End. Though newspapers have dubbed him 'the Torso Killer’, this murderer’s work is overshadowed by the hysteria surrounding Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel crimes. The victims are women too, but their dismembered bodies, wrapped in rags and tied up with string, are pulled out of the Thames - and the heads are missing….
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Just Wow.
- By Sylvia on 03-04-14
By: Sarah Pinborough
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Anticipation
- A Novel
- By: Melodie Winawer
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Samantha Desz, Jonathan Davis, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of the “engrossing historical epic” (Booklist) The Scribe of Siena comes a thrilling tale set in the crumbling city of Mystras, Greece, in which a scientist’s vacation with her young son quickly turns into a fight for their lives after they cross paths with a man out of time.
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Historical novel with a twist
- By Jbbee on 07-05-22
By: Melodie Winawer
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Propelled into the priesthood by a family tragedy, Odran Yates is full of hope and ambition. When he arrives at Clonliffe Seminary in the 1970s, it is a time in Ireland when priests are highly respected, and Odran believes that he is pledging his life to "the good."
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The day the First World War broke out, Alfie Summerfield's father promised he wouldn't go away to fight - but he broke that promise the following day. Four years later, Alfie doesn't know where his father might be, other than that he's away on a special, secret mission. Then, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly sees his father's name on a sheaf of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realizes his father is in a hospital close by - a hospital treating soldiers with shell shock.
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What listeners say about A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- HepCat
- 04-29-24
Unique
Very unique story. Lovely book and performance. Definitely worth a listen. John Boyne is a great author.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-16-23
Extremely clever
The description may scare you away from this wonderful novel but it’s extremely clever. Love John Boyne
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-03-23
Good story but disappointed with ending
Enjoyed the story but disappointed with the 2016 chapter turning book into a political discussion. The rest of the book was good and that chapter just didn’t fit.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Crmalm
- 06-04-23
Loved the jumps!
While a little disorienting at first, the novel just gradually pulled me in until I could not stop listening. A truly wonderful John Boyne experience!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Warren
- 08-24-20
AD 2016
I was disappointed with the progression of the story when it traced 2016 AD. Up to this point, the story and characters were intriguing— full of exciting encounters and historical figures. In 2016 AD, I completely lost interest in the story. While some aspects of the story were amusing, it would have been more interesting had it followed a different narrative.
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10 people found this helpful
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- CarlH
- 09-07-23
Engaging story that ended with a thud
The story unfolds using an interesting and mostly engaging historical device, but concludes with a rather tendentious caricature of modern American politics and then flickers out with a view of a very bland extraterrestrial utopia that feels more than a little dystopian.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Lindsay M.
- 07-10-23
Not my favorite but good story
It was interesting but confusing. I didn’t read what the book was about so didn’t get what was happening for several chapters
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1 person found this helpful
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- PurpleGreen
- 05-24-21
So Clever and Fascinating
John Boyne is so incredibly clever. I wish I had written this book! Such an interesting way to view history. Took me a few chapters to figure out what he was doing... Open minded and spiritual minded people will appreciate this very much!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Kathe
- 03-06-24
Unnecessary time stamps.
Boyne far from his best. The characters and the story are interesting, but I failed to find a reason to spam the story through so many centuries and countries until the epilogue. The insertion of descriptors (that I call “time stamps”), like food, clothing, and type of weapons, to characterize time and place of each chapter are annoying. Moreover they have a repetitive pattern of insertion in each chapter, which makes it quite predictable and boring. Maybe he intended for people who know very little history and needed these clues to remain attentive to the context of each place and century? Couldn’t cultural practices, characteristic behaviors and beliefs of each place and time suffice for context? There are also inaccuracies here and there, which are very disrupting. The close relationship of the characters to very recognizable figures is also annoying. Did the main character really need to be closely associated to Michelangelo and Shakespeare? Anyway.. Overall, it’s creative, but boring and somewhat pedantic. The narrator is good, but doesn’t offer anything special with his reading.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Julie
- 03-17-24
Another clever John Boyne novel
Such a uniquely told story. And as always, the performance is spot on. John Boyne never disappoints in his storytelling and witty humor. This novel spans all of time and the globe. What can’t this author do.
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1 person found this helpful