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The Thief of Time

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The Thief of Time

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: George Blagden
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Matthieu Zela has lived his life well. In fact, he's lived several lives well. Because Matthew Zela's life is characterised by one amazing fact: his body stopped ageing before the end of the 18th century.

Starting in 1758, a young Matthieu flees Paris after witnessing his mother's brutal murder. His only companions are his younger brother, Tomas, and one true love, Dominique Sauvet. The story of his life takes us from the French Revolution to 1920s Hollywood, from the Great Exhibition to the Wall Street Crash - and by the end of the 20th century, Matthieu has been an engineer, a rogue, a movie mogul, a soldier, a financier, a lover to many, a cable TV executive and much more besides.

Brilliantly weaving history and personal experience, this is a dazzling story of love, murder, missed chances, treachery - and redemption.

©2011 John Boyne (P)2020 Penguin Audio Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Emotionally Gripping French Revolution

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All stars
Most relevant  
I really wanted to enjoy this. A 256 year old lead taking us through his remarkable life but it fell flat. George Blagdon is an amazing actor and narrator but this rendition was not his best. I’m not sure if it was the material he had to work with, especially the flat and uninteresting female characters, or if he simply can’t do female voices well but I found it tedious. The story could have been great but it skipped all over without really finishing any particular episode satisfactorily and there were glaring historical inaccuracies especially concerning dress or speech which jarred with me.

Doesn’t really grip you

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written beautifully. read expertly. I would definitely recommend a read. really enjoyed this one

excellent

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I never cease to be surprised by the diversity of subject matter in the books of this author and so enjoy his wonderful way of delivering a story. Perfect choice of narrator.

Excellent story great narration

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Great book. really enjoyed it. Love how each one of John Boynes books captures historic elements with fiction so well!!

Another great book

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Enjoyed Last few chapters most. Could not get invested in characters beyond Matthieu & Dominique & frequently lost interest in the more peripheral characters during different eras

The Ending

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I love John Boyne. His stories and characters draw you in. I hadn’t heard of this one before and Winfred if there was a reason for this. Seemingly not! Another beautifully crafted narrative spanning three centuries in a most original way. The narration is excellent and the story compelling. A must for all John Boyne fans.

Different but brilliant!

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I’ve no idea if this historical fiction as billed or sci do/fantasy but I don’t suppose it matters in the least. The un-aging immortality of Matthieu sounds ideal and in many ways is but what impact does it have on those around him. Witty, clever and thoroughly enjoyable. I’m off to see why an 18th century character calls Matthieu Grasshopper though!

Excellent

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I enjoyed this book very much. John Boyne draws you in to the characters. A great story over centuries giving a history lesson in its wake. Brilliantly narrated

Unusual read with surprising events.

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I loved this. It was like going on a long, enthralling train journey - meeting interesting characters, seeing fascinating places. Handled by many authors, this just wouldn’t work, but Boyne does it with such skill, you just can’t help but go for the ride.

A wonderful journey

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Another Great storytelling by Boyle, but the narrating could be better. The dialogues were well performed, but the narrating parts were read in rather monotous tone. Still well worth a listen.

Great Story

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