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Lessons
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Simon McBurney
- Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins
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Publisher's Summary
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VOGUE • THE NEW YORKER • THE GUARDIAN • VOX • THE WASHINGTON POST • BOOKPAGE
Both epic and intimate, the story of one man's life across generations and historical upheavals. From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic—from #1 bestselling author Ian McEwan.
When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has closed, eleven-year-old Roland Baines’s life is turned upside down. 2,000 miles from his mother’s protective love, stranded at an unusual boarding school, his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.
Now, when his wife vanishes, leaving him alone with his tiny son, Roland is forced to confront the reality of his restless existence. As the radiation from Chernobyl spreads across Europe, he begins a search for answers that looks deep into his family history and will last for the rest of his life.
From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic and climate change, Roland sometimes rides with the tide of history, but more often struggles against it. Haunted by lost opportunities, he seeks solace through every possible means—music, literature, friends, sex, politics and, finally, love cut tragically short, then love ultimately redeemed. His journey raises important questions for us all. Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without damage to others? How do global events beyond our control shape our lives and our memories? And what can we really learn from the traumas of the past?
Epic, mesmerising and deeply humane, Lessons is a chronicle for our times—a powerful meditation on history and humanity through the prism of one man’s lifetime.
What the critics say
“Brilliant . . . Nobody is better at writing about entropy and indignity — among other topics — than Ian McEwan. . . . One way to read Lessons is as a self-repudiation of the maneuver at which McEwan has become virtuosic. More authors should repudiate their virtuosity. The results are exciting.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“A profound demonstration of [McEwan's] remarkable skill. . . . Indeed, even more than McEwan’s previous novels, Lessons is a story that so fully embraces its historical context that it calls into question the synthetic timelessness of much contemporary fiction.” (The Washington Post)
“Astonishing. . . . McEwan, who is steeped in the sounds and rhythms of English literature, and for whom novels and poems practically assume the importance of characters, has written a masterpiece of a novel that is simultaneously about the business of growing up and getting old, and the business of writing fiction. . . . How does McEwan pull it off? Through the patient accretion of closely observed detail and one beautiful, shimmering sentence after another.” (USA Today)
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What listeners say about Lessons
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- shakti
- 2023-07-02
Excellent Novel
Could relate to the characters and times as well as a deeper insight into myself. Thoroughly enjoyed this book
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- Joseph H. Clarke
- 2022-12-21
A Compelling Read
McKwan is an amazing storyteller. The narration offered by McBurney is brilliant. The tale is gritty and unapologetic, as uncomfortable as it was at times McKwan’s prose relentlessly drew me in.
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- Michelle Benson
- 2023-01-01
Ian McEwan knows the human spirit
A novel about nothing, but at the same time about everything. A human story beautifully told, the hardships, the trumps, the normality, the uniqueness of a life well lived.
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- cj
- 2023-07-18
A lot to process
One of my favourite authors for many years. Though I was initially disappointed and struggled to follow the storyline. It soon revealed itself and wrapped itself around me. The writing is simply captivating, the way world events unfold and tuck themselves into each setting is simply impressive. The time just flew by!
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- David Goorevitch Javelin Pictures Inc.
- 2023-07-09
A giant of a book
One man’s journey through the turbulent 20th century and what promises to be the equally turbulent 21st says much about the undying values of duty, dignity and equanimity in the face of trauma. Written with McEwan’s formidable literary artistry. McBurney’s characterizations can get repetitive and tiresome at times.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-07-23
McEwan at his best!
Remarkable. Spectacular. A very sympathetic story from an aging male perspective. There may be a bit too much politics in it for some, but that is just the nature of his central character. As good as anything McEwan has ever written, or better.
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- Marsha Mah Poy
- 2023-02-24
Wonderful story
I loved this story. It is vivid! Characters will remain with me. It reminds me of the book”Lives of the Wives: Five Literary Marriages.”
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- Marla
- 2023-02-25
Modern history
Initially I thought the book would be another pontificating white guy’s journey. It was but it also wasn’t. The events and experiences traveled through recentish time and addressed issues old and new in a way that gets you thinking.
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-09-17
Love it
It’s a wonderful story of forgiveness and humility. It was confusing in the beginning but it became gripping
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- H G
- 2023-07-30
Great narration, boring story
If it wasn’t for the wonderful narration by simon mcburney, I wouldn’t have been able to finish this book. It’s long and it rambles on and on!
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