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The Absolutist

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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Publisher's Summary

September 1919: 21-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver some letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian’s brother Will during the Great War, but in 1917 Will laid down his guns on the battlefield, declared himself a conscientious objector and was shot as a traitor, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family. But the letters are not the real reason for Tristan’s visit. He holds a secret deep in his soul. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. As he recalls his friendship with Will, from the training ground at Aldershot to the trenches of Northern France, he speaks of how the intensity of their friendship brought him both happiness and self-discovery as well as despair and pain. The Absolutist is a novel that examines the events of the Great War from the perspective of two young soldiers, both struggling with the complexity of their emotions and the confusion of their friendship.

©2011 John Boyne (P)2011 Random House Audio Go
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+
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What listeners say about The Absolutist

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    3 out of 5 stars

review of The Absolutist

one of the best novels I have read for years unlike another comment I read it is better than Birdsong and was not sure that would be possible

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    5 out of 5 stars

A devastating journey.

I struggled with how to review this book. I noted that in the headline that I found it devastating. I thought I knew how it was going to progress, I thought that I knew how it might end. I was wrong on all counts. I even thought of giving up part way through because I was worried about where it might go next, and I was not sure if I was ready to go there too. I found myself angry, deeply sad and touched.
This surely is the hallmark of great writing.
Michael Maloney' performance is stunning and he pulls you in through the narrative. The story unfolds in such a way that you feel inside the story, rather than outside of it.
If you feel strong enough to be moved, not necessarily to tears, but to the bone, then I strongly recommend this fine achievement of literature.

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