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My Father's House

The unputdownable #1 Irish bestselling historical thriller

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My Father's House

By: Joseph O'Connor
Narrated by: Barry Barnes, Stephen Hogan, Barnaby Edwards, Laurence Bouvard, Aoife Duffin, Gertrude Thoma, David John, Roberto Davide, Thomas Hill
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Brought to you by Penguin.

September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war's outcome is far from certain.

An Irish priest, Hugh O'Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world's smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. Here Hugh brings together an unlikely band of friends to hide the vulnerable under the noses of the enemy.
But Hauptmann's net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmastime, it's too late to turn back.

Based on an extraordinary true story, My Father's House is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O'Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.

© Joseph O'Connor 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

 20th Century Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Jewish Suspense Thriller & Suspense World Literature Fiction Heartfelt War Rome
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Critic reviews

A spectacular, thrilling novel...suspense crackles...celebrates triumphant against-the-odds camaraderie.
O'Connor is on stellar form with this ensemble thriller ...while the story's inbuilt tension urges you on, it's the sheer vigour of O'Connor's beautifully turned phrases that really makes the book sing...an expert storyteller
A literary thriller of the highest order. The incarnation of O'Flaherty, the Irish Oskar Schindler, is sublime. What often elevates a writer is compassion, and O'Connor has it in spades... Beautifully crafted, his razor-sharp dialogue is to be savoured, and he employs dark humour to great effect. The plot twists keep on coming
Breathtakingly good writing - O'Connor puts you right there, centre stage in the story and never lets you go (Peter James)
The novel's evocative scene-setting, its propulsive narration and its powerful depiction of bravery and unity in extremis, all make for an engrossing read.
Thrilling... Based on true events, this tense, gripping narrative is rendered in beautifully evocative prose
Impressive and pleasurable...the diverse ventriloquism of O'Connor's novel evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality
A tale worth re-telling, adorned as it is by the brilliants of O'Connor's impressionistic writing (Best New Thrillers)
A powerful portrait of extraordinary courage
Precisely choreographed... We eagerly follow the characters through uncertainty and disappointment as well as high-stakes jeopardy. O'Connor is playing with the possibilities of multiple narrators, and thinking also about plurality, reliability and the historical record
All stars
Most relevant
Loved that the audible version included different voices for the different characters! Beautiful. I was there in Rome and The Vatican. Descriptions, sayings, turns of phrase - wonderful.
Will definitely recommend it.

Wonderful story

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What an amazing story of genuine bravery and human kindness in the face of evil.

Lest we forget

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A well written , well crafted and well spoken novel. Loved the final reflections and the the observation that once we draw closer to the light we no longer fear the dark.

Well written , well crafted and well spoken

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I have just finished this well researched beautiful book. And I’m going to start again! Completely absorbing, disturbing and sometimes delightful and amusing. I never knew about this great man and his choir before. So grateful I do now.
However, could someone explain why Kappler's name was changed to Hauptmann.

What a fascinating book

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My favourite book in a very long time. I was familiar with the story of Hugh O'Flaherty but this book told it so beautifully, I was moved to tears while driving to work. I cannot recommend it enough. Joseph is a marvelous storyteller

Brilliant

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