Common Ground cover art

Common Ground

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Common Ground

By: Naomi Ishiguro
Narrated by: Chris Harper
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

An Evening Standard Must Read for 2021.

From the acclaimed author of Escape Routes, a bittersweet story of coming-of-age in a divided world, in the tradition of Tin Man or Black Swan Green.

It's a lonely life for Stan, at a new school that feels more ordeal than fresh start, and at home where he and his mother struggle to break the silence after his father's death. When he encounters fearless, clever Charlie on the local common, all of that begins to change. Charlie's curiosity is infectious, and it is Charlie who teaches Stan, for the first time, to stand on his own two feet. But will their unit of two be strong enough to endure in a world that offers these boys such different prospects?

The pair part ways, until their paths cross once again, as adults in London. Now Stan is revelling in all that the city has to offer, while Charlie seems to have hit a brick wall. He needs Stan's help, and above all his friendship, but is Stan really there for the man who once showed him the meaning of loyalty?

©2021 Naomi Ishiguro (P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd Coming of Age Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Kill All Enemies cover art
Full Whack cover art
King of the Ants cover art
The Spirit Engineer cover art
Lowbridge cover art
Last Orders cover art
Her Last Secret cover art
Pressure Head cover art
Against the Stars cover art
Things Can Only Get Better cover art
The Man on the Street cover art
Face Blind cover art
The Fenian (The Shelter Gang Book 1) cover art
Betrayed cover art
The Road to Zoe cover art
The Spring of Second Chances cover art

Critic reviews

"A wonderful book, both tender and wise." (Okechukwu Nzelu)

"Immersive and timely...you will root for Charlie and Stan from the first page." (Deepa Anappara)
All stars
Most relevant
Heard Naomi talking about this on Radio 4 book club and was hooked from the word go. Enjoyed it immensely. Great theme and beautifully written.

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A thoroughly engaging heartwarming story narrated perfectly by Chris Harper. Naomi Ishiguro’s debut novel….I look forward to the next one. Recommended!

It’s All About Friendship!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is such a fabulous story about friendship. It highlights buy gently the prejudices in our society. However it isn't a lecture about discrimination, it is a glorious exploration of two peoples lives and the difficulties they face.

Fabulous story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I meant to buy a book by a different Ishiguro. After listening for about 10 minutes I thought to myself that the use of language was very different from what I was expecting and checked to see if I bought the wrong book.. It was then that I noticed the different first names. There is something about the other Ishiguru’s use of language that takes me breath away and I was a wee bit disappointed when I saw my mistake. But then I thought, the story already grabbed me so I will keep listening despite the language not being as finely textured….and am I ever glad I did. This is exquisite storytelling and the author displays amazing observational skills when writing about the human condition. The themes of classism, racism, family, friendships, love, postmodern life are so richly embedded and never in a preachy way - nor romanticised . And yet, with all the sadness, pain, struggle, and ugliness in the world - there is still goodness and hope. I was really moved by the story.
I am glad I made the ‘mistake’ of buying this book. No one can write like the other Ishiguro, and I am glad. THIS Ishiguro has a unique and powerful voice and I am so glad it’s different! Now if only the other mistakes I make in my life turned out to be positive experiences! LOL

Bought by mistake-but so glad I did

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is one of the best Audible books I’ve listened to so far loved the storyline something quite different and the narrator was brilliant

Beautifully written and narrated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews