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The Colony

By: Audrey Magee
Narrated by: Stephen Hogan
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Publisher's Summary

He handed the easel to the boatman, reaching down the pier wall towards the sea. Mr Lloyd has decided to travel to the island by boat without engine - the authentic experience. Unbeknownst to him, Mr Masson will also soon be arriving for the summer. 

Both will strive to encapsulate the truth of this place - one in his paintings, the other with his faithful rendition of its speech, the language he hopes to preserve.

But the people who live here on this rock - three miles wide and half-a-mile long - have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken and what is given in return. 

Over the summer each of the women and men in the household this French and Englishman join is forced to question what they value and what they desire. At the end of the summer, as the visitors head home, there will be a reckoning.

©2022 Audrey Magee (P)2022 Faber & Faber

Critic Reviews

"The Colony is a vivid and memorable book about art, land and language, love and sex, youth and age. Big ideas tread lightly through Audrey Magee’s strong prose." (Sarah Moss)

"The Colony is brimming with ideas about identity and soul; a canny, challenging, and never less than engrossing read." (Lisa McInerney)

What listeners say about The Colony

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Deep and rich. "Grand" for me as an audio book

Language is a theme highlighted by the skilled reading. I suspect as an Aussie-English speaker I would not have appreciated the nuances as much if i had encountered this work on the page. So audio was the right choice for me. Threads of dominance and submission, exploitation, and the continuing impact of history weave through it. I was desperately hoping for a "happy ever after" ending but fearing it would be a "catastrophe". What it was was magnificent.

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Great listening

Interesting original. It took me a few chapters to settle into, it was however thoroughly worth it. There are some likeable and some not so likeable characters in the story. A story of expectation, yearning and realising limitations. I highly recommended this Audible offering.

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The Tragedy of Eire

Beautiful prose evokes passionate feelings but tragedy lurks in the mind like the ominous features of the landscape portrayed….

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Fairly good

This was very well narrated. The story was a little obvious and the outcome fairly predictable. I listened to this in one go on a long drive and it filled the time well enough.

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Brilliant

Beautifully written and read, this novel is a deeply moving story of colonisation, exploitation and betrayal.

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Oddly compelling

At times it was easy to see where the plot was going, but a very enjoyable read all the same.

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Excellent. A good balance between story and history.

Books like this teach us so much… about Irish, about how people lived off the land before money changed our aspirations, about how stuff can be simple and might have to be simple again some day when the earth can only sustain simple lives without conspicuous consumption etc.

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Fabulous performance!

This was a really entertaining performance that really helped me to delve into the plot and understand all the individual characters. I would recommend this as an audio story

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Gem of a story

Completely different to the books I usually read. Enjoyed this so much, I think I might have struggled to read but to listen was amazing. The narrator was perfect.

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Terrific atmospheric novel

I loved this slow burn novel. Wonderful setting and clever characterisation add up to a really thorough and satisfying exploration of colonialism in remote Ireland.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.