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The Fortune Men cover art

The Fortune Men

By: Nadifa Mohamed
Narrated by: Hugh Quarshie
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2021 and the Costa Novel Award 2021.

The story of a murder, a miscarriage of justice and a man too innocent for his times....

Mahmood Mattan is a fixture in Cardiff's Tiger Bay, 1952, which bustles with Somali and West Indian sailors, Maltese businessmen and Jewish families. He is a father, chancer, petty criminal. He is a smooth talker with rakish charm and an eye for a good game. He is many things, but he is not a murderer.

So when a shopkeeper is brutally killed and all eyes fall on him, Mahmood isn't too worried. Since his Welsh wife Laura kicked him out for racking up debts he has wandered the streets more often, and there are witnesses who allegedly saw him enter the shop that night. But Mahmood has escaped worse scrapes, and he is innocent in this country where justice is served. Love lends him immunity too: the fierce love of Laura, who forgives his gambling in a heartbeat, and his children. It is only in the run-up to the trial, as the prospect of returning home dwindles, that it will dawn on Mahmood that he is in a fight for his life - against conspiracy, prejudice and cruelty - and that the truth may not be enough to save him.
©2021 Nadifa Mohamed (P)2021 Penguin Audio
Biographical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature
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Critic Reviews

"Chilling and utterly compelling, The Fortune Men shines an essential light on a much-neglected period of our national life." (Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland)

"A writer of great humanity and intelligence. Nadifa Mohamed deeply understands how lives are shaped both by the grand sweep of history and the intimate encounters of human beings." (Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire)

"A novel of tremendous power, compassion and subtlety, it feels unsettlingly timely." (Pankaj Mishra)

What listeners say about The Fortune Men

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Profile Image for A. Hensher

haunting story

Sharp, evocative and beautifully read. A tragic story that needs to be told more widely.

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Profile Image for Geraldine Quinnell

Brilliant Narration, great book.

Brilliant narration with authentic accents made this a wonderful audible experience. The book is so well written, I highly recommend it. I am now going to purchase the hard copy so I can read it again in a different way.

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Profile Image for Spencer

Great book; great reader!

A fascinating story, based on truth, very well written; and the reader was superb in his ability to change his voice to mimic the many different characters. One of the best audible books I’ve read!!

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Very confusing

Took me a few tries to get past the first hour. I had no idea who was who and the characters didn’t get much depth. Not sure where the 4.5 stars came from in the reviews as all of our book club (those that struggled through and managed to finish it) thought it was average. It was nice to hear the epilogue explaining the history behind it but overall wouldn’t recommend the book :(

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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.