The Thief of Time cover art

The Thief of Time

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 Thief of Time

By: John Boyne
Narrated by: George Blagden
Try for £0.00

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

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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

Brought to you by Penguin.

Matthieu Zela has lived his life well. In fact, he's lived several lives well. Because Matthew Zela's life is characterised by one amazing fact: his body stopped ageing before the end of the 18th century.

Starting in 1758, a young Matthieu flees Paris after witnessing his mother's brutal murder. His only companions are his younger brother, Tomas, and one true love, Dominique Sauvet. The story of his life takes us from the French Revolution to 1920s Hollywood, from the Great Exhibition to the Wall Street Crash - and by the end of the 20th century, Matthieu has been an engineer, a rogue, a movie mogul, a soldier, a financier, a lover to many, a cable TV executive and much more besides.

Brilliantly weaving history and personal experience, this is a dazzling story of love, murder, missed chances, treachery - and redemption.

©2011 John Boyne (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Emotionally Gripping French Revolution
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Echo Chamber cover art
Last Port of Call cover art
Hugo Duchamp Investigates cover art
The Temptation to Be Happy cover art
From the Outside cover art
The Scribe cover art
Innate Magic cover art
All the Fun of the Fair cover art
Dance While You Can cover art
What Once Was True cover art
The Place We Call Home cover art
Chasing Dreams cover art
The Spanish Promise cover art
Salem Street cover art
The Stolen Letter cover art

What listeners say about The Thief of Time

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    40
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3

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

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

Doesn’t really grip you

I really wanted to enjoy this. A 256 year old lead taking us through his remarkable life but it fell flat. George Blagdon is an amazing actor and narrator but this rendition was not his best. I’m not sure if it was the material he had to work with, especially the flat and uninteresting female characters, or if he simply can’t do female voices well but I found it tedious. The story could have been great but it skipped all over without really finishing any particular episode satisfactorily and there were glaring historical inaccuracies especially concerning dress or speech which jarred with me.

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

excellent

written beautifully. read expertly. I would definitely recommend a read. really enjoyed this one

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

Excellent story great narration

I never cease to be surprised by the diversity of subject matter in the books of this author and so enjoy his wonderful way of delivering a story. Perfect choice of narrator.

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

Another great book

Great book. really enjoyed it. Love how each one of John Boynes books captures historic elements with fiction so well!!

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
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

The Ending

Enjoyed Last few chapters most. Could not get invested in characters beyond Matthieu & Dominique & frequently lost interest in the more peripheral characters during different eras

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

Different but brilliant!

I love John Boyne. His stories and characters draw you in. I hadn’t heard of this one before and Winfred if there was a reason for this. Seemingly not! Another beautifully crafted narrative spanning three centuries in a most original way. The narration is excellent and the story compelling. A must for all John Boyne fans.

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

Excellent

I’ve no idea if this historical fiction as billed or sci do/fantasy but I don’t suppose it matters in the least. The un-aging immortality of Matthieu sounds ideal and in many ways is but what impact does it have on those around him. Witty, clever and thoroughly enjoyable. I’m off to see why an 18th century character calls Matthieu Grasshopper though!

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

Unusual read with surprising events.

I enjoyed this book very much. John Boyne draws you in to the characters. A great story over centuries giving a history lesson in its wake. Brilliantly narrated

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

A wonderful journey

I loved this. It was like going on a long, enthralling train journey - meeting interesting characters, seeing fascinating places. Handled by many authors, this just wouldn’t work, but Boyne does it with such skill, you just can’t help but go for the ride.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Great Story

Another Great storytelling by Boyle, but the narrating could be better. The dialogues were well performed, but the narrating parts were read in rather monotous tone. Still well worth a listen.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!