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Start giftingThe House of Special Purpose
Narrator
Stefan Rudnicki
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Length
14 hours 44 minutes
Language
English
From the author of The Absolutist comes a propulsive novel of the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs.
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him. As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to Saint Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the tsar, in the early twentieth century—a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.
JOHN BOYNE is the author of ten novels for adults, five novels for younger readers and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was an international bestseller, selling over 7 million copies worldwide. He has won three Irish Book Awards, a Stonewall Honor Award and a Lambda Literary Award. His novels are published in more than 50 languages. The author lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than three thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than three hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.
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Reviews
“Suspenseful and touching…Skillfully evokes the wrenching pain of loss and exile while presenting a tribute to enduring love.”
“Boyne moves us across decades of Georgy’s life through reminiscences ranging from the Bolshevik Revolution to his emigration to England…Boyne re-creates both Georgy’s personal life and the life of pre-Revolutionary Russia with astonishing density and power.”
“Boyne exercises total control over pace and revelation. A work that chimes perfectly with our times.”
“A riveting, bittersweet tale of love, loss, and intrigue…a compelling read.”
“John Boyne’s novel is a tour de force, at once epic and intimate, and above all a marvelous read.”
“John Boyne brings a completely fresh eye to the most important stories…He guides us through the realm of history and makes the journey substantial, poignant, real. He is one of the great craftsmen in contemporary literature.”
“An exciting, fast-paced story…deft plotting and strong dialogue. Absorbing and richly satisfying.”
“No Irish writer since perhaps the late Brian Moore has possessed the same facility for recreating diverse historical places as John Boyne. Boyne is a natural storyteller…This is an intriguing novel, restrained and unafraid of sentiment, imbued with an old-fashioned sense of fidelity.”