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  • The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

  • By: Claire North
  • Narrated by: Peter Kenny
  • Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,476 ratings)
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The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

By: Claire North
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Summary

Harry August is on his deathbed. Again. No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes. Until now. As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside.

'I nearly missed you, Doctor August,' she says. 'I need to send a message.' This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow.

©2014 Claire North (P)2014 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"An astonishing re-invention of the time-travel narrative. Bold, magical and masterful" (M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts)"A thoughtful and considered time-travel novel, shocking twists and, most important of all, a beautiful character. Harry August will break your heart fifteen times" (Jared Shurin, Pornokitsch Blog)
This wonderful novel, narrated by Harry, ranges back and forth in time as he recounts episodes from his various lives, but it's all held together by a compelling mystery involving nothing less than the end of the world itself . . . Beautifully written and structured, the book should be a big hit . . . Fans of SF and fantasy authors China Mieville, Christopher Priest, and Adam Roberts might note a stylistic similarity, especially in the novel's elegant prose. Whoever Claire North turns out to be, he or she has written a remarkable book" (Booklist)
"Gripping" ( Sun)
"A truly extraordinary novel: an impeccable portrait of a friendship tortured by time in which masterful character and fantastic narrative come together to tremendous effect" ( TOR.COM)
"A brave, genre-defying novel, which is mind-blowing in its originality and bold concept . . . Stunning!" ( NOVELICIOUS)
"Part unique and intriguing mystery, part philosophical look at life, memory and time travel this story kept me totally gripped from the opening words to the mind-blowing finale" ( BITE THE BOOK)
" The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is an extraordinary novel, as the publicity has promised" ( The Speculative Scotsman)

What listeners say about The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A good one!

Harry keeps getting a "do-over". And what to do when you are constantly reborn and into the same time period, and the same life?

My initial thoughts were that it was just a better version of Groundhog Day. Next I thought it was possibly a little bit predictable, ie if you get to see the same period of history over and over, should you meddle or not, what if others meddle, etc...? Therefore, not too many new ideas to hook me, but it was pleasant enough listening.

And then in the second half of the book, it all seemed to come together and took off. Absolutely compelling, cleverly done, and well narrated. The central characters are excellent. I can't say anything else without spoiling it, so I'll leave it to the blurb and other reviewers to give more hints.

The narration is good - occasionally the accents weren't brilliant, but it never distracted from the story. The narrator's voice really suited the main character and the consistency of his nature.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Very much worth the credit.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Déjà vu all over again

A well written book, based on an interesting premise: whenever Harry August dies, he is reborn as himself, back in the original year of his birth, to relive his life. Each time, he can live his life slightly differently, but with each rebirth, history is reset (with the exception of his memories). The book builds nicely throughout, with a couple of interesting plot twists, towards a climactic but thought-provoking ending.

This book reminded me a little of the Time Traveller's Wife, although I found the "time travel" aspect of this plot a lot easier to follow!

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and clever.

Being a sucker for time-travel novels I did not hesitate to purchase this book on a whim around 15 seconds after hearing about its existence. I'm happy to report that I'm glad I did so. It's a first-rate story based around a simple yet intriguing premise.

Very well executed, the novel is finely plotted and excellently written. Initially, as in the best novels, things are a bit confusing, but as in the best stories this initial bewilderment is slowly unwound so that by the latter stages of the story all the elements are on hand for the "big finish".

As my usual fare is multi-volumed fantasy novels I found it refreshing to listen to a one-off story; personally I hope there are no sequels.

Peter Kenny, the narrator, does an excellent job, handling many different voices with dexterity and aplomb.

Of course there is also the over-arching mystery behind the mystery - just who is Claire North? A good marketing ploy, I've enjoyed the speculation and hope that the answer will be revealed in my life-time - make that my "current" life-time....

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect Audiobook

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recomend it. The storyline is wonderfully imaginative. The pace carries you along - wanting to engage. The narrator is pitch perfect and adding to the story with his voice-acting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

August - main character - the I of the story

Which character – as performed by Peter Kenny – was your favourite?

as above

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Reboot

Any additional comments?

This is the best science fiction novel I have come accross for a very long time. Highly recommended!

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book is a must read, i'm not sure what drew me to it but so glade. The story is a real change. Very clever.

What did you like best about this story?

The best part is it is so diffrent from other books, the ideas seem new. Normally I have worked out the twistes before they happen but this plot gave me the slip a few times.

What about Peter Kenny’s performance did you like?

Peter Kenny is a great reader. He does not over play the female parts. Each person is clearly differnt, well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did it in 2 sittings just could not turn it off, luckily i do a manual job so i have books on as i work.

Any additional comments?

Even if this is not your normal listern give it a go. i loved it.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb!

I knew 20 minutes in that this was going to be a great listen. I love the idea and the plot, the Narrator got all the characters perfectly. Harry August was a great main character and the way the story is told as if written to you personally is enjoyable, its as if you are being spoken to directly by him at times. The Author could easily come back to this universe and Harry August with another story and I really hope that happens. One of the top listens for me this year, enjoyed it very much and look forward to more from the Author and Narrator. I am not sure how this book is categorised, it has elements of science fiction, technology and time travel but it is easily something that a person who is not a fan of Sci Fi would love to listen to. If you think the description sounds interesting, get this book!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Groundhog Day for grown-ups

First, hats off to whoever put together the image and short description for the book; it managed to intrigue me enough to at least stick on a wishlist and consider, and that turned out to be a great decision.

A difficult book to summarise without spoilers. but the closest parallel is Groundhog Day, spread over a (variable) lifetime rather than 24 hrs.

North's writing and Kenny's performance never leave you in any doubt who's voice is who's, or what's going on, in what could be a complex set of circumstances to relate to the listener.

As well as having elements of a thriller and a good detective story, this is a meditation on ethics, purpose, meaning, moral dilemma, love and loss. That may sound overblown, but it's done with an expert touch, never preaching or overstretching itself.

The problems faced by the protagonist communicating and acting across the decades are neatly described and cleverly resolved - just enough complexity to have me rewinding a couple of times, but never enough to warrant the headache inducing diagrams required to understand the likes of Primer.

Although not lurid, there are a couple of scenes or interrogation and punishment that will stay with me for a long time.

But the abiding sense on finishing it is satisfaction at the way things are resolved (or left dangling) and some regret that the time spent in the company of these characters had come to an and.

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Anything but repetitive

I was surprised that another reader found it a bit repetitive as I didn't. The pace and tension escalated perfectly, leaving me exhausted from lack of sleep. It is an extraordinary book and I can't recommend it enough, Having Peter Kenny reading it was a bonus. The book of the year.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Original and compelling

I bought this book because I wanted something a bit different, and it didn't disappoint. It's an interesting concept, which I won't give away in this review, and the way that concept is used to drive the plot is clever and must have taken a lot of planning. Although the ideas are complicated, I found the plot easy to follow and enjoyed the shifts between times and lives. I found the characters compelling, and some of the ethical issues thought provoking. Overall I thought it was very entertaining, well written and voiced. I'll definitely be listening to more of Claire North's work.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Groundhog Life

What made the experience of listening to The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August the most enjoyable?

Peter Kenny's narration gave the tale an evocative, grounded very English feel- the more grounded the narration, the more you accept the fantastical things that happen.It's told in such a matter of fact way, you buy into the central conceit very early on, and run with it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry himself is fascinating- his many lives, the variations on a theme are beautifully explored. You accept the idea of someone repeatedly passing through the same events, ludicrous though it is, and feel for him.

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Peter Kenny is always a hallmark of quality in audiobooks: his cool, urbane tones can render even a poor book entertaining. I've come to identify him with Iain M. Banks work, and so I entered this book with expectations. Those weren't dashed- this is a fantastic tale.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Harry's discovery of the fate of his wife buts like a knife, even though you and he both know this is transitory, that time will reset, the heartbreak he feels is genuine.

Any additional comments?

Peter Kenny's narration, and Claire North's writing combine seamlessly- the only comparison is Will Patton and James Lee Burke, where you feel it actually couldn't be better done except by the author themselves.

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