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Mr Wilder and Me
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
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Mr Wilder and Me
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The dazzling new novel from the prize-winning, best-selling author of Middle England.
In the heady summer of 1977, a naïve young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.
While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his new film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich for the shooting of further scenes, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history.
In a novel that is at once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of one of cinema's most intriguing figures, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze on the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it's time to let go?
Critic reviews
"Coe is a writer of uncommon decency." (Observer)
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What listeners say about Mr Wilder and Me
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hayley Harding
- 06-12-22
Gorgeous
Great performance and an interesting story structure. Lots of interesting film facts and now I want to watch Fedora.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- anna
- 04-12-22
Great
Great book you don't need to know much about movies to still get stuck into this book (because i know almost nothing). I really really enjoyed it. It was recommended to me by my father and he always directs me to great books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Kay Smele
- 12-01-21
Enjoyable melding of fact and fiction
Enjoyed discovering the life of Billy Wilder and his filmography through the eyes of Calista as a young woman and her reflections later in life . The story combines the biographies of both Billy and Callista in a such charming way. The narration of all the character was flawless . Would highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Faon
- 12-03-24
A very clear and tender narrative
Wriien in a slightly naive voice, the first person narration is tender and the story is clear. The central character is a good foil for the more nuanced andcomplex Wilder.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 07-11-21
Great
Read this because it was chosen for our book club not familiar with the author probably would have passed me by but so glad it didn't was one of my favourite books this year and I read a lot.
Absolute gem of a story loved every word.
Going to seek out more from this Guy.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mr. John Bell
- 05-03-22
not his best
Whilst I'm a massive fan of Jonathan Coe, I really struggled with this book. Despite a great performance by the narrator, it just didn't grip me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- HazelW
- 16-11-20
HW
A brilliant story which I felt Jonathan Coe wrote just for me. Wistfully nostalgic, wittily realistic, fun with a serious and thought-provoking thread running through it. Marvellous. Absolutely marvellous.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Geoffrey
- 23-10-23
Usual Brilliant Storytelling by Jonathan Coe
Very entertaining and well read. I have seen most of the films mentioned but not Fedora. I will have track down a copy and watch it with some Brie de Meaux, a baguette and bottle of Pinot Noir 🍷😋
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- M. Parrott
- 26-10-21
Learneda lot
Really well narrated, the voices were just right. It was quite a feat to keep the accent going through the long monologues of Bill Wilder with his Austrian twang! I learned a lot about a fascinating man and would enjoy to watch some of the films I haven't seen ( In fact, Sunset Boulevard and Some like it got are the only ones I'm conscious of ever watching- and that was a long time ago!)
The book was reviewed on Radio 4 recently which prompted me to buy it and I agree with the comments that the main character, Calista, was a bit thinly drawn but she was a good narrator of an interesting tale. I enjoyed it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- cyclingcarol
- 01-04-22
Fascinating mixture of fact and fiction
Very easy to read and a brilliant insight into Hollywood before more modern directors. An insight into the artistic struggle of Billy Wilder.
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