The High Mountains of Portugal Audiobook By Yann Martel cover art

The High Mountains of Portugal

A Novel

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The High Mountains of Portugal

By: Yann Martel
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The author of the best-selling Life of Pi returns to the storytelling power and luminous wisdom of his master novel.

In Lisbon in 1904, a young man named Tomás discovers an old journal. It hints at the existence of an extraordinary artifact that - if he can find it - would redefine history. Traveling in one of Europe's earliest automobiles, he sets out in search of this strange treasure.

Thirty-five years later, a Portuguese pathologist devoted to the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie finds himself at the center of a mystery of his own and drawn into the consequences of Tomás' quest.

Fifty years on, a Canadian senator takes refuge in his ancestral village in Northern Portugal, grieving the loss of his beloved wife. But he arrives with an unusual companion: a chimpanzee. And there the century-old quest will come to an unexpected conclusion.

Filled with tenderness, humor, and endless surprise, The High Mountains of Portugal - part quest, part ghost story, part contemporary fable - offers a haunting exploration of great love and great loss, asking questions about faith and lack of faith that are at the heart of all of Yann Martel's novels.

©2015 Yann Martel (P)2015 Random House Audio Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Metaphysical & Visionary Portugal Heartfelt Mind-Bending Witty Inspiring Mountains Portugal

Critic reviews

"Narrator Mark Bramhall delivers a confident performance of Yann Martel's exploration of faith and personal tragedy.... Bramhall is achingly convincing as the grief-stricken Tomás." ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant  
A story about the odd things people suffering from grief do; and how those actions affect others and intertwine. Three separate stories all connected by that same theme.

A good light read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The High Mountains of Portugal is a book that stays with you. I just finished it and throughout the week I've pondered its meaning and tried to tie the story together and understand the symbolism. The reader is excellent and once again Mr. Martel has painted a beautiful story to mindfully and thoughtfully gaze upon.

Still processing...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My only previous experience with Yann Martel’s writing is Life of Pi, a book I liked very much. This book has some of the same hallmarks such as the reader’s uncertainty of what is real and what isn’t, and that is what I like about High Mountains. The book is structured as three related stories, each taking place in a different time period. Unfortunately, the first story, which is essential to the structure,is SO long and slow, I nearly gave up. Fortunately, the second story is very good and contains the elements of Martel that I like. The last story brings everything together and I found myself wanting to know how this ending would be interpreted by the village.

I gave the book 3 stars because of the first part that I slogged through.

SLOW beginning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have been haunted for years by the Life of Pi. This book had more of that weird, charming and sometimes unsettlingly dreaminess that I loved. Wonderful characters and although the pacing was somewhat uneven it did not lose my interest at any point.

Did not disappoint.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Maybe to the right person. Its quite contrived and hard to understand the point of its telling.

Would you ever listen to anything by Yann Martel again?

Maybe i love the life of Pi

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

Hi performance was good the story was just lacking.

Could you see The High Mountains of Portugal being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No

Well - its kinda worth the read but ....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to The High Mountains of Portugal again? Why?

Definitely. I've already listened to numerous parts of the book multiple times. The writing is beautiful. The magical realism needs to be experienced more than one time to catch multiple meanings.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The High Mountains of Portugal?

I cannot say without spoilers. Each of the 3 sections is quite memorable on its own. Together the three sections produce a sort of mystery. The ending was awesome.

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

If I say, I will spoil the last third of the novel. Actually in my Book Club, I will ask which was your favorite character. I predict multiple answers.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I fear that no film can equal the impact of this audible book.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that is meant to be savored and shared with friends. It spans comedy and tragedy, many of the great themes of life and love (human and animal love). A native Portuguese speaker must judge the performer's pronunciation of Portuguese, but it was very beautiful and musical to my uneducated ear. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

An Amazing Achievement

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
each individual story is compelling, but the tie- in at the conclusion...deeply satisfying to the soul

crazy magic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book earns 5 stars because, like the proverbial onion, it has layers and layers to ponder for months to come. It's a surreal journey, over generations, that make you think about faith, loss, "progress" and extinction. I particularly enjoyed the funny little connections from past to future, the best example being walking backwards. It's not a spoiler, but the practice of walking backwards is just one of the many fairy tale like elements in this book that make you consider that even when you want to resist moving forward, it's inevitable.

Surreal Onion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is one of the most intriguing, humorous, thoroughly enjoyable book I've listened to in a long time - beautifully expressed, hilarious and sad at the same time. The imagery and discussions powerful! It's a book I'll have to listen to again and again.

Absolutely fascinating!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was the best reader I've encountered and will look forward to hearing him again. The story was interesting and well developed. Unfortunately, I did not like the ending. Admittedly, I think I just wanted to hear more and perhaps a clearer explanation of the key elements. Martel, however, does not disappoint. It was nevertheless an intriguing and skilled piece of artistry that summoned forth detailed visuals from my imagination.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews