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Glorious Exploits
- Narrated by: Ferdia Lennon
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
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Glorious Exploits
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
It's 412 BC, and Athens' invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, starving, dejected and hanging on by the slimmest of threads.
Lampo and Gelon are local potters, young men with no work and barely two obols to rub together. With not much to fill their time, they take to visiting the nearby quarry, where they discover prisoners who will, in desperation, recite lines from the plays of Euripides in return for scraps of bread and a scattering of olives.
And so an idea is born: the men will put on Medea in the quarry. A proper performance to be sung of down the ages. Because after all, you can hate the Athenians for invading your territory, but still love their poetry.
But as the performance draws near and the audacity of their enterprise dawns on them, it becomes difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. And Lampo, whose ambitions have never stretched beyond having enough coin for the next jug of wine, finds his aspirations elevated, his heart entangled and his courage tested in ways he could never have imagined.
Glorious Exploits is an exhilarating and fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art; and - in the face of the Gods' apparent indifference - of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves.
Critic reviews
'Madly ambitious, cathartic like all great tragedy, but shockingly funny too, Ferdia Lennon's outstandingly original début is just glorious.' (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)
'Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book.' (Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain)
'A very special, very clever, very entertaining novel.' (Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha)
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What listeners say about Glorious Exploits
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- catherine callanan
- 12-05-24
Rich characters, funny, poignant and wonderfully read by author. A must read.
Not at all what I expected. An ancient Greek Tragedy, told in modern language with a Dublin accent. Kept me engaged from beginning to end. A wonderful read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Shedman
- 27-02-24
A stunningly brilliant debut only slightly marred by poor audio quality
This is one of the highest-flying books by a new author I’ve ever read. The genius of combing ancient Syracuse with modern Dublin voices is utterly brilliant and creates multilayered echoes of conquest. colonisation and cruelty. I can’t recommend this author and this book highly enough.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-03-24
Such a good audiobook
This is my kind of book, think of an Irish Hans Solo in ancient Syracuse, relating a tale. The best book I've read in a long time about the horrors of war and slavery, the transformative power of theatre and the importance of friendship. Now I need to find a copy of Euripides' plays.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Helen
- 27-01-24
Outstanding. A beautiful book beautifully read
I can’t remember when I last came across a new book I loved as much as this. Funny, voicey, lyrical, brutal, profoundly affecting, compelling. I’ve cried several times and neglected tasks I was meant to be doing because I didn’t want to stop listening. The prose is gorgeous but also clear, direct, fresh and engaging. Read by the author, who brings to life the characters with great skill. An uncommonly wonderful book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Rebecca Doyle
- 08-02-24
A unique take on the historical fiction genre
I loved this book. Very different to anything I've read in recent years....the dark humour...the unique spin on having the main characters speak in a Dublin dialect, the beauty of the writing...a true gem.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K. Clarkin
- 21-01-24
As moving as it is entertaining
One of the most unique books I have ever read (well listened to). While set in Ancient Syracuse, this tale has modern Dublin at its heart. A must read/listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Aurora Aleson
- 17-02-24
Original
I loved this book, like a Greek tragedy, funny but intense. No suner one in laughing when a very intense episode occours. One will be move by the story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- James O' Sullivan
- 19-01-24
Great read!
Fantastic story and nice mix of classical subject material mixed with modern dublin dialect. Recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rosie123
- 29-01-24
A joy
This is entrancing and a sheer delight from start to finish. I loved the portrayal of Lampo as a chancer but with fierce loyalty, determination and a true heart. The Irish accent was perfect to show that he was an 'ordinary bloke' whereas the 'aristos' all had 'posh' speech.
The next thing I liked was the brilliant prose, sometimes lyrical, befitting the telling of a brand new Greek myth, at other times straightforward storytelling in familiar language.
I also very much liked that I learned a lot about Eurypedes' stories and absolutely loved the way in which the story of the events in the quarry linked up with the old, famous tales.
I highly recommend the audiobook.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- RONAN O'CALLAGHAN
- 16-02-24
Original and gripping
I hope nobody tries to borrow Ferdia Lennon's brilliant idea of telling an adventure story set in ancient times through the medium of modern Dublin vernacular. It works brilliantly in Glorious Exploits but it lends this entertaining novel such a distinctive character it has to be a one off.
I could quibble about a few things, particularly the final chapter (unnecessary I reckon) but the main point is that this is a terrific story with tremendous tension, often makes you smile, has great dollops of pathos, a love story, a great escape, is grim and bloody when it needs to be and if Disney made it they'd definitely rewrite the ending.
Meanwhile the beating heart of Glorious Exploits is a conviction of the power of language to uplift and transform, particularly through the medium of theatre.
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