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The Dust That Falls from Dreams

By: Louis de Bernières
Narrated by: Avita Jay, David Sibley
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Summary

In the brief golden years of King Edward VII's reign, Rosie McCosh and her three very different sisters are growing up in an eccentric household in Kent, with their neighbours the Pitt boys on one side and the Pendennis boys on the other. But their days of childhood adventure are shadowed by the approach of war that will engulf them on the cusp of adulthood.

When the boys end up scattered along the Western Front, Rosie faces the challenges of life for those left behind. Confused by her love for two young men - one an infantry soldier and one a flying ace - she has to navigate her way through extraordinary times. Can she and her sisters build new lives out of the opportunities and devastations that follow the Great War?

Louis de Bernières' magnificent and moving novel follows the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters as they strike out to seek what happiness can be built from the ruins of the old world.

©2015 Random House Audiobooks (P)2015 Random House Audiobooks
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What listeners say about The Dust That Falls from Dreams

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Edwardian England painted in a romantic canvas

The first of a planned trilogy of novels, Starts with the death of Queen Victoria and the start of the reign of the King Edward. We meet the characters of this story at a coronation party in the garden of Mr and Mrs Hamilton McCosh of Eltham and their four daughters, Rosie, Christabel, Ottilie and Sophie. The American Pendennis boys, Sidney, Albert and Ashbridge, the Pitts, Daniel and Archie, others will join the story but here is the backbone, we see them grow, love, go to war, suffer and rejoice in life. this is a family saga of epic scale. all the character are likable people that confront life the best they can, there is no twisted evil characters the war and empire produce enough sorrow to compensate in that department.
The stories seem and feel like personal anecdotes of Bernières family, and he has confirmed this. some of the events are described by the author, others through diaries and the characters themselves. This works like a good conversation, we see small details like families worrying about the rain or cold when they know their boys are in trenches, the guilt of not being there with them; of forgetting a prayer.
This is the story of a good family in a terrible period, the plot is the events in their lives and their struggles to live good lives, a simple and beautiful desires that is hard to attain. My only negative is that at times the romantic sweetness is too much :but that probably is because I am a little jaded.

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36 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Is this by the same Louis de Bernières??

Can’t believe this book was written by the same man who wrote Birds Without Wings etc. Story plods along, characters feel very flat (not overly helped by very average narration). Got to half way having persevered and then gave up. Very disappointed as I have devoured all of his previous novels.

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Not as good as birds without wings!

I enjoyed the book but the ending was disappointingly "flat" and veered off unexpectedly. It painted the effects of the horror and futility of war to the average person very well.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Read it!

Absolutely loved this book, I cried and I laughed out loud. Beautiful and believable characters

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Gentle story that was captivating. Well read just at the right place. Characterization excellent, drew the listener into the family.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Immersive family saga

A relatively gentle but long and immersive saga that follows a family from pre-first world war utopia to the war itself and its aftermath. Cynics may find it saccharine in places but I loved it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow!!

What a beautiful and moving story. Fabulous narration - my book of the year - thank you Louis, Anita and David - you should all be incredibly proud!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Just couldn't get into this one...

I just couldn't get into this audio book which was a shame as I have enjoyed the author's other work.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Tedious family saga...

If you loved Captain Corellis Mandolin then don’t bother with this. I found it an absolutely pointless story that just rambled on. It was also repetitive in parts. In all it was a boring waste of time.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Beautifully written book

One of the best books I have read for a long time.Better in my opinion than Birds Without Wings.
It paints a vivid portrait of The life of a family starting in Edwardian times and through and after the Great War with all the very sad and quite happy times.
Anyone who enjoyed this should read the two sequels.

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