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Birdsong

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Birdsong

By: Sebastian Faulks
Narrated by: Harry Lloyd, Pippa Bennett-Warner
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin

This new audio recording marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of Birdsong. This unabridged audio edition is narrated by Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones; Wolf Hall; The Lost King) and Pippa Bennett-Warner (MotherFatherSon; Harlots; Sitting in Limbo).

In the heat of the French summer, young Englishman Stephen Wraysford travels to France and falls in love with his host's wife, Isabelle Azaire. When the world stops, their affair falters, and Stephen signs up. In a maze of tunnels under the trenches, Stephen finds the courage this war demands from the men in his command. And it is here that he will fight for everything he has ever known and loved.

A contemporary classic, Birdsong has moved millions of people all over the world. It is an epic story of passion, survival and redemption from a master storyteller.

©1993 Sebastian Faulks (P)2023 Penguin Audio
20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance War & Military World War I War Military Royalty

Critic reviews

'Magnificent - deeply moving.' Sunday Times

'Engrossing, moving, and unforgettable.' The Times

All stars
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The characterisations and the descriptions of life during the war are quite vivid. Good narration.

powerful storyline

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as usual, much more detailed than the film. very interesting to see how it was in the war years of 1914-18. beautiful story of love and war.

brilliant historical story

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A harrowing, epic, beautiful tale of love, belonging and the travesty of the first world war. Perfect narration from Harry Lloyd, utterly moving but never overdone. An incredible listen.

Modern classic, beautifully read

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This is probably the best Audible download that I have listened too, full stop. Wonderful description of the uncontrollable relationship between Stephen and Isobel followed by the trauma of the life in the trenches which, at times, completely terrifying.
The psychological affect of all this took a terrible toll which the author described at some length.
The film was good, but this book is something else.

Emotions

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Really enjoyed this. The beginning when Stephen is in France goes on a bit but the war part is really good. Very good listen.

The detailed war sections

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