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The Thief of Time

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The Thief of Time

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: George Blagden
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Matthieu Zela has lived his life well. In fact, he's lived several lives well. Because Matthew Zela's life is characterised by one amazing fact: his body stopped ageing before the end of the eighteenth century.

Starting in 1758, a young Matthieu flees Paris after witnessing his mother's brutal murder. His only companions are his younger brother Tomas and one true love, Dominique Sauvet. The story of his life takes us from the French Revolution to 1920s Hollywood, from the Great Exhibition to the Wall Street Crash, and by the end of the twentieth century, Matthieu has been an engineer, a rogue, a movie mogul, a soldier, a financier, a lover to many, a cable TV executive and much more besides.

Brilliantly weaving history and personal experience, this is a dazzling story of love, murder, missed chances, treachery - and redemption.

© John Boyne 2011 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Crime Fiction Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Emotionally Gripping French Revolution

Critic Reviews

An extraordinary début
A minor masterpiece
Boyne should be congratulated for his spirited take on an old theme
Boyne is a skilful storyteller, expertly weaving differing stories together
All stars
Most relevant
Quite an entertaining book that had me intrigued. I’m a Time Travel Lover and this story gave a very different type of story. It quickly drew me in as I read about Matt and his endless life through nearly 300 years. Definitely worth a listen.

NOT QUITE WHAT I EXPECTED BUT GREAT

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