This Strange Eventful History
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This Strange Eventful History
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Narrated by:
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Cassandra Campbell
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By:
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Claire Messud
About this listen
'[A] wise and insightful novel about identity and family' The Times, Book of the Day
'An epic family odyssey... Ambitious and compelling' Guardian, Book of the Day
'A rich, sprawling saga... This Strange Eventful History may be Messud's finest book' Sunday Telegraph
June 1940. As Paris falls to the Germans, Gaston Cassar - honorable servant of France, devoted husband and father, currently posted as naval attache in Salonica - bids farewell to his beloved wife, aunt and children, placing his faith in God that they will be reunited after the war. But escaping the violence of that cataclysm is not the same as emerging unscathed. The family will never again be whole.
A work of breathtaking historical sweep and vivid psychological intimacy, This Strange Eventful History charts the Cassars' unfolding story as its members move between Salonica and Algeria, the US, Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Australia and France - their itinerary shaped as much by a search for an elusive wholeness, as by the imperatives of politics, faith, family, industry and desire.©2024 Claire Messud (P)2024 Hachette Audio UK
Critic reviews
'A choral mural of sweep and scope that knows just when to render the historical personal, Claire Messud's epic is above all a wise, wary, yet love-struck chronicle of how the selves we strive to make become "colonized" by family.' (Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winner of THE NETANYAHU’S)
'This Strange Eventful History is an astonishment - rich and luminous, dense with life, wide with wisdom. Messud's view of the Cassar family - and we suspect as we read it, her own - is as emotionally precise and imaginatively capacious as her rendering of the history that shapes their fortunes. Rarely has the private magic of familial love been so fully realized in a public act of literature. Just exquisite.' (Ayad Akhtar)
'One of those rare novels which a reader doesn't merely read but lives through with the characters . . . Claire Messud is a magnificent storyteller.' (Yiyun Li)
What listeners say about This Strange Eventful History
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Derry girl
- 17-09-24
A beautiful family saga
I loved this story which became more and more engrossing as the chapters evolved. Yes the narrator has a sickly tone of voice, but her switch to a French accent was excellent and probably why she was chosen to narrate, I don’t want to give any spoilers but the last section is simply divine and Messud’s portrayal of the aging Barbara is a masterstroke. She also weaves deftly in dnd out of time periods. I will buy the book now and reread
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 18-08-24
Families love life and death
I had read a negative review of the narrator which put me off initially but I’m so glad I ignored it. I’d also read poor reviews of the book. Again I’m glad I ignored them. I loved both, there is so much to enjoy and it’s immersive and emotional. I advise doing book and audible in tandem to really appreciate it. Hope it’s short listed for the Booker but probably too accessible
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Marc
- 13-09-24
A Sweeping Family Saga
I found this story to be very gentle subtle and seductive, that gradually drew me in to the twists and turns of the family's experiences.
At some point, I cannot say when I was involved in the story, experiencing the different feelings of the events.
The book left me in a deeply reflective space, thinking of my own life and lifespan, seeing it as a part of life as a whole.
I found that the narrator's voice reflected the gentle tone of the book.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- egg
- 19-06-24
Awful reading
I haven’t listened past the first chapter so can’t comment on the story. The reading, however, is truly awful. Each protagonist is given a laughable French accent while speaking in English. It’s like an episode of ‘Allo, Allo’ in the Eighties….
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