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Perfectly Ordinary People

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Perfectly Ordinary People

By: Nick Alexander
Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells, David de Vries, Helen Lloyd, Elizabeth Knowelden
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About this listen

In occupied France, two people sacrificed everything. Now their granddaughter has come looking for the truth…

Ruth’s childhood was a happy one, and her family—on her mother’s side—large and loving. But her father’s French origins have always remained a mystery. Now, with aged relatives beginning to die, Ruth decides to research her father’s family before it’s too late.

When she discovers a series of long-lost cassettes, everything she thought she knew about them shatters. The tapes expose an unimaginable truth–an epic wartime story of hidden love and sacrifice, stretching back to occupied France.

These long-buried confessions will rock Ruth’s family—and finally piece together the puzzle of her father’s heritage. But are any of them ready for the truth?

©2022 Nick Alexander (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. 20th Century Historical Fiction Fiction France Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking

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All stars
Most relevant  
I love Nick Alexander's work, but words fail me at just how wonderful I found this book to be. An epic tail about how blood is not necessarily thicker than water.

Memorable

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This is a wonderful book about two halves colliding. The history is shameful and the complexities of family life . The narration was superb I could see each character and they were so real …A treat of a book

What happened in occupied countries in the Second World War..What a tale .. surprises at every corner

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I don’t usually go into words but I am making an exception here. This is quite simply a wonderful story. Funny and light and uplifting, but incredibly moving too. I know this is fiction but the war time accounts of the characters’ experiences is based on fact and therefore all the more shocking. Well done Nick Alexander 👍

Wonderful…!

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The heading says it all. The characters and plot are all believable. This is a view of the 40s, 50s and 60s that I had not appreciated before.

Brilliant - from beginning to end.

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Really interesting to hear a different angle on the atrocities of WW2 but also how prejudices ran deep with many people not just the Nazis. I enjoyed how the book was written, spanning the generations and showing how scars from the past continue into the future. It was rather emotional in places but overall I was left feeling happy!

Insightful and engaging

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I was gripped very early on with this book. I usually listen as I’m driving, but ended up binge listening at home.

It’s heartbreaking in parts, reminding us just how cruel the world can be. I felt like I really knew the characters and would have loved for the ones no longer here to know their loved ones were happy.

A wonderful story, spanning three generations

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This surprised me in many ways, and words can't really sum up how much of a heartfelt and deep story this is. all I can say is give it a chance.

An exceptional story

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This story has some necessarily horrific content, but I really liked the main characters. It was fairly easy to guess who they were and that they would make it through eventually, but the interlinked narratives of Genny, Pierre and Guillaume on the one hand and Ruth and her contemporary family on the other kept the interest going. Beautiful, compassionate writing, which deals with an aspect of the Second World War and its times not often thought about.
The French-accented narration of Genny’s story and Marie, her interviewer, was impeccable. I found the voices used for the modern day family, especially Ruth and her father, to be a bit overly brash - almost comedic, and could have been toned down a little. But that didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of this book.

A different aspect of WW2

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Wow, this is a tale that grabs you by the hair and pulls you to the ground! I don't want to spoil this story for anyone so I am going to try and explain without giving anything away. Initially, when you start listening it sounds like an rather ordinary story about a family set in London....then it takes you on an unexpected journey back in time to the war. I'm not doing it justice but I can tell you that it is moving, harrowing, nerve-jangling and euphoric at times. I cried several times and found I wanted to listen at any opportunity. The cast and narration was beautiful, and really transported you to another time.

You have to listen to this book, it is truly inspiring.

If there is just one book you read this year...

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what a story, one of the best books this year, cried more than once, takes you through quite a journey both now and in WW2

brilliant

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