The Great Believers
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The Great Believers
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Narrated by:
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Michael Crouch
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By:
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Rebecca Makkai
About this listen
WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL
FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
WINNER OF THE STONEWALL BOOK AWARD - BARBARA GITTINGS LITERATURE AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES FICTION AWARD
In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup: bringing an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDs epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico's funeral, he finds his partner is infected, and that he might even have the virus himself. The only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister.
Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago epidemic, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways the AIDS crisis affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. Yale and Fiona's stories unfold in incredibly moving and sometimes surprising ways, as both struggle to find goodness in the face of disaster.
©2019 Rebecca Makkai (P)2019 Hachette Audio UKListeners also enjoyed...
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gerard
- 27-05-24
Pretty good
Very polished composition. Some good characters. Mostly well paced narrative drive. Excellent narration. The story covers a period I lived through. I was young when the characters in the story were young but still understand only a little of the world described. I wonder about the authenticity of the voice but out of interest, not from a position of doubt. Well worth a listen. A bit maudlin and wistful at times, especially towards the end … you might want to skip those parts. What seem like flashes of insight are dropped in to the text and left to sink without trace. Overall, I think I preferred ‘I Have Some Questions for You’ (same author). I’ll try other pieces by Rebecca Makkai, I think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tom
- 24-10-21
Immersive
A really great story, with a great narration. I felt like I was in the story and was able to imagine having conversations about the characters. It's fully realised, tragic, but I couldn't stop listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- tracy allen
- 14-06-23
Moving and compelling
The best book I’ve listened to this year. I loved the characters and was completely drawn into the story. I resisted listening to this for ages thinking it would be too sad and it is sad but so beautiful. Highly recommended
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 20-08-23
Incredibly moving
This novel, that kept reality and social history close really consumed me; I was held by the emotion, the relationships and events. It reflected, in the 80’s, a contrasting perspective - the personal realities and for me at the academic end of the Virus; the scientific articles as they appeared. I thought the author RM, crafted the connecting threads well enough.. and found the ending incredibly moving. Confidently recommended !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- c milner
- 04-12-23
Beautiful engaging writing and wonderful narration
I loved it - the story, characters, the dialogue. I found it believable and touching, and brought back that time in the 80s/90s. Narration added to it, I was totally engaged.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Julie Sharp
- 13-12-19
Highly recommended
I loved this book, being born in 86 I didn't know much of the Aids crisis part from little bit. This book brought it to life and the male characters are family. Fiona story I was less interested in however enjoyed the ending.
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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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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Siobhan Tumelty
- 05-05-23
Phenomenal
Completely heartbreaking. Such vivid, realistic characters - the novel's inevitable conclusion left me in tatters.
Themes of love, grief, memory, guilt, obligation; all handled masterfully by Makkai whose commitment to truth and nuance shines through the entire novel.
Such an incredible, important piece of work. Will be recommending widely.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-06-21
Very good
This is not the book I thought I would enjoy but it was on offer and thought to give it a try. Even though the subject matter is quite bleak it is very well written and expertly narrated. I would recommend especially since I have never read anything similar on the subject matter and it kept my interest throughout
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 03-05-23
A great one
Incredible, touching writing full of characters that feel weirdly real. I’m not going to forget this for a long time, would really recommend!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 28-02-21
A pandemic that was easier for many to ignore
After watching “Its a sin” on channel four, i found myself downloading this novel to remember more about this time period and the Hiv / AIDS crisis. Set in the US this novel perhaps did not have the same cultural resonance for me of the UK based Russell T Davies production, but it was still a very powerful portrayal of the devastating consequences a terrible disease can have on an entire community.
Well written characters, engaging, and interesting, whose lives were changed forever by a Hiv and AIDS.
In the face of Covid we have seen Governments pull out all the stops to help develop preventative strategies and vaccinations. It contrasts painfully with the relative lack of ‘official’ response to AIDS and HIV in the early days and the terrible prejudice that surrounded the disease. This is a moving book, one that will stay with you long after the last chapter has finished playing.
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2 people found this helpful