Nonesuch cover art

Nonesuch

Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Nonesuch

By: Francis Spufford
Narrated by: Lydia Wilson
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

About this listen

'What a joy! A novel with endless ingenuity and enormous heart.' Kaliane Bradley
'One of the finest prose stylists of his generation.' The Times
'My God can he write.' Richard Osman

It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC's nascent television unit.

What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit - into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.

And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.

©2026 Francis Spufford (P)2026 Faber & Faber
Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Heartfelt England War
All stars
Most relevant
Just great-mysticism, spying, love story, feminine power- all rolled into one. One thing you can expect from Spufford- he never descends into vulgarity. Now, he absolutely must write a follow up, he bloody broke my heart!

broke my heart!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I've been listening to Spufford's books since Cahokia Jazz, which I loved.

He never fails to bring something new with each novel. I find him to be a very good world builder.

Great story and truly excellent narration. The narrator really cared.

Loved the story with great narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The narration is fantastic, hands down excellent.

The story is rich and complex, characterisation is flawless.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I don't usually listen to fantasy novels but this is very grounded in historical reality and it's so compelling and beautifully narrated that it carried me along. A most enjoyable listen. Recommended.

Excellent story, terrific narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Another beautifully written work from Francis Spufford. The storyline, fully rendered characters and evocative historical setting draw you in and don't let go until the tale is over. Definitely one of those stories that you can't wait to keep listening to, but also don't want to end. Thank you Mr. Spufford, an absolute gem.

Fantastic historice fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.