The Memory of Love cover art

The Memory of Love

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Memory of Love

By: Aminatta Forna
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £23.99

Buy Now for £23.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

A poignant story about friendship, betrayal, obsession and second chances – this novel is an immensely powerful portrayal of human resilience.

Sierra Leone: civil war has left an entire population with terrible secrets to keep. In the capital's hospital Kai, a gifted young surgeon, is plagued by demons. Elsewhere in the hospital lies Elias Cole, a university professor who recalls the love that drove him to acts that are far from heroic. As past and present intersect, Kai and Elias are drawn unwittingly closer and into the path of one woman at the centre of their stories.

©2010 Aminatta Forna (P)2011 W F Howes Ltd
Contemporary Fiction Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Inspiring Scary Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Memory of Love

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    162
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    171
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    133
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful book

Like the others I’ve read by this author, this book was beautifully written. Really enjoyed the story which was sad and beautiful in equal measure.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very well-written

Story about love, war and it's effect on the population. Beautifully written with vivid imagery and characters with depth.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written

I couldn't help but re-live this story through ever sentence read. Narrator did this book justice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Truly Wonderful Book

I never know how to review a book ....... however, I can tell you this is a great book! The narration is superb and gives life to the individual characters. My heart breaks for Kai. A young doctor who seem to happily breeze through life ... but his heart overflows for a girl and he has no way back to her. Adrian who comes to Sierra Leone and who falls in love with Mamma K and brings with that a whole host of problems back in England ...... Elias Cole .... a very lonely and very sick old man. These characters will be with me for some time to come and this book ...... I shall listen to again some time in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Depressing

Sad and depressing book. Wish I hadn't listened to it. Good narrator but a tragic story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thought provoking, interesting & wonderfully read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Harrowing, moving, beautifully written. The narrator makes the experience even more enjoyable. It is hard to believe that all those voices came from one man! i found the voices matched the characters personality. The strength of individuals following personal and national trauma shines through. It was interesting to think about the personal motives of those going to help in countries recovering from war.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written and narrated

I loved this book. It is so beautifully written. The imagery and story is exquisite. The plot is interwoven in a way that holds your interest and suspense. If other books by this author are half as good I can’t wait to read/listen to them

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Extraordinary, harrowing, beautiful

A long, often heartbreaking and sometimes tough read, Aminatta Forna delivers an exceptional saga of war, a tale of love in a time of war, examining the consequences of corruption, betrayal and trauma in a country devastated by conflict. There are many layers to this book, but the carefully drawn characters, drawn from two generations: pre- and post-conflict, will captivate and haunt the reader and Leave him or her reeling by the end. A fine read, especially for anyone interested in the 20th history of Sierra Leone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A sad and beautiful tale

I have listened to this book during my lockdown walks and have thoroughly enjoyed being able to escape to a different place and meet these amazing characters. The characters are complex and all understandable in their own way, the descriptions are vivid and, although the story is sad and sometimes horrific, it is still uplifting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

its ok

struggle to finnish and very predictable well read by the narrator. so overall 3 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!