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The Shell Collector

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About this listen

The showstopping debut from the author of the #1 Sunday Times bestseller ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

A blind man spends his days roaming the beaches of Kenya collecting shells, classifying them by feeling their whorls, spines and folds in his fingers. A young woman discovers that she can explore the inner world of an animal’s mind by touching its freshly dead body. A refugee from Liberia, who cannot escape the horrors that he has witnessed, finds salvation in the clandesitne act of burying the hearts of beached whales.

In The Shell Collector Antony Doerr illuminates both the riotous dangers of the natural world and the rocky terrain of the human heart.

©2002 Anthony Doerr (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers 20th Century Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Short Stories Africa Heartfelt

Critic reviews

‘Extraordinary’ Guardian

‘Exquisite’ The Times

‘A show-stopping debut, as close to faultless as any writer could wish for’ L A Times

‘I can think of very few authors who can put together a sentence with such ecstasy, whose words sing with music and such sheer rapture at what they embody’ The Times

‘Doerr’s prose dazzles from the very beginning’ New York Times

‘Unforgettable – not so much a book of short stories as a book of short myths’ Elizabeth Gilbert (author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE)
All stars
Most relevant
This is such a beautiful collection of short stories, with a hint of magic realism. Some of the descriptions are breathtaking. ‘The Hunter’s Wife’ and ‘Mkondo’ affected me the most, but I loved all the stories. The performance was excellent, giving enough time to appreciate and savour Anthony Doerr delectable writing.

Beautiful

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Absolutely beautiful stories that can't help but stay lodged in your mind, and the narration is wonderfully natural and compelling.

Memorable and beautiful stories

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