• Tin Man

  • A Novel
  • By: Sarah Winman
  • Narrated by: Sarah Winman
  • Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (269 ratings)

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Tin Man  By  cover art

Tin Man

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
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Publisher's summary

Shortlisted for the 2017 Costa Novel Award

Finalist for the 2019 Indies Choice Book Award: Book of the Year

Longlisted for the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

Finalist for the 2019 Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction

From internationally bestselling author Sarah Winman comes an unforgettable and heartbreaking novel celebrating love in all its forms and the little moments that make up the life of an autoworker in a small working-class town.

This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that.

Ellis and Michael are twelve when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more.

But then we fast-forward a decade or so, to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question, what happened in the years between?

With beautiful prose and characters that are so real they jump to life, Tin Man is a love letter to human kindness and friendship, and to loss and living.

©2018 Sara Winman (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of Bustle's Best Fiction Books of 2018

“Winman has crafted something of a small miracle here....The slow build of emotion and the cascade of quiet, well-earned tears are testament to how rich this meditation on love, art, loss and redemption truly is.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The most therapeutic emotional journey of the year.”—EW.com

“Half love story and half identity quest, Sarah Winman's Tin Man is 100 percent beautiful. It's the perfect book to completely drag you out of your own personal reality and into someone else's for a little while, and you'll find yourself reading it again and again.”—PopSugar

What listeners say about Tin Man

Average customer ratings
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Writing superb!

Though the story wasn't up my alley, I was delighted by the writing. Performance was spot on!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I challenge anyone to read this book without sobbing at least once

Masterful and tender this book epitomizes humanity and compassion . Love and loss are beautifully rendered

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exquisite writing stings the heart

The author lovingly presents her story with a voice so knowing the listener is immediately drawn in to the intimacy of its quiet privacy. Reveal after reveal slowly breaks your heart as you fall in love with these characters. I want to say more, so much more, but it would lessen the impact of the trance-like experience. Devastating yet ecstatically transporting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A visual piece

Heavy but worthwhile. Unlike others, I love the descriptive language. I feel like I was witness to every scene. A beautiful and profound piece laced with grief and sadness but ultimately leaves you with peace and hope.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it, but a little hard to piece together the through line

Listening to this as opposed to reading it presented a challenge due to the jumping back and forth in time, but the challenge was worth it because the writing was very good and the characters were sympathetic.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wow

just the most beautiful writing and performance I’ve ever witnessed. just blown away by its beauty.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A most beautiful friendship.

The kind that many people never even know about. This is a story that will make you soar with happiness for the main characters, and, in the end, rip it all apart. But it will leave you glad that you knew them all. And you may find them in your own life and among your own friends if you are lucky. I hope you are so blessed.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hauntingly beautiful

This story took my breath away. A love story that left me saddened and yet at the same time peaceful. I loved this book and these lovely characters so much that I have decided to purchase every book by this talented writer, Sarah Winman. I look forward to inhaling all four of them, this time on paper.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another triumph

Such a beautiful writer. Always. Please write more! This is a glimpse into our past which had a devastating impact on the LGBTQ community.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vivid Storytelling

Loved every minute of this devastating story. You can’t help but feel the loneliness - the longing of Mikey. Even the mundane day to day leaves you gutted, and fully captures the depth of his love for E. Adding this to our home library immediately.

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