This Other Eden
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This Other Eden
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Narrated by:
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Edoardo Ballerini
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By:
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Paul Harding
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE
Set at the beginning of the twentieth century and inspired by historical events, This Other Eden tells the story of Apple Island: an enclave off the coast of the United States where waves of castaways - in flight from society and its judgment - have landed and built a home.
Benjamin Honey- American, Bantu, Igbo- born enslaved- freed or fled at fifteen- aspiring orchardist, arrived on the island with his Irish wife, Patience, and discovered they could make a life together there. More than a century later, the Honeys' descendants remain, with an eccentric, diverse band of neighbours. Then comes the intrusion of 'civilization': officials determine to 'cleanse' the island, and a missionary schoolteacher selects one light-skinned boy to save. The rest will succumb to the authorities' institutions or cast themselves on the waters in a new Noah's Ark.
Full of lyricism and power, Paul Harding's This Other Eden explores the hopes and dreams and resilience of those seen not to fit a world brutally intolerant of difference.
©2023 Paul Harding (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'Masterful . . . [This Other Eden] has much to say to our times.' Guardian
'A testament of love . . . so real it could make you weep.' Danez Smith, New York Times
'A luminous, thought-provoking novel.' Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black
What listeners say about This Other Eden
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard Butlin
- 06-06-24
Incredible
Wow what an incredible novel, one of the best I’ve read so far this year
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-02-24
A masterpiece
This is. without doubt, one of the most beautiful books I have ever experienced. the writing is true and subtle; whimsical yet steady and weighted. there is a magic to it that does not let you go... you cannot help but live with the story the whole time it is in your life. It will not leave you. Well worthy of it's Booker Prize short list nomination. having recently read Phrophet Song (another wonderful read), my opinion is that this story would also have been worty winner of the prize.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Holly
- 29-06-24
Thought provoking read
A thought provoking book about seeing the value of different ways of life and different people's and what happens when we fail.
There are some alarmingly long sentences which took a while to adjust to, and because the performance jumps from story to historical record in the same voice I found it a little disjointed, but overall a rewarding book. The story is peopled with some unusual islanders, who have evolved to survive in their particular circumstances, a salt of the earth fringe who are ill equipped to deal with the actions of pompous self serving and ignorant scoundrels who deny their rights.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tine
- 03-09-23
So beautiful and haunting
An extremely poignant story, made even more hard to grasp as it is based (loosely) on real events.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pudsey Recommends
- 03-11-23
Remarkable writing feat
Paul Harding poetic prose and grim narrative of the residents of Malaga Island is uplifted by the flawless narration of Edoardo Ballerini.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- eGJ
- 26-08-23
Powerful, disturbing novel
This novel of the displacement of an island community on an isolated isle off Maine is both disturbing and absorbing. Some of the descriptions are so beautiful you will want to go back and hear them again.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B Pathmapit
- 02-11-23
Lyrical, spellbinding and disconsolate tale of historical fiction
This book was so beautiful, not only did I listen to it, I wanted to read and savour each word. This book will join my list of beloved stories. Bravo Mr Harding; a feat like no other.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Old
- 13-06-24
A Story of Hope and Social Bigotry in early 20th century America
I enjoyed this book, which is based on true events. It is beautifully written with lovely descriptive writing about an interesting group of people who formed a small society based on tolerance. How the ‘authorities’ eventually reacted to this is a tale for our times from which we should have learned much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. Ryan
- 18-10-23
When life’s mundane strangeness becomes lyrical
This book is about an other Eden, presenting a hauntingly beautiful experience of why it was an Eden to the inhabitants who to many of us would be the disposed. That the island and its people are so lovingly but realistically presented, is amazing. We can practically touch everything. In contrast the history is dry and disturbing as I am sure the aftermath was.
We have need of this vision of Eden today to preserve it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- BridgetFM
- 18-10-23
One island like no other
This beautifully written and narrated novel is graphic and disturbing and unconscious up so many images of a historic and tragic Island story off the coast of Maine. I thoroughly recommend it.
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1 person found this helpful