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A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom

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A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Some stories are universal. They play out across human history. And time is the river which will flow through them.

It starts with a family, a family which will mutate. For now, it is a father, mother and two sons. One with his father’s violence in his blood. One who lives his mother’s artistry. One leaves. One stays. They will be joined by others whose deeds will change 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 distant Palestine at the dawn of the first millennium to a life amongst the stars in the third. While the world will change around them, their destinies will remain the same. It must play out as foretold. It is written.

A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom is the extraordinary new novel from acclaimed writer John Boyne. Ambitious, far-reaching and mythic, it introduces a group of characters whose lives we will come to know and will follow through time and space until they reach their natural conclusion.

©2020 John Boyne (P)2020 Penguin Audio Coming of Age Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Destiny

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All stars
Most relevant  
It took a while for me to really get into this book as it is so different to anything I’ve read before from John Boyne, or in fact any other author, but I was soon swept up in the journey through the ages. This book is quite unique and I can not recommend it highly enough. The narration was wonderful and I found I could not turn it off! Totally absorbing!

An epic tale

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I wouldn’t usually read a book that leans towards historical fiction, but having loved the other 3 John Boyne novels I have read / listened to I gave it a go. The audio version helped me tremendously as the I would surely have stumbled on the pronunciations in written format. What a clever and fascinating way to touch on many events through history. I am sure a few references were lost on me, but I’ll be looking them up. Loved the ending, loved the idea and execution, love his storytelling genius. Thanks to John for educating me a little in the process too.

Packed with intrigue

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I'm not sure what I expected from this book Love the story. I think I was expecting an insight into the human condition but ultimately ended up with some rather boring woke idealism, the narration was excellent,

a good story well told

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I am normally an avid reader of any book by John Boyne but I found this a very odd and repetitive book. I am also glad I read the absolutist first as this would have spoiled that book

Strange book

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I got the concept of this soul travelling through time but I couldn’t find a logic to it. Some characters were just 20 years apart which would have meant that they were both alive at the same time so this soul would have been in two places at the same time. Aside from that I didn’t warm to this book which surprised as I normally love his books.

I couldn’t make sense

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John Boyne is one of my favourite authors. I’ve read nearly all of his books. This one has now has taken first place. It is an amazing historical journey which both entertained and educated me. I didn’t immediately realise quite what was happening as the narrative developed through time and place but then I grasped what was happening. It was fascinating to hear about the way of life in each location and to follow the main character’s life-story, despite the fact that he had to cope with so much ill-fortune.
Initially the narration jarred slight simply because I kept thinking of Tim McEnery’s character in Black Adder. But quite quickly I forgot that and indeed he was the master of so
many different accents. He was very good at providing an identifiable speech pattern for each character in any given location, no mean feat considering the huge cast of this monumental work.

An incredible history

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Following the story of a man from the time of Herod it tells the extraordinary tale of the same soul throughout time. All in different countries and cultures, the story evolves in each incarnation from Herod to Trump and every era and culture in between. It’s just a beautiful story. Wonderful. John Boyne delivers once again x

Fantastic!

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Very unusual book. I have listened to it twice now and I have found it very entertaining.

Excellent listen

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The premise of this book is clever, but at the end I couldn't figure out what the point was. And the epilogue did nothing to help, it was like the author threw in a bit of current politics and a climate warning to seem current. I wanted the main character to evolve or learn through his 'ages' but there was none of that, I got pretty tired of him by the end. A chewing gum book. Passes the time, but wont fill you up.

I didnt really get it

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This book jumps around history bound very loosely in some places. Some of the historical times are to close together and confusing. Not the worst book I’ve read but nowhere near the best.

Interesting Novel

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