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A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom

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A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Some stories are universal. They play out across human history. And time is the river which will flow through them.

It starts with a family, a family which will mutate. For now, it is a father, mother and two sons. One with his father’s violence in his blood. One who lives his mother’s artistry. One leaves. One stays. They will be joined by others whose deeds will change their fate. It is a beginning.

Their stories will intertwine and evolve over the course of two thousand years – they will meet again and again at different times and in different places. From distant Palestine at the dawn of the first millennium to a life amongst the stars in the third. While the world will change around them, their destinies will remain the same. It must play out as foretold. It is written.

A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom is the extraordinary new novel from acclaimed writer John Boyne. Ambitious, far-reaching and mythic, it introduces a group of characters whose lives we will come to know and will follow through time and space until they reach their natural conclusion.

©John Boyne 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Coming of Age Family Life Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Destiny Magic

Critic reviews

An ambitious, epic sweep of a book...John Boyne brilliantly and economically creates a sense of history and place... an enthralling read
This novel combines the pleasures of good old-fashioned storytelling with the excitement of finding a writer who makes you look at the world anew
Throbs with enduring love, warmth and passion.
All stars
Most relevant
Not sure I could explain the story - eventually understood it and enjoyed it eventually - I think

Very different ....

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The premise of this book is clever, but at the end I couldn't figure out what the point was. And the epilogue did nothing to help, it was like the author threw in a bit of current politics and a climate warning to seem current. I wanted the main character to evolve or learn through his 'ages' but there was none of that, I got pretty tired of him by the end. A chewing gum book. Passes the time, but wont fill you up.

I didnt really get it

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Fantastic book.wasnt sure what was happening initially but thoroughly enjoyed it completely!!!! lo e John Boyne, will continue on my mission to read all of his books.

Excellent

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I liked the overall principle of the leaps between lives in many cultures & centuries. The difficulty I had was that I wasn’t sure if I had followed the shift in cultures, so frequently had to re-wind to listen again so I could follow the leaps in time and place. The shape of the flawed hero’s Odyssey jumped suddenly and often sideways so I could only really tell by the changes in accent. I know each chapter told you when and where you were at the beginning but if you were even slightly distracted, you could miss it. That being said, it did do as expected & blend one lifetime into another almost seamlessly. The tale of his Odyssey is not slightly bland imo, not quite sure why because it ought to be really interesting. Maybe I expected more of a plot twist given the reason for, & result of, the Odyssey that had been advertised in the plot much earlier. It is quite a bleak novel but the narrator is upbeat enough to carry/balance this.
It’s still worth reading though & I may do it again and see different things.

Inventive, broad reaching, sort of philosophical

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This book jumps around history bound very loosely in some places. Some of the historical times are to close together and confusing. Not the worst book I’ve read but nowhere near the best.

Interesting Novel

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