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Three Hours

The Top Ten Sunday Times Bestseller

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Three Hours

By: Rosamund Lupton
Narrated by: Gemma Whelan
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THREE HOURS TO SAVE THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

A TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.

It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods.

It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.

It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.

In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. From the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption.

'A brilliant literary thriller... moving, masterly, flawlessly orchestrated' Sunday Times

'The immediacy of Rosamund Lupton's writing is extraordinary... Gemma Whelan narrates flawlessly. Three Hours is much more than a nail-biting thriller' Christina Hardyment, The Times

'This could so easily be a story which spotlights evil and terror. Instead, it deftly weaves a message of courage, love and redemption, and Whelan's performance is absolutely electrifying.' Stylist

'Three Hours intersperses scenes of breath-sucking tension with stirring meditations on human nature. . . The message Lupton's novel delivers is that only love can save us' Sara Collins, Guardian


© Rosamund Lupton 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Genre Fiction Political Small Town & Rural Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Espionage Exciting Heartfelt Scary

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Critic reviews

Three Hours is Rosamund Lupton's best book yet, and that is high praise. A monster story for our fractious historical moment -- the age of the internet and of Columbine, of terror and mass migration -- when the monsters often look an awful lot like our own children. Chilling, suspenseful, humane, and brave (William Landay)
It's beautifully, elegantly written, SO gripping, intelligent, timely, affecting and moving (Marian Keyes)
There's no one else writing quite like Rosamund Lupton in fiction today - the way she combines high tension with a compassionate and humane take on the world is unique. Three Hours is exceptional - at turns heart-breaking, warm, terrifying, perceptive and grippingly page turning (Kate Hamer)
An incredible, unbelievably powerful book... I forgot how to breathe as it explored what it means to be human - for better or for worse. It's taut, it's tight, it's appalling, it's uplifting, it's extraordinary. Simply stunning (Dinah Jefferies)
This is an incredible novel: a heady combination of elegant writing, nuanced characterisation, deep emotion and heart-stopping tension. I was torn, all the way through, between wanting to slow down in order to relish the detail, and wanting to speed up in order to find out what was going to happen' (Elizabeth Brooks)
I read Three Hours in two days, in awe. It's breathtaking. A modern rumination on the issues that divide 21st century life, a celebration of refugees, of mental health, of love and hope and bravery. I loved it more than I can say' (Gillian McAllister)
Three Hours is about hate crime, but what rings out from its pages - what is likely to stay with you long after you've read that magnificent last line - is love. I wanted to read Three Hours slowly to savour every beautiful word, yet it is so compelling that I couldn't put it down. This one is destined for the best-sellers list, I reckon, and rightly so. It is phenomenal (Fiona Mitchell)
Beautifully written, emotionally note-perfect and nail-bitingly tense. It's BRILLIANT (Tammy Cohen)
I finished Three Hoursin the wee small hours of this morning. It's mind blowing. I'm still feeling jittery. It's so fast-paced and credible that at times I felt like I was watching rolling news coverage of a real incident where I knew the victims. I had that same pulse-racing, queasy feeling - the same inability to look away. It's a horrifying story but told with such compassion and humanity. A large cast of characters and yet you feel genuinely emotionally engaged with each one... Amazing (Francesca Jakobi)
All stars
Most relevant
Not just compelling but beautifully written and narrated. Deals with ‘big’ issues yet has a heart - should not just be a bestseller but win prizes. Recommended without reservation, to people of all political persuasions, and across the spectrum of literary tastes.

Absolutely fantastic

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A thought provoking, powerful message.
As a teacher, it raises a number of questions on protecting students.. Brilliantly written.

Powerful

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I listened to this book in almost one sitting and am now reflecting on the incredible imagination and depth of research required to write something so gripping. Brilliantly written and superbly narrated.
(‘Hope the author is already working on her next book....)

What a superb book!

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So it's July 2020 and we've been in lockdown for a while and I've spent a lot of that time listening to books whilst continuing with work and life and trying to remain sane. In all that time I've not felt compelled to write a review but this was outstanding, both the story and the narration (added bonus that the narration is by the wonderfully talented Gemma Whelan aka Yara Greyjoy).
Do not hesitate, download and emerse yourself. You won't regret.

Compulsive listening and outstanding narration

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I don’t think I’ve ever listened to such a enthralling novel. I love all of Lupton’’s novels, but the pace of this one, the growth of the characters, the subject matter is just astounding.

Utterly captivating

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