The Song Before It Is Sung cover art

The Song Before It Is Sung

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About this listen

On 20 July 1944, Adolf Hitler narrowly escaped an assassin's bomb. Axel von Gottberg and his conspirators were hunted down and hanged from meat hooks, and the executions were filmed. Sixty years later Conrad Senior is left a legacy of papers by von Gottberg's close friend, the legendary Oxford professor Elya Mendel, and becomes obsessed with what they reveal and finding the brutal film.

Award-winning writer Justin Cartwright has conjured a masterwork that addresses the nature of friendship and what it means to be human, and it is a remarkable tapestry of passion, ideas, frailty and courage.

©2007 Justin Cartwright (P)2016 Audible, Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

"Cartwright sets up plenty of competing ideologies in an intelligent but accessible novel that ultimately questions what lessons we can truly hope to learn from the ever mutable narratives of history." (Metro)
"Cartwright's song does truly soar." (Independent)
"Justin Cartwright's new novel is a richly detailed evocation of one of the darkest periods of history, and an eloquent exploration of human fallibility and guilt." (The Times)
"A harrowing read about Hitler and execution, from one of our finest novelists." (Independent)
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Most relevant
The stories are so enhanced by the reading that I search for books read by Steven Pacey. I was not disappointed. The semi historical also satisfied me. All in all a superb book.

I always love any story read by Steven pacey

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A masterful example of the art of novel writing, perfectly read. Based on historical events interpreted by an author who's apparently effortless prose belies his profound skills, this is a superbly paced,thoroughly well crafted work. Highly recommended.

Stunning

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