The Absolutist
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Narrated by:
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Michael Maloney
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By:
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John Boyne
About this listen
Audie Award Nominee, Best Solo Narration, 2013
It is September 1919: Twenty-one-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a package of letters to the sister of Will Bancroft, the man he fought alongside during the Great War. But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan's visit. He can no longer keep a secret and has finally found the courage to unburden himself of it. As Tristan recounts the horrific details of what to him became a senseless war, he also speaks of his friendship with Will - from their first meeting on the training grounds at Aldershot to their farewell in the trenches of northern France. The intensity of their bond brought Tristan happiness and self-discovery as well as confusion and unbearable pain.
The Absolutist is a masterful tale of passion, jealousy, heroism, and betrayal set in one of the most gruesome trenches of France during World War I. This novel will keep listeners on the edge of their seats until its most extraordinary and unexpected conclusion, and it will stay with them long after they've finished.
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Mary Doyle arrives in Dublin in 1913, doomed, she fears, to a life of domestic service. Instead, however, she finds herself deeply affected by the social and political turmoil of a fledgling nation struggling for independence. Suddenly, all that was once inevitable is no longer a certainty as she is embroiled in the very heart of the Easter Rising.
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Loved this book!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-14-20
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The Gentleman
- A Novel
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- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin, John Keating
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Lionel Savage, a popular poet in Victorian London, learns from his butler that they're broke, he marries the beautiful Vivien Lancaster for her money, only to find that his muse has abandoned him. Distraught and contemplating suicide, Savage accidentally conjures the devil - the polite "Gentleman" of the title - who appears at one of the society parties Savage abhors. The two hit it off: The devil talks about his home, where he employs Dante as a gardener; Savage lends him a volume of Tennyson.
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Brilliant!
- By Lori McVay on 10-06-16
By: Forrest Leo
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The Charioteer
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After surviving the Dunkirk retreat, Laurie Odell, a young homosexual, critically examines his unorthodox lifestyle and personal relationships, as he falls in love with a young conscientious objector and becomes involved with a circle of world-weary gay men.
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A Gay Classic!
- By Christopher on 02-05-16
By: Mary Renault
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My Dear I Wanted to Tell You
- A Novel
- By: Louisa Young
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The lives of two very different couples - an officer and his aristocratic wife, and a young soldier and his childhood sweetheart - are irrevocably intertwined and forever changed in this stunning World War I epic of love and war. Moving among Ypres, London, and Paris, this emotionally rich and evocative novel is both a powerful exploration of the lasting effects of war on those who fight - and those who don't - and a poignant testament to the enduring power of love.
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Just read it!! Or rather, listen!
- By Annie M. on 08-31-14
By: Louisa Young
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Winter in Madrid
- By: C. J. Sansom
- Narrated by: Gordon Gordon
- Length: 21 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Winter in Madrid is set just after the bloody Spanish Civil War, with World War II looming over Europe. Reluctantly, Harry Brett looks for an old schoolmate who's become a person of interest for British intelligence.
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realistic characters in historical context
- By Annie on 10-04-09
By: C. J. Sansom
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Daughters of Eden
- By: Charlotte Bingham
- Narrated by: Kim Hicks
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
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Performance
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Story
Daughters of Eden focuses on the lives and fortunes of four very different young women at the outbreak of the Second World War. Marjorie, left at a boarding school by her emigrating mother; plain Poppy, pushed into marriage with a mean-spirited aristocrat; Kate, despised by her father, but determined to prove herself; and man-mad Lily, who turns out to be the bravest of them all. That all of them are chosen to work undercover for the espionage unit at Eden Park is a surprise, not least to them.
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An amazing book everyone should read.
- By XX on 09-11-05
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A Place of Greater Safety
- By: Hilary Mantel
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 33 hrs and 52 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It is 1789, and three young provincials have come to Paris to make their way. Georges-Jacques Danton, an ambitious young lawyer, is energetic, pragmatic, debt-ridden - and hugely but erotically ugly. Maximilien Robespierre, also a lawyer, is slight, diligent, and terrified of violence. His dearest friend, Camille Desmoulins, is a conspirator and pamphleteer of genius. A charming gadfly, erratic and untrustworthy, bisexual and beautiful, Camille is obsessed by one woman and engaged to marry another, her daughter.
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Disaster
- By Frank Dudley Berry Jr. on 08-01-13
By: Hilary Mantel
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The 13th Apostle
- A Novel of a Dublin Family, Michael Collins, and the Irish Uprising
- By: Dermot McEvoy
- Narrated by: John Keating
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, the first great revolution of the twentieth century began as working-class men and women occupied buildings throughout Dublin, Ireland, including the general post office on O’Connell Street. Among the commoners in the GPO was a young staff captain of the Irish Volunteers named Michael Collins. He was joined a day later by a fourteen-year-old messenger boy, Eoin Kavanagh.
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Enjoyed the history, not the bad sex
- By Mark on 05-04-16
By: Dermot McEvoy
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Devils
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- Narrated by: George Guidall
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Exiled to four years in Siberia, but hailed by the end of his life as a saint, prophet, and genius, Fyodor Dostoevsky holds an exalted place among the best of the great Russian authors. One of Dostoevsky’s five major novels, Devils follows the travails of a small provincial town beset by a band of modish radicals - and in so doing presents a devastating depiction of life and politics in late 19th-century Imperial Russia.
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Excellent translation and narration
- By L. Kerr on 09-06-13
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Murder at the Mill
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- Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
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Overall
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Performance
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Iris Grey rents a quaint cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighboring Wetherby family and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer. At the Wetherby's Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow - but so are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?
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Iris Grey Mysteries
- By Beatrice on 12-09-18
By: M. B. Shaw
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Last Town on Earth
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Overall
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The Last Town on Earth centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever.
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Thrill for a Reader. Model for a Writer
- By Angela on 03-04-11
By: Thomas Mullen
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Gods Behaving Badly
- By: Marie Phillips
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Overall
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Performance
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Being immortal is not all it once was. Yes, the 12 Greek gods of Olympus are alive and well in the 21st century, but they are crammed together in a London town house: and are none too happy about it. Even more disturbing, their powers are waning.
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Delightful fantasy
- By Mike From Mesa on 12-29-07
By: Marie Phillips
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It is the late 14th century, a dangerous time beset by war and plague. Nicholas Barber, a young and wayward cleric, stumbles across a group of travelling players and compounds his sins by joining them. Yet the town where they perform reveals another drama: a young woman is to be hanged for the murder of a 12-year-old boy. What better way to increase their takings than to make a new play, to enact the murder of Thomas Wells?
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What listeners say about The Absolutist
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dennis
- 08-28-12
A Thin Red Line Between Love and Hate
WW1 has just begun and two English boys meet during basic training and become fast friends. Tristan lies about his age to enlist because he has been thrown out of his parental house with his father's condemnation that it would be best if he were killed by a German bullet. Will, the son of a vicar, enlists for patriotic reasons. The boys develop an emotional relationship that becomes strained when Will asks Tristan to support him in a point of principle. Tristan, the more pragmatic of the two, refuses because both he and WIll could be put into jeopardy if Will reveals what really happened to a prisoner of war.
John Boyne deftly straddles the line between cowardice and honor and love and hate. He leaves us stunned as we careen toward an ending so unexpected that I cannot get it our of my mind. This novel is a true tour de force.
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14 people found this helpful
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- RueRue
- 07-01-14
Heartbreaking and powerful
Would you listen to The Absolutist again? Why?
Yes, even knowing the ultimate outcome, this is nuanced and powerful story, and the narration was fabulous.
What did you like best about this story?
The narrator was really exceptional. I was absolutely drawn into the story, and the question of what constitutes courage.
Have you listened to any of Michael Maloney’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
The first performance that I've listened to. Loved his reading of the story.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
A very emotional story...I was so involved that there were times I felt like speaking directly to the characters. There is a sense of sadness that haunts the story.
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2 people found this helpful
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Story
- H. Lewis
- 03-11-20
Life is seldom what we think it will be
I enjoyed that the characters were flawed and more life like. No heroes, just sorrow and pain.
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- Kidiocus
- 05-05-16
Gut Wrenching
This book is so engrossing and the narrator does such a fantastic job. This book is enthralling and absolutely devastating in its conclusion.
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Performance
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Story
- Mary S.
- 12-04-23
Heartbreaking
I knew going in that this was to have no happy ending. The sample, the narrator held me, so I downloaded it,,,
And could not stop listening. Finished the same day I started. A good portion of the book I spent with my head in my hands, trying to comfort my heartache. Still could not stop listening. This author and this narrator have moved me more than any others and I’ve read and listened to thousands of books over the years (in my 70s). I don’t do much tv, I love books. This author and narrator are now at the very top of my list. This story will never leave me. I am so thankful to audible “included” for introducing me to these two artists!
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- Chris Reich
- 01-06-13
Painful and Worth Your Time
Would you listen to The Absolutist again? Why?
I don't like this question. I probably will not listen to this book again---but not because it's not brilliant. It's ugly and I don't want to go through it again. But it is a great work.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Absolutist?
Tristan's meeting with his father before shipping out to war.
What does Michael Maloney bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It sickened me. Man's inhumanity can be overwhelming.
Any additional comments?
I like the book and recommend it but it's not for everyone. You'll gain insight into human suffering but there is nothing uplifting in the book. If you need "happy endings" this wouldn't be for you.
So, I recommend it with a caution.
Chris Reich, TeachU
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10 people found this helpful
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- Audible Addict
- 11-28-21
Tough going
I am torn between 3 and 4 stars for the story. It is beautifully written and well plotted. The characters, however, were not deeply drawn and so my compassion was limited for them despite how terribly sad the story is. I have to say that I strongly disagree with the negative reviews of the narrator. I thought he was superb. His voice is wonderful and he distinguishes between the characters very well. I will actually seek him out. I wonder if some of the criticism of too loud and then too soft might more justly be applied to the sound engineer.
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- Lorna Bolton Mills
- 02-26-24
Intense
Love and war with a twist. Heartbreak and horror. Bleak but very intense. The narrator was perfect for this kind of story.
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- Autodidact
- 12-05-18
second listen...I loved it.
John Boyne. I want to be the writer you are. Barring that, I bless you for giving me the 10's of hours of reading and listening pleasure.
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- Rick
- 07-21-19
Secrets That Consume a Life
It’s worth being reminded now and then of the unspeakable barbarism that slaughtered so many of an entire generation in what came to be known as The Great War.
“I didn’t think it was all that Great,” muses Tristan Sadler, late in life. But he was a young soldier then, so young that he had to lie about his age. Soon he would have more secrets, painful ones, and as this story slips seamlessly back and forth over more than 60 years, they are steadily revealed. With a skill that is to be expected from the author of “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” we are hand-fed Tristan’s agonies one at a time, right up to the very end.
A spare, compact, wistful novel, skillfully read by Michael Maloney.
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3 people found this helpful