Start gifting
Libro.fm for Business
Start a membership, get two free audiobooks
Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create account
Shop the sale
In celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks from April 22nd-28th. Don’t miss out—purchases support your local bookstore!
Shop nowThis audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreNarrated by two angels acting as commentators on Francis' life, this novel is a curious blend of fable, religion, and mythology.
Francis Cornish was always good at keeping secrets. From the well-hidden family secret of his childhood to his mysterious encounters with a small-town embalmer, an expert art restorer, a Bavarian countess, and various masters of espionage, the events in Francis' life were not always what they seemed.
In this wonderfully ingenious portrait of an art expert and collector of international renown, Robertson Davies has created a spellbinding tale of artistic triumph and heroic deceit. It is a tale told in stylish, elegant prose and endowed with lavish portions of Davies' wit and wisdom.
Robertson Davies (1913–1995) was an internationally acclaimed author, actor, publisher, and, finally, professor at the University of Toronto. The author of twelve novels and several volumes of essays and plays, he was the first Canadian to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.
Reviews
“A deliciously readable story…An altogether remarkable creation, his most accomplished novel to date.”
“Robertson Davies is the sort of novelist readers can hardly wait to tell their friends about.”
“[An] intelligent and entertaining novel…Davidson employs a rhythmic rising and falling of pitch, which is surprisingly effective in entertaining and relaxing the listener.”
“Extraordinary…A gripping story of artistic triumph and heroic deceit, told with deep insight into the worlds of art and international espionage. This work is tailor-made for the eloquence of narrator Frederick Davidson.”
“Davidson’s carefully modulated, vocalized reading brings to life the gallery of players in Cornish’s world, working together with Davies’s rich prose to peel back layer after layer of deceit."
Expand reviews