The House of Special Purpose
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The House of Special Purpose
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Narrated by:
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James Wilby
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By:
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John Boyne
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Russia, 1915: at the age of 16, Georgy Jachmenev steps in front of an assassin's bullet intended for the heart of a senior member of the Russian imperial family. He is instantly proclaimed a hero. Before the week is out, his life as the son of a peasant farmer is changed forever when he is escorted to St Petersburg to take up his new position - as bodyguard to Alexei Romanov, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II.
Sixty-five years later, visiting his wife, Zoya, as she lies dying in a London hospital, memories of the life they have lived together flood his mind. Their marriage, while tender, has been marked by tragedy, the loss of loved ones and experiences of exile that neither can forget.
The House of Special Purpose is a novel about a young man ripped from a loving home and thrust into the heart of a dying empire. Privy to the secrets of Nicholas and Alexandra, the machinations of Rasputin and the events which led to the final collapse of the autocracy, Georgy is a witness and participant in a drama which will echo down the century. His is also a story of a marriage in which a husband finds it impossible to live in the present and a wife unable to reconcile herself with the past.
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, the novel moves from revolutionary St Petersburg to Paris after the First World War, and from London during the Blitz to the eastern coast of Finland during the 1980s, before returning to a quiet hospital bed where Georgy and Zoya's story must finally be resolved.
©2020 John Boyne (P)2020 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The House of Special Purpose
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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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sarah M
- 23-06-24
So interesting.
Another excellent story by John Boyne taking real life events and writing a fictional story around it. I found it so interesting as know little of Russian history and enjoyed it all.
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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
- alice
- 05-06-22
wonderful
I was entranced from beginning to the end. Wonderfully written story, beautifully narrated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ivana Ward
- 01-08-22
The russian taken some getting used to
The accented dialog was somewhat off putting and it took me couple of goes to finish this but it was a great story nonetheless. Having said that, I enjoyed his other books more 🤷🏼♀️
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 05-08-24
Very moving story.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this tale of passion & personal sacrifice. Sometimes a bit long winded but extremely interesting.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Curator
- 24-08-20
Excellent book, disappointing narration
I loved the book but I was surprised that such an established actor did such a poor job of narration. The accents were a bit cringe throughout (omg has he ever been to France?!) but he also failed to pronounce simple things correctly. Holborn? Scion? And surely a Russian would have no problem with Solidarnosc and Lech Walesa. The book deserved better.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-10-20
accent alert
Loved the book. The narrator has a pleasant voice and when he narrates it is awesome. The dialogue however, he does in English with a Russian or French accent, which sucks. The Russian I could get used to, but the French was horrible.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Colin
- 08-05-24
So memorable
This is one of those books that will stay in your memory for a long time. It is so skilfully written, the characters so beautifully drawn. I have finished the book . . . and I miss them.
This is the second book I’ve read by the author (the Heart’s Invisible Furies was the first - a must read). A gifted writer.
There are plenty of reviews criticising the Russian accent - I don’t know why the producers felt it was necessary to do that. After all, if you were reading a hard copy of the book yourself, you wouldn’t feel the need to put the dialogue into an accent. It’s a shame because the narrator is excellent. There was just no need for it.
Nevertheless, I can’t recommend this highly enough.
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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
- Amazon Customer
- 31-07-24
Beautifully crafted and superbly written
Another gem from John Boyne. This historical piece covers a well known part of history but explores it from a new angle. The characters are deftly and believably drawn and the story is carefully developed with many and frequent time changes. The order of the story draws you in slowly until towards the end it becomes clear to the reader what the author is trying to convey. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-07-24
Boyne
Was this my favourite Boyne? No but it’s still a four star I liked the structure, very original to tell a story in reverse and going forward. Through two major events of the main characters life
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 08-12-24
Sweeping Love Story
This is a big book covering seismic events in Russian history with a very moving love story at its heart. I enjoyed it all but struggled with the way the narrator spoke the Russian dialogue which gave me more than a whiff of Meerkat Sergei. I don't mean it completely undermined my pleasure in the book but it was very noticeable. I also bought the hard copy and followed that as well at times which helped. Once again, Boyne succeeds in reimagining an alternate version of history as he did with 'Mutiny on the Bounty' which I loved. Next I'll try 'The Thief of Time'.
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