-
Birchwood
- A Novel
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Birchwood
Buy for $19.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
A classic novel of family, isolation and a blighted Ireland from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea depicts the end of innocence for a boy and his country.
Once the big house on an Irish estate, Birchwood has turned into a dilapidated family manor filled with memories and despair. One disaster succeeds another, until young Gabriel Godkin runs away to join a traveling circus and look for his long-lost twin sister. Soon he discovers that famine and unrest stalk the countryside, and Ireland is ruined too.
Told with lyrical prose, John Banville’s Birchwood is the elegiac story of the aristocratic decline of an eccentric family riddled with dark secrets.
"John Banville is one of the greatest masters of the English language."—The Scotsman
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,467
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,374
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40,415
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33,419
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33,000
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
Dietrich
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ed Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 627
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 581
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 581
It’s the summer of ’77 in New York City, and the only thing more unnerving than the scorching heatwave is the rampant murder, leaving washed-up homicide detective Richard Dietrich on edge. When Dietrich investigates a brutal mob hit the brass doesn’t want him to solve, he goes from phoning it in to getting in over his head. Caught up in a mysterious second homicide with an even more perplexing perpetrator, Dietrich starts to second guess his instincts—and his memory—as he searches for answers at the bottom of a bottle.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Haunting ending
- By Shirley Anderson on 04-21-24
By: Don Winslow
-
The Rip
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Carly Foxx, Shalom Brune-Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,440
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,417
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,417
Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water. Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise. When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart. Even paradise harbours murky secrets… Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie. Even clear waters descend to pitch black.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Intriguing, Engaging, AND BEST NARATORS EVER
- By Hadassah on 03-12-24
By: Holly Craig
-
The Holy Bible: King James Version
- The Old and New Testaments
- By: King James Bible
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Prentice Onayemi, Ellen Archer, and others
- Length: 82 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 999
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 791
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 784
This newer edition of the King James Bible published in 1769 is usually preferred by most that read it over the older 1611 version. This 1769 edition is highly sought after due to being more reader/listener friendly than the 1611 since many typos were fixed.... We hope your new audio bible will go everywhere with you and be a blessing for years to come.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very Good
- By José de Ribera on 12-17-20
By: King James Bible
-
He Who Fights with Monsters 2
- A LitRPG Adventure (He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 2)
- By: Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 22 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 26,164
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 22,967
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 22,912
But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Contrary to common reviews
- By Karen on 05-21-21
By: Shirtaloon, and others
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,467
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,374
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
The Art of War
- By: Sun Tzu
- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40,415
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33,419
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33,000
The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
-
Dietrich
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ed Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 627
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 581
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 581
It’s the summer of ’77 in New York City, and the only thing more unnerving than the scorching heatwave is the rampant murder, leaving washed-up homicide detective Richard Dietrich on edge. When Dietrich investigates a brutal mob hit the brass doesn’t want him to solve, he goes from phoning it in to getting in over his head. Caught up in a mysterious second homicide with an even more perplexing perpetrator, Dietrich starts to second guess his instincts—and his memory—as he searches for answers at the bottom of a bottle.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Haunting ending
- By Shirley Anderson on 04-21-24
By: Don Winslow
-
The Rip
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Carly Foxx, Shalom Brune-Franklin
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,440
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,417
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,417
Luxury villas on hot white sand, views for miles over turquoise water. Flawless hostess Penny gathers guests to an island for her husband’s birthday celebrations. But she soon regrets inviting self-obsessed Eloise. When a child vanishes on the night of the party, their perfect island weekend is ripped apart. Even paradise harbours murky secrets… Has he been taken? Has he drowned? In the panic to find any trace, Penny casts about for someone to blame—even if that person is her own daughter, Rosie. Even clear waters descend to pitch black.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Intriguing, Engaging, AND BEST NARATORS EVER
- By Hadassah on 03-12-24
By: Holly Craig
-
The Holy Bible: King James Version
- The Old and New Testaments
- By: King James Bible
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Prentice Onayemi, Ellen Archer, and others
- Length: 82 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 999
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 791
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 784
This newer edition of the King James Bible published in 1769 is usually preferred by most that read it over the older 1611 version. This 1769 edition is highly sought after due to being more reader/listener friendly than the 1611 since many typos were fixed.... We hope your new audio bible will go everywhere with you and be a blessing for years to come.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very Good
- By José de Ribera on 12-17-20
By: King James Bible
-
He Who Fights with Monsters 2
- A LitRPG Adventure (He Who Fights with Monsters, Book 2)
- By: Shirtaloon, Travis Deverell
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 22 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 26,164
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 22,967
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 22,912
But Jason Asano is settling into his new life. Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone to compete for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Although Jason seems uninvolved, he has unknowingly crossed the enemy’s path before.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Contrary to common reviews
- By Karen on 05-21-21
By: Shirtaloon, and others
-
Point Nemo
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 432
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 420
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 420
In the heart of the South Pacific lies Point Nemo, the most desolate and remote place on Earth. At its core is a dead zone, devoid of life, where government agencies crash their obsolete satellites and space stations, confident they won't harm a soul. When the International Space Station suffers a catastrophic failure and plummets through the atmosphere, it's here that Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist studying living space dust called xylem, finds herself marooned. Julie's only hope for rescue lies in the hands of her estranged father, Dr. Finn Maddern, a renowned mycologist.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally original-totally feasible!
- By Lawrence Tate on 04-10-24
By: Jeremy Robinson
-
The Girlfriend
- By: K.L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,644
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,469
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,465
The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms. As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts. She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.'
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Uh, what?
- By Karyn Cavanaugh on 02-22-23
By: K.L. Slater
-
You Shouldn’t Have Come Here
- By: Jeneva Rose
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Andi Arndt
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,856
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,727
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,726
Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: a lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Worst. Ever. NOT a true twist. Juvenile writing and story,
- By Whitney Lahann on 04-29-23
By: Jeneva Rose
-
The Narrator
- By: K. L. Slater
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,977
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,975
When the call came it seemed like the answer to my prayers. My career as a voice actor had been over for months and me and my little girl Scarlet were living back at my mum’s place. I felt like a failure professionally—and with Scarlet having problems at school, as a parent as well. So, when I was asked to narrate a new book by disappeared novelist Philippa Roberts I jumped at the chance, even if it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex, Hugo, for a few weeks. Hugo, with his perfect new home and his perfect new girlfriend Saskia. But this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Love but it's a production issue!
- By Mary on 09-02-22
By: K. L. Slater
-
The Shallows
- By: Holly Craig
- Narrated by: Tamala Shelton
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 318
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 309
Emma and Ariella, neighbours in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, appear to have it all—perfect homes, perfect husbands, perfect lives. But they both know dark secrets lurk beneath the surface and shallow waters can’t hide Ariella’s. Now she has been found murdered. Her daughter filmed the killing. Not knowing what she’s filmed, Emma’s daughter Kiki innocently uploads footage of Ariella’s brutal death. Emma fears the worst—the killer will know what she and Kiki have seen. Their safe suburban lives no longer exist.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Surprising and refreshing
- By digitalblonde2001 on 04-10-24
By: Holly Craig
-
Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,551
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,565
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,524
Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Snow
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 652
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 557
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 553
The incomparable Booker Prize winner’s next great crime novel - the story of a family whose secrets resurface when a parish priest is found murdered in their ancestral home. Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't read this is you have been sexually abused
- By Babs on 10-26-20
By: John Banville
-
Doctor Copernicus
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Sixteenth-century Europe is teeming with change and controversy: wars are being waged by princes and bishops and the repercussions of Luther are being felt through a convulsing Germany. In a remote corner of Poland, a modest canon is practicing medicine and studying the heavens, preparing a theory that will shatter the medieval view of the universe. In this astonishing work of historical imagination, John Banville offers a vivid portrait of a man of painful reticence.
By: John Banville
-
The Sea
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 287
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 291
The narrator is Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who, soon after his wife’s death, has gone back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child—a retreat from the grief, anger, and numbness of his life without her. But it is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heeled vacationing family with whom he experienced the strange suddenness of both love and death for the first time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
OVERWHELMINGLY FINE
- By Karen on 07-20-07
By: John Banville
-
The Untouchable
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 108
Victor Maskell has been betrayed. After the announcement in the Commons, the hasty revelation of his double life of wartime espionage, his photograph is all over the papers. His disgrace is public, his position as curator of the Queen’s pictures terminated… Maskell writes his own testament, in an act not unlike the restoration of one of his beloved pictures, in order for the process of verification and attribution to begin.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant writer writes the most boring spy story
- By David on 05-15-12
By: John Banville
-
The Singularities
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 18
A man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports car—also borrowed—onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the idiosyncratic Godley family, and with a woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Impossible
- By Anonymous User on 10-28-22
By: John Banville
-
Time Pieces
- A Dublin Memoir
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
As much about the life of the city as it is about a life lived, sometimes, in the city, John Banville's "quasi-memoir" is as layered, emotionally rich, witty, and unexpected as any of his novels. Born and bred in a small town a train ride away from Dublin, Banville saw the city as a place of enchantment when he was a child, a birthday treat, the place where his beloved, eccentric aunt lived.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
‘loved it!
- By SandyK on 02-24-24
By: John Banville
-
Snow
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 652
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 557
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 553
The incomparable Booker Prize winner’s next great crime novel - the story of a family whose secrets resurface when a parish priest is found murdered in their ancestral home. Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't read this is you have been sexually abused
- By Babs on 10-26-20
By: John Banville
-
Doctor Copernicus
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Sixteenth-century Europe is teeming with change and controversy: wars are being waged by princes and bishops and the repercussions of Luther are being felt through a convulsing Germany. In a remote corner of Poland, a modest canon is practicing medicine and studying the heavens, preparing a theory that will shatter the medieval view of the universe. In this astonishing work of historical imagination, John Banville offers a vivid portrait of a man of painful reticence.
By: John Banville
-
The Sea
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 407
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 287
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 291
The narrator is Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman who, soon after his wife’s death, has gone back to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child—a retreat from the grief, anger, and numbness of his life without her. But it is also a return to the place where he met the Graces, the well-heeled vacationing family with whom he experienced the strange suddenness of both love and death for the first time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
OVERWHELMINGLY FINE
- By Karen on 07-20-07
By: John Banville
-
The Untouchable
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 108
Victor Maskell has been betrayed. After the announcement in the Commons, the hasty revelation of his double life of wartime espionage, his photograph is all over the papers. His disgrace is public, his position as curator of the Queen’s pictures terminated… Maskell writes his own testament, in an act not unlike the restoration of one of his beloved pictures, in order for the process of verification and attribution to begin.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant writer writes the most boring spy story
- By David on 05-15-12
By: John Banville
-
The Singularities
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 18
A man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports car—also borrowed—onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the idiosyncratic Godley family, and with a woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Impossible
- By Anonymous User on 10-28-22
By: John Banville
-
Time Pieces
- A Dublin Memoir
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
As much about the life of the city as it is about a life lived, sometimes, in the city, John Banville's "quasi-memoir" is as layered, emotionally rich, witty, and unexpected as any of his novels. Born and bred in a small town a train ride away from Dublin, Banville saw the city as a place of enchantment when he was a child, a birthday treat, the place where his beloved, eccentric aunt lived.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
‘loved it!
- By SandyK on 02-24-24
By: John Banville
-
At the Stroke of Midnight
- By: Jenni Keer
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
It’s 1923 and in a decade that promises excitement and liberation, Pearl Glenham and her father are invited to a mysterious country house party on the Dorset coast, by a total stranger. Her father claims not to have any prior association with Highcliffe House, but upon arrival, it is apparent that he has a shared history with several of the guests, although he won’t admit it. Belatedly discovering that her father was blackmailed into attending, Pearl’s worries are compounded when their host fails to arrive…
By: Jenni Keer
-
Wild Houses
- By: Colin Barrett
- Narrated by: Damian Gildea
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 6
The riotous, raucous, and deeply resonant debut novel from “one of the best story writers in the English language today” (Financial Times), Wild Houses follows two outsiders caught in the crosshairs of a small-town revenge kidnapping gone awry.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Complex characters
- By Susan C on 04-08-24
By: Colin Barrett
-
The Infinities
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 44
On a languid midsummer's day in the countryside, old Adam Godley, a renowned theoretical mathematician, is dying. His family gathers at his bedside: his son, young Adam, struggling to maintain his marriage to a radiantly beautiful actress; his 19-year-old daughter, Petra, filled with voices and visions as she waits for the inevitable; their mother, Ursula, whose relations with the Godley children are strained at best; and Petra's "young man" - very likely more interested in the father than the daughter - who has arrived for a superbly ill-timed visit.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
family. even the gods seem to know about it.
- By Annette on 03-21-10
By: John Banville
-
Mrs. Osmond
- A Novel
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Amy Finegan
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 124
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Isabel Archer is a young American woman swept off to Europe in the late 19th century by an aunt who hopes to round out the impetuous but naïve girl's experience of the world. When Isabel comes into a large, unexpected inheritance, she is finagled into a marriage with the charming, penniless, and - as Isabel finds out too late - cruel and deceitful Gilbert Osmond, whose connection to a certain Madame Merle is suspiciously intimate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Clever Continuation of Henry James
- By Fate_D on 03-18-18
By: John Banville
-
Eclipse
- By: John Banville
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Alexander Cleave, actor, has left his career and his family behind and banished himself to his childhood home. He wants to retire from life, but finds this impossible in a house brimming with presences, some ghostly, some undeniably human. Memories, anxiety for the future, and more particularly, for his beloved but troubled daughter, conspire to distract him from his dreaming retirement.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well cast narrator and lush writing
- By Jeff Lacy on 04-12-18
By: John Banville
-
Dominoes
- A Novel
- By: Phoebe McIntosh
- Narrated by: Phoebe McIntosh
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Dominoes opens in London, twenty-nine days before a young couple’s wedding. Layla is a mixed-race woman—with a Black, Jamaican mother, and a white father she’s never met—and Andy is a white man of Scottish descent. When they first meet at a party, they can’t believe how instant their chemistry is, and how quickly their relationship unfolds. Funnily enough, they even share a last name: McKinnon.
By: Phoebe McIntosh