All Clear

By: Connie Willis

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Connie Willis (introduction)

Length: 23 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

In Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060, the setting for several of her most celebrated works, and sent three Oxford historians to World War II England: Michael Davies, intent on observing heroism during the Miracle of Dunkirk; Merope Ward, studying children evacuated from London; and Polly Churchill, posing as a shopgirl in the middle of the Blitz. But when the three become unexpectedly trapped in 1940, they struggle not only to find their way home but to survive as Hitler's bombers attempt to pummel London into submission.

Now the situation has grown even more dire. Small discrepancies in the historical record seem to indicate that one or all of them have somehow affected the past, changing the outcome of the war. The belief that the past can be observed but never altered has always been a core belief of time-travel theory, but suddenly it seems that the theory is horribly, tragically wrong.

Meanwhile, in 2060 Oxford, the historians' supervisor, Mr. Dunworthy, and 17-year-old Colin Templer, who nurses a powerful crush on Polly, are engaged in a frantic and seemingly impossible struggle of their own - to find three missing needles in the haystack of history.

Told with compassion, humor, and an artistry both uplifting and devastating, All Clear is more than just the triumphant culmination of the adventure that began with Blackout. It's Connie Willis' most humane, heartfelt novel yet - a clear-eyed celebration of faith, love, and the quiet, ordinary acts of heroism and sacrifice too often overlooked by history.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an introduction written and read by author Connie Willis.

Also listen to the first book, Blackout.

©2010 Connie Willis (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2010
• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2011
• Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2010: Readers' Choice (SF Site)

"By the time the three historians and Mr. Dunworthy have unraveled the mystery and arrived at the full-on, three-hanky finale, you’ll no longer be a disinterested observer. Drawn in Willis’s skillful storytelling, you’ll be back in 1941, wondering what’s about to happen next." ( The Village Voice)

"Katherine Kellgren's delightful English accent is perfect for the many characters she portrays." ( AudioFile)

“As vivid an evocation of England during World War II as anyone has ever written.... You’ll find here a novelist who can plot like Agatha Christie and whose books possess a bounce and stylishness that Preston Sturges might envy.” ( The Washington Post)

Kind of a miracle

"That's no way to talk in the presence of ladies, you bleedin' sod," the first man said belligerently….
"Beggin' your pardon, misses. I shouldn't 'ave called 'Itler a little bastard. 'E's the biggest bastard what ever lived."

I think I have an ulcer now. The suspense, the frenetic pace of the book – hurry here, get diverted, rush elsewhere, find or miss that being looked for, if found that thing leads to another search, sprint here and there, hither and yon, at top speed, with constant interruptions and rerouting and balks and blocks and detours and dead ends… Needing to be at point A, and being required to go to point B, and then there's point C, which is equidistant to B from A… and then point D gets thrown in for good measure, also equidistant. Will they make it?! People squirting off in all directions, appearing and disappearing and obstructing and getting injured and waylaid and oh lord what now without notice. So many interruptions and interceptions and all so very well-meaning, or so very necessary, and … Yikes.

But rarely has an ulcer ever been earned in so enjoyable a fashion.

These aren't "easy" books. Not only is there the cross-stitch element of time travel to take into account, but Connie Willis isn't easy on her characters. Oh, sure, the comedy can be flowing – say, Alf and Binnie up to high-larious hijinks … but then a moment later comes the reminder that these two irrepressible vivacious children are, like everyone else in England (most of Europe), constantly under a Damoclean sword, with doom hanging by the finest of horsehairs over their heads. You just never know how it's going to go – anyone could die (everyone could die), or be left behind, or be somehow discovered, at any moment – or a fellow time traveler could show up, or time could be irretrievably altered…

Connie Willis has an intensely frustrating way of cutting away to one of the side plots – and then bringing that action to a crisis point at the end of the chapter and … returning to the main story again. Argh. And I say that with the greatest respect.

On the other hand, Connie Willis is so easy to read. Her writing is as transparent as good glass – by which I mean it's so good it disappears, leaving her characters and their settings in full color and three dimensions in your mind. Nothing is predictable, everything is immediate (Connie Willis doesn't need to use the present tense to create immediacy), and the suspense can be intense. And all the while she will make you laugh –

"Oh, dear. I do hope I didn't say anything I shouldn't have. I didn't confess undying love to some girl fifty years my junior, did I? Or quote Peter Pan?"

– and make you cry –

"We live in hope that the good we do here on earth will be rewarded in heaven. We also hope to win the war. We hope that right and goodness will triumph, and that when the war is won, we shall have a better world. And we work toward that end. We buy war bonds and put out incendiaries and knit stockings---"
And pumpkin-colored scarves, Polly thought.
"---and volunteer to take in evacuated children and work in hospitals and drive ambulances" - here Alf grinned and nudged Eileen sharply in the ribs - "and man anti-aircraft guns. We join the Home Guard and the ATS and the Civil Defence, but we cannot know whether the scrap metal we collect, the letter we write to a solider, the vegetables we grow, will turn out in the end to have helped win the war or not. We act in faith.
"But the vital thing is that we act. We do not rely on hope alone, thought hope is our bulwark, our light through dark days and darker nights. We also work, and fight, and endure, and it does not matter whether the part we play is large or small. The reason that God marks the fall of the sparrow is that he knows that it is as important to the world as the bulldog or the wolf. We all, all must do 'our bit'. For it is through our deeds that the war will be won, through our kindness and devotion and courage that we make that better world for which we long."

- sometimes at the same time.

"We must trust in God's goodness," Miss Hibbard said, patting her hand.
Mrs. Wyvern patted it too. "God never sends us more than we can bear."
"Everything which happens is part of God's plan," the rector intoned.
Sir Godfrey came up to her, his hat in his hand.
If he has some appropriately cheerful Shakespeare quote, like "There's a divinity that shapes our ends," or "All will yet be well," I'll never forgive him, Polly thought.
"Viola," he said, and shook his head sadly. "'The rain it raineth every day.'"
I love you, she thought, tears stinging her eyes.

Connie Willis's writing is possibly the most human I know of. All the variegated emotions of humanity, and the heightened emotions of humanity at war: she's got them down.

She knew now how Theodore's neighbor felt. She wanted to shut herself in the cupboard under the stairs and stay there, even if it offered no protection at all. But that was impossible. She had to make Mr. Dunworthy soft-boiled eggs and tea and keep Alf from asking him how it felt to be blown up and Binnie from sharing her opinions of fairy tales, had to learn her lines, practice tap routines, rip ruffles off her costumes and sew sequins on them. And face Eileen's unquenchable optimism.

There are a lot of books out there (not enough, but quite a few) which feel like I could step into and find my way around. Connie Willis's world feels like it settles around me as I read – or listen – and when I have to put aside the book it seems strange that no one is dropping bombs on me and that I'm stuck in this time and place.

The narration helps a great deal in that, with these audiobooks. Katherine Kellgren is brilliant and I love her and will listen to anything she reads which isn't Fifty Shades of Anything.

All clear is ALL CLEAR!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The precision of historical records and following datelines were amazing. The writer accomplished a feat of fact and fiction keeping it well in balance and also maintaining a point of "Whats gonna happen next".

What did you like best about this story?

The Hopkins, what a terror those two were.

Which scene was your favorite?

The first play

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. This is time taking experience. I believe it would take a solid week to hear all in one sitting

Any additional comments?

this is part 2. If you do not read Blackout first, you will be totally lost

Must read if you enjoyed Blackout!

Would you consider the audio edition of All Clear to be better than the print version?

Again, did not read the print version v

What did you like best about this story?

The conclusion of the story that began in "Blackout". Reviewers said it "dragged on" but I feel differently. What may have dragged for some people, to me reflected the mixture of anxiety and tedium that must have been felt by Britons sheltering from the bombs in the subway stations. I enjoyed the stories about British citizens, military and civilian alike, who stepped up and put their lives on the line in circumstances that they certainly never asked for nor had control over-- the fire-watchers, ambulance drivers, and Enigma decoders among them-- and how close the outcome of WWII really was. It makes me appreciate all the more what ordinary citizens did, and how one small change here or there could have turned the whole outcome.

What about Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis (introduction) ’s performance did you like?

Ms. Willis sounded so enthusiastic about her story both here and in "Blackout" it made me enthused about it too. Ms. Kellgren is an excellent narrator, especially the feisty kids Apf and Binnie who make a welcome reappearance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me appreciate the efforts on the "home front" in wartime Britain, everyone from shop girls to Agatha Christie did their part. I hope I could serve as bravely if it came to that. And their "stiff upper lip" attitude in the face of rationing and destruction made me realize how lucky we have it now.

Any additional comments?

The time travel aspect of it was fun and gave an interesting perspective, but I found it secondary to the story of the everyday heroes of WWII. Although the post travelers trying to get home did provide a key part of the plot.

heck'n yeah

A great ending, hard not to get caught up in it all, like "we need to be more careful with our time travel program!" cause that's a real worry. I loved these books. Wish there was more!

Gipping stuff, could not stop listening!

I really enjoyed listening to Katherine Kellgren and loved the accents and voice acting. Charming story, thank you!

Mixed review

Any additional comments?

Blackout and All Clear are really one book split into 2 sections. It's a great story of the Battle of Britain, but not the best book to listen to, simply because of its length, and the endless conversations. Despite this, I learned a great deal about a subject that was never covered in school, the characters were very real and Willis is a superb storyteller. The performance was excellent, and I wouldn't hesitate to select another book by the author or reader.

First book over 20 hours I could barely put down

Let me start by saying that I do enjoy longer books as a rule, but I can't read them all at once. I usually have to move on to something else for a while then come back. It can take me weeks or even months to get through one, while reading many shorter books in the same time drain, but this was different. Granted I read most of it directly after an operation and I felt like crap. That was supposed to down play the fact that I hardly stopped, but writing that I realized it did the opposite. When I'm sick and tired I usually need to read something light hearted and or familiar, but this held my attention and took me away from the pain in my face. I know people have said it's too long with too much detail, but it worked for me. I understand that's not true for everyone, and I would say that this is not a boook for everyone. If you read black out and didn't love it, ditch this one. I'd say it's better, but if you had a hard time with Black out, you'll have a hard time with this. My only small complaint is that of the three main characters, the author seemed to spend the least amount of time on Ilene. Maybe that was just me thinking that because she was by far my favourite character, but I wish she would have been explored more.

For time travel stories lovers; patient ones...

What did you like best about All Clear? What did you like least?

Since it is a good time travel plot and I am a big fan of this subject, the book is very interesting.
On the other hand, the plot sometimes get confusing and the ideas not so logical. The worst of this book is the excessive of details in describing the scenes and the simultaneous lack of action.
Moreover, the story could use much more the events from the past to detail the way of life, thinking and culture of the WWII in England.
Finally, in many occasions the characters are overreacting and excessive emotional over nothing. It really bugged me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The reading had up and down variations that made it difficult to understand. I am an avid audible listener, but this one took all the patient I had.

Was All Clear worth the listening time?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

In my years of audio-book listener, I have rarely seen such a bad narrator. I could only bear to listen such a big story, because the plot was reasonably enjoyable.

Love this book!!!!

Wow! I was hooked after reading the first book in the time travel books and shed a little tear when the music began to signal the end of this one. Such a great story!

Infuriatingly long

Wonderful story, great characters, terrific narration, intriguing concept and endless philosophic food-for-thought BUT this book was so long that I considered giving up a hundred times! A good 2/3 of the book involved fruitless chases across England or across London. I got it the first dozen times that England was a dangerous place to be during WWII. I just do not understand why the writer kept padding the book unnecessarily. Another annoying plot device (?) involved interrupted conversations where, just as important information was about to be revealed, the characters were "swept away by the crowds" or interrupted by another character who was so rude and pushy that they allowed themselves to be distracted. This happened dozens of times. The bottom line is that this book and it's Part 1 predecessor could have been combined into one fairly long but much more satisfactory story. I just don't understand Connie Willis felt the need to this unless it was simply the desire to sell two books instead of one.