A Ladder to the Sky Audiobook By John Boyne cover art

A Ladder to the Sky

A Novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
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 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Ladder to the Sky

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Richard E. Grant, Richard Cordery, Nina Sosanya, Laurence Kennedy
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

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

About this listen

"A satire of writerly ambition wrapped in a psychological thriller... An homage to Patricia Highsmith, Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, but its execution is entirely Boyne’s own." (Ron Charles, The Washington Post)

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post and Minneapolis Star Tribune

Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and hungry for fame. The one thing he doesn’t have is talent - but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own.

Working as a waiter in a West Berlin hotel in 1988, Maurice engineers the perfect opportunity: a chance encounter with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann. He quickly ingratiates himself with the powerful - but desperately lonely - older man, teasing out of Erich a terrible, long-held secret about his activities during the war. Perfect material for Maurice’s first novel.

Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall....

Sweeping across the late 20th century, A Ladder to the Sky is a fascinating portrait of a relentlessly immoral man, a tour de force of storytelling, and the next great novel from an acclaimed literary virtuoso.

Praise for A Ladder to the Sky

"Boyne's mastery of perspective, last seen in The Heart's Invisible Furies, works beautifully here.... Boyne understands that it's far more interesting and satisfying for a reader to see that narcissist in action than to be told a catchall phrase. Each step Maurice Swift takes skyward reveals a new layer of calumny he's willing to engage in, and the desperation behind it...so dark it seems almost impossible to enjoy reading A Ladder to the Sky as much as you definitely will enjoy reading it." (NPR)

"Delicious...spins out over several decades with thrilling unpredictability, following Maurice as he masters the art of co-opting the stories of others in increasingly dubious ways. And while the book reads as a thriller with a body count that would make Highsmith proud, it is also an exploration of morality and art: Where is the line between inspiration and thievery? To whom does a story belong?" (Vanity Fair)

©2018 John Boyne (P)2018 Random House Audio
Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Psychological Fiction England Heartfelt Witty Italy War
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"Maurice has the heart of a sniper...marvelously engaging, barbed and witty." (The New York Times Book Review)

"A darkly funny novel that races like a beating heart." (People)

"Maurice Swift may not be much of a novelist, but he inhabits a literary tradition going to back to Patricia Highsmith. Boyne’s protagonist is Tom Ripley as literary climber.... Boyne’s novel is about high literature but has lower, juicier ambitions, at which it wildly succeeds." (Vulture)

Featured Article: Standout Contemporary Irish Authors You Should Give a Listen


Ireland may be a small country, but it's brimming with talent. Just listen to some of these popular contemporary Irish authors and see if you're not impressed with what this North Atlantic island has to offer to the literary community. Winning prestigious awards and topping best seller lists, today’s Ireland-born-and-bred authors are making a big impression on the literary world. Here are some contemporary Irish authors you should listen to now.

Captivating Plot • Complex Characters • Masterful Performances • Fascinating Villain • Unexpected Twists • Talented Cast
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
LOVED IT! Finally a book that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end.

I listened to this book and at the beginning I had a slight hard time with the accent but once it got going, no problem and got sucked right in. What a great story. Book 2 I kind of figured what was going to happen but so much more happened that it was a small victory on my part. Book 3, now, that was crazy but I loved it. Probably my favorite book so far this year.

Excellent!

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

Had zero expectations going into reading this, but from the beginning it was a unique and creative story that keeps you fully engaged through the last page. Will definitely be recommending it to friends, which I almost never do.

Very very good.

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

Turns at every corner and definitely keeps your interest. The narrator's were phenomenal!! I would highly recommend!!

spectacular entertainment

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

I think the Hearts Invisible Furies was better but this was fantastic in its own right. Great twists at the end!

Great story and narration

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

narrators were well suited to the material. could not stop listening to discover what was next. oredering another Boyne npvel immediately!

sensational, witty, malevolent, compelling.

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

Gripping thriller!!! John Boyne knocks it out of the park again with this book!! Loved every single minute of the narration. Highly recommend !!

Fantastic!!

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

I preferred Boyne's Heart...book , but this one was actually riveting while at the same time having a dose of predictability building over its course. However, It's a wonderful depiction of a soulless beauty, a man lacking any real desire, only crushing need, constantly driving him and others toward disaster. Wonderful narration.

Chilling from the get go,blossoming of a psychotic

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

A perfect book with perfect narration. Thriller movie material but so much more than that. I’m going to go through Boyne’s entire catalogue now.

Absolutely perfect

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

loved the story loved the performance I had no idea that it was Richard E Grant until I saw the last page no wonder it was so fabulous. he is incredible I could listen to him read the dictionary.

couldn't stop listening..

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

loved it! my second novel by the author great job...
took me back to a great time

great job

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

See more reviews