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Charlotte Gray

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Charlotte Gray

By: Sebastian Faulks
Narrated by: Jamie Glover
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About this listen

In 1942, Charlotte Gray, a young Scottish woman, goes to Occupied France on a dual mission: to run an apparently simple errand for a British special operations group and to search for her lover, an English airman who has gone missing in action. In the small town of Lavaurette, Sebastian Faulks presents a microcosm of France and its agony in 'the black years'. Here is the full range of collaboration, from the tacit to the enthusiastic, as well as examples of extraordinary courage and altruism. Through the local resistance chief Julien, Charlotte meets his father, a Jewish painter whose inspiration has failed him. In a series of shocking narrative climaxes in which the full extent of French collusion in the Nazi holocaust is delineated, Faulks brings the story to a resolution of redemptive love. In the delicacy of its writing, the intimacy of its characterisation and its powerful narrative scenes of harrowing public events, Charlotte Gray is a worthy successor to Birdsong.

©1998 Sebastian Faulks (P)2011 Random House Audio Go 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Military Romance War & Military War Highlander

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All stars
Most relevant  
Great listen.
This is just as good as Birdsong.
Sebastian Faulks is a brilliant author.
I look forward to listening to more of his books.

Great book

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So I read Charlotte Grey after reading Birdsong also by Sebastian Faulks. Because I enjoyed Birdsong so much I some how didn't expect to enjoy this story as much. How wrong I was, I absolutely loved it! and have since watched the movie with Cate Blanchett, also good! I knew nothing about the French Resistance and I have learnt so much from reading this novel. It has been excellently written and excellently well researched. The bravery of those people during World War II they risked their lives, I can only try to imagine what they endured. I didn't know anything about the Vichy Government and how France was pushed around so much by the Germans and the people lived in fear of their lives. It was a piece of history I didn't know much about, and it has sparked my interest to learn more. I have also watched the movie about Marcel Marceau called Resistance, also excellent! Jamie Glover was also excellent at reading this novel. I highly recommend Charlotte Grey, and Sebastian Faulks has become one of my favourite authors, he's such a good story teller!

I Loved This Novel So Much, And Learned So Much!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, I had forgotten what a good story this was having read it when it was first published.

What other book might you compare Charlotte Gray to, and why?

Red Joan - war time story about people lives and the sacrifices they made.

Have you listened to any of Jamie Glover’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not sure - probably. He was excellent.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really.

absorbing story and perfomances

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The novel meanders as a result of a rambling plot and an irritating lead character who wanders at will across France during her SOE mission, seemingly doing nothing other than putting others at risk. There is excellent content regarding the second world war collaboration of the Vichy government, and these sections alone make the book worthwhile (hence 3 stars overall). However, the juxtaposition of fiction and non-fiction sit uncomfortably.

I am not sure I would have persevered with reading this book because, truly, some of it is embarrassingly weak. It really would have benefitted from some severe editing.

The performance was good enough, but the repeated incorrect pronunciation of the word 'grimace' was a spoiler.

Varied reading experience

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A very long novel brilliantly narrated. Story line hard to follow. Not as good as birdsong. I may give his other French trilogy novel a go as I have that one as well.

Disappointed

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This is a novel that I found, at times, almost too poignant to bear. SF has superbly researched the period when ordinary people did extraordinary things, both good and evil. This literary work serves as a fitting reminder of those astounding people who stepped forward (and still do so today) to defend and protect us from the evils brought by war and the damage those people bear on our behalf. Superlative writing.

Intensity

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Brilliant narration. If he hasn't received an award for this already he deserves to be given one.
Story I thought was overly wordy in places, but it harrowingly made apparent, why the war had to be fought.

Michael

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Narating was brilliant using multiple accents and voice tones. This combined with the descriptive writing served to paint and extremely vivid picture at all times. A fascinating story placed in a thoroughly researched background.

Gripping and fascinating throughout.

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I was blown away by this book, slow to start, it became totally addictive and I was engrossed. Truely believable characters in a highly detailed and well researched world. I cannot recommend it enough.

Stunning

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I watched the film Charlotte Gray a few weeks ago and greatly enjoyed it but although there was a good plot I felt something was missing .
I have read and listened this few books by Sebastian Faulks so knew there was so much more hidden in the pages.
I was right, the film although good was not a pimple on the face of this book.
The writing was beautiful every word picked perfectly to describe the scene.
What I love about Faulks writing is when he describes a tender moment or a sex scene there is nothing smutty or rude just exquisite prose.
The narrator Jamie Glover was perfect, his voice fur Charlotte with a soft Scottish burr was just right. I can’t imagine a woman narrating this now, although it is a book about a woman..
If you have read or listened to Birdsong then you will love this.
Highly recommend this wonderful piece of work.

Faultless five star Faulks

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