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The Go-Between

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About this listen

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there."

Haunting, moving, evocative, The Go-Between is L. P. Hartley's heartbreaking novel about social constraints and childhood innocence.

During the long, hot summer of 1900, young Leo Colston is invited to stay for a month at a lordly, aristocratic manor in Norfolk. There he falls in love with his friend's older sister, who commissions him to ferry secret messages to the local farmer, her lover. His naiveté sustains their affair until ultimately leading to an event that will change their lives irrevocably.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©1953 L.P. Hartley (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking
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The story is utterly gripping from the start. It will haunt ever after. Read beautifully

extraordinary tale

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Beautifully spoken. The book perfectly captures childhood experience and how it shadows adulthood. A nearly perfect book.

innocence lost

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Sean Barret's quiet understated delivery is perfect for the emotionally damaged Leo Colston and the supporting cast of characters

Superb evocative reading

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An enthralling many-faceted story of a young boy caught up in a passionate, clandestine love-affair: the year is 1900. His unsuspecting role as a go-between is vital to the mismatched lovers, who would be social outcasts if discovered. But as he slowly becomes aware of what is really going on and tries to extricate himself, events spin out of control and there is an unexpectedly dramatic outcome for all concerned. The ending is upbeat and well managed.

This book made Hartley famous. Wonderfully well written and constructed, it deserves close listening - each word counts. Feelings and emotions on every level are discussed in such a way that the reader feels them too: this is a sensitive author whose story is compelling, and beautifully read by Sean Barrett in this recording.

The film with Julie Christie playing the lead, is distressingly shallow and unremarkable. The book deserves better: it is monumental.

A book to be enjoyed time and again.

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A beautifully literate novel, beautifully read. Seldom does a narrator capture so perfectly the essence of a genre, a tradition, and an individual writer’s talent. Very moving.

Beautiful novel, beautifully read

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