All the Broken Places

A Novel

De: John Boyne

Narrado por: Kristin Atherton, Helen Lloyd

“You can’t prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel.” —John Irving, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The World According to Garp

“Exceptional, layered and compelling…This book moves like a freight train.” —Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

From the New York Times bestselling author John Boyne, a devastating, beautiful story about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery

Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She lives a quiet, comfortable life, despite her deeply disturbing, dark past. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age 12. She doesn’t talk about the grim post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn’t talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reich’s most notorious extermination camps.

Then, a new family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel can’t help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a disturbing, violent argument between Henry’s beautiful mother and his arrogant father, one that threatens Gretel’s hard-won, self-contained existence.

All The Broken Places moves back and forth in time between Gretel’s girlhood in Germany to present-day London as a woman whose life has been haunted by the past. Now, Gretel faces a similar crossroads to one she encountered long ago. Back then, she denied her own complicity, but now, faced with a chance to interrogate her guilt, grief and remorse, she can choose to save a young boy. If she does, she will be forced to reveal the secrets she has spent a lifetime protecting. This time, she can make a different choice than before—whatever the cost to herself….

Reseñas de la Crítica

“When is a monster’s child culpable? Guilt and complicity are multifaceted. John Boyne is a maestro of historical fiction. You can’t prepare yourself for the magnitude and emotional impact of this powerful novel.”
—John Irving, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The World According to Garp

“This novel, this exceptional, layered and compelling story, is built on modern history and all of us people who live it. The protagonist, the elderly, forthright and mysterious Mrs. Fernsby, is more than memorable and every one of Boyne’s characters, and every scene, dark or light, is limned in truth and insight. This book moves like a freight train,with force and consequence for the reader.”
—Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of In Love

“John Boyne has written a propulsive, heartrending mystery that delivers on both an intellectual and emotional level. It is the story of Gretel Fernsby, a ninety-one year old woman who has spent her life keeping a terrible secret, and the reckoning she faces when past and present collide. Complex. Ferocious. Beautiful and hard. I could not put this novel down.”
—Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène

“What an incredible feat of storytelling. All the Broken Places is a stark confrontation of evil, an examination of guilt and deflection, and an old-fashioned page-turner. John treads the finest of narrative lines with skill and grace and proves himself yet again to be among the world's greatest storytellers.”
—Donal Ryan, #1 international bestselling author of The Queen of Dirt Island and Strange Flowers

“A powerful novel about secrets and atonement after Auschwitz… All the Broken Places is a defence of literature’s need to shine a light on the darkest aspects of human nature; and it does so with a novelist’s skill, precision and power.”
—The Guardian

“This is a powerful page-turner, a novel that tackles complex issues while keeping its reader utterly gripped. Gretel's "final story" is an essential one.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Clear your calendar. Get All the Broken Places and just don’t make any plans, other than to read and read and read.”
—Washington Blade

“A complex, thoughtful character study that avoids easy answers.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“In Gretel, Boyne has created a magnificently dyspeptic protagonist whose self-assurance, sharp tongue and wry humor are at odds with her private agony.”
—the Financial Times

WOW!!!

I first read a random pick, Ladder to the Sky, which impressed me. Then read Hearts Invisible Furies that blew me away. Couldn’t put it down, recommended it to everyone I know. Then I watched the movie of Boy in the Striped Pajamas and when I learned about this sequel, I grabbed it instantly. I was mesmerized, spellbound, awed by the story, production and power of the writing. John Boyle is a brilliant soulful writer. I’m praying he has many more books in him.

Heart Broken Story

I had a difficult time putting this book down and thought about it almost continuously. After listening to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas I was completely overwhelmed by the story of his sister’s life over the years. Her pain over what her father did and how she could do nothing but felt guilty anyway was so palpable. I would recommend this book to anyone a desire to learn about how WW ll affected people even after many years.

Slow burn and then many twists and turns

There are a few books that stay with you forever and you will never forget. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was one of those books. All the Broken Places was a slow start until I saw how all the pieces were fitting together and then wow! I needed to see how it would resolve. So many twists, turns in directions I wasn’t expecting. The story is sad, heartbreaking and then! What an ending!! John Boyne is an amazing writer!

An exceptional story

John Boyne is a master storyteller. I have just about all his books each emotional and brilliantly written in different ways. I am always sad when I come to the end of one of his novels and eagerly await his next masterpiece.

Amazing! Loved this book.

I’ve listened to/read about 250 historical fiction World War II related books since the beginning of the pandemic. I would put this book in my top 10. The timeline switching doesn’t usually work for me, but the author is a craftsman and wordsmith and it is seamless because all stories are equally compelling in their own way. So many interesting themes explored. Great to have a sequel to The Boy with the Striped
Pajamas. Thank you, Mr. Boyne!