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All Clear

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All Clear

By: Connie Willis
Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Connie Willis (introduction)
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In Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060, the setting for several of her most celebrated works, and sent three Oxford historians to World War II England: Michael Davies, intent on observing heroism during the Miracle of Dunkirk; Merope Ward, studying children evacuated from London; and Polly Churchill, posing as a shopgirl in the middle of the Blitz. But when the three become unexpectedly trapped in 1940, they struggle not only to find their way home but to survive as Hitler's bombers attempt to pummel London into submission.

Now the situation has grown even more dire. Small discrepancies in the historical record seem to indicate that one or all of them have somehow affected the past, changing the outcome of the war. The belief that the past can be observed but never altered has always been a core belief of time-travel theory, but suddenly it seems that the theory is horribly, tragically wrong.

Meanwhile, in 2060 Oxford, the historians' supervisor, Mr. Dunworthy, and 17-year-old Colin Templer, who nurses a powerful crush on Polly, are engaged in a frantic and seemingly impossible struggle of their own - to find three missing needles in the haystack of history.

Told with compassion, humor, and an artistry both uplifting and devastating, All Clear is more than just the triumphant culmination of the adventure that began with Blackout. It's Connie Willis' most humane, heartfelt novel yet - a clear-eyed celebration of faith, love, and the quiet, ordinary acts of heroism and sacrifice too often overlooked by history.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an introduction written and read by author Connie Willis.

©2010 Connie Willis (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction England Time Travel Feel-Good Heartfelt Witty War
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Critic reviews

  • Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2010
  • Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2011
  • Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2010: Readers' Choice (SF Site)

"Katherine Kellgren's delightful English accent is perfect for the many characters she portrays." ( AudioFile)
“As vivid an evocation of England during World War II as anyone has ever written.... You’ll find here a novelist who can plot like Agatha Christie and whose books possess a bounce and stylishness that Preston Sturges might envy.” ( The Washington Post)
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This and the precursor novel blackout is an excellent time travel novel with many twists and turns. It can get a bit confusing at times but perseverance pays off in the end. That the main ?heroes? of the story come from the most unlikely source is an interesting twist and as a reader/listener you really want the time travellers to get back home.

One word of advice however, read/listed to the two books consecutively. The storyline is so intrinsic that to have a significant gap between the first and second instalment might be frustrating as you try to remember who some of the lesser characters are.

Great story

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Would you listen to All Clear again? Why?

This is my second time listening to both Blackout and All Clear. I really like both books because I like the premise and setting. London during the blitz is well portrayed and Connie Willis can really make you feel like you are there with the characters.

My only problem with the book, and probably the reason it took me almost a year to to read it again, was its repetitive nature. The only suspense comes from the characters inner monogamous. They spend so much time beating them self's down and second guessing everything they do it makes it hard to read.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Half the time I'm rooting for them the other half I'm shouting at them. All the main characters repeatedly take an action then spend the next chapter going over all the consequences and over thinking that 'might' happen as a result. Then the next time they are in a similar situation they do it all over again, followed by the same second guessing.

Any additional comments?

All the above said, I will read both books again and recommend them both

A good story, but repeats its self

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I am a fan of history, and Connie does her research very well. It was a bit convoluted at times, and I had to rewind a few times when I was listening, but my attention was not fully on the story, but it was a very good story. I sometimes got a bit irritated by the americanisation of some of words by the narrator (passage being one of them!), but this was a minor irritation.

Loved this 2 book series

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I loved the story, but as others have said, it could have been edited down a bit to avoid repetition and to keep the pace up. There are some wonderful characters in there especially Sir Godfrey and Alf and Binnie. I did feel the main 3 characters were a bit inept - they even make Markham look like a consummate professional (nod to JT) - and I did get a bit confused from time to time as to who was who with Polly/Eileen/Merope/Mary/Douglas/Triumph/Michael/Ernest/Kansas etc. a lot of names for 3 people but maybe that's just me.
Enough has been said about the narrator's accents - Marjorie's was particularly odd at the start of the book - but everyone was right. A British voice actor would have been better. Apparently, not all of the 1940s details were accurate (the Victoria line's existence has been mentioned), but I'm no expert so that didn't bother me too much, but it bothers some.

Long, but worth the effort.

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after listening to Blackout i couldn't wait to listen to All Clear and i wasn't disappeared

wonderful unexpected and thrilling

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