Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Charlotte Gray cover art

Charlotte Gray

By: Sebastian Faulks
Narrated by: Jamie Glover
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £10.99

Buy Now for £10.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Conspiracy of Lies cover art
The Partisan Heart cover art
While England Sleeps cover art
The Seeker cover art
The Flowers of the Field - Part One cover art
The Light Behind the Window cover art
The Schoolteacher of Saint-Michel cover art
The Summer House Party cover art
The Black Mountains cover art
All the Courage We Have Found cover art
Edith and Kim cover art
Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea cover art
An Act of Love cover art

Summary

In 1942, Charlotte Gray, a young Scottish woman, goes to Occupied France on a dual mission: to run an apparently simple errand for a British special operations group and to search for her lover, an English airman who has gone missing in action. In the small town of Lavaurette, Sebastian Faulks presents a microcosm of France and its agony in 'the black years'. Here is the full range of collaboration, from the tacit to the enthusiastic, as well as examples of extraordinary courage and altruism. Through the local resistance chief Julien, Charlotte meets his father, a Jewish painter whose inspiration has failed him. In a series of shocking narrative climaxes in which the full extent of French collusion in the Nazi holocaust is delineated, Faulks brings the story to a resolution of redemptive love. In the delicacy of its writing, the intimacy of its characterisation and its powerful narrative scenes of harrowing public events, Charlotte Gray is a worthy successor to Birdsong.

©1998 Sebastian Faulks (P)2011 Random House Audio Go

What listeners say about Charlotte Gray

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    120
  • 4 Stars
    69
  • 3 Stars
    35
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    122
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    104
  • 4 Stars
    45
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An exceptionally well told story, in every respect

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this intriguing story which was made all the more enjoyable by Jamie Glover's brilliant rendition. The accents which he uses are particularly praiseworthy, from the "pear-fect" soft Highland intonations of the Gray family to the clipped 1940's BBC accents of the Whitehall chappies - I felt that time & space had been transcended.
The story is of war so it is not a happy tale but it is such a well developed story, obviously meticulously researched, that the human elements of the conflict are all powerful.
Having listened to Faulk's earlier story, "Birdsong" about the First World War, I was quite emotionally moved by the links which he had so cleverly contrived to include in this story. It somehow made it all the more real.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning

I was blown away by this book, slow to start, it became totally addictive and I was engrossed. Truely believable characters in a highly detailed and well researched world. I cannot recommend it enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved it

Would you listen to Charlotte Gray again? Why?

Yes. This was, in fact, my second time around. I had listened to it on iTunes before my days of audible.

Any additional comments?

This book is nothing short of a stunning rendition with marvellous historical references which will inevitably appeal to readers interested in the WW2 era.

The characters, as read superbly by Glover, remain as some of my favourite to listen to and I would probably even give this yet another listen. I definitely found listening to it a second time round I noticed more about the story; it's layered.

After this I would even dare to say that this is one of my favourite audiobooks (although I do have quite a few now). Faulks' exploration of love amidst trauma and devastation is absolutely masterful, he truly is unmatched and unrivalled in these areas.

Long story short: please buy this. Listen to it with a cup of tea under a blanket and be prepared for a bit of emotion. This book reminds me why Sebastien Faulks is one of my favourite authors: I implore and strongly urge you to buy it. Then like this review when you finish and enjoyed it as much as me!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

All going well the Western Front - Still listening

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

As this is my first audio book I don't want to give this a 4 or 5 star rating just yet, as I'm pretty certain that there are plenty of others out there. But, so far so good, I was a little reticent about having an audio book, as I do like to read but, at £7.99 a month, I will want to listen to a book a month. I'll have to choose carefully though

What was one of the most memorable moments of Charlotte Gray?

So far I like the fact that Charlotte has managed to get herself through to D Section, and it was a bit obvious that it wasn't going to go too well for Peter on his covert missions, but I didn't mind that.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Not sure what is meant by this question. Is it that the narrator is representing the book in a manner that is different from the book itself, if so, I've not read the book so I wouldn't be able to comment.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

So far...... interested

Any additional comments?

Next chapter please........

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Great listen.
This is just as good as Birdsong.
Sebastian Faulks is a brilliant author.
I look forward to listening to more of his books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

absorbing story and perfomances

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

yes, I had forgotten what a good story this was having read it when it was first published.

What other book might you compare Charlotte Gray to, and why?

Red Joan - war time story about people lives and the sacrifices they made.

Have you listened to any of Jamie Glover’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not sure - probably. He was excellent.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Faultless five star Faulks


I watched the film Charlotte Gray a few weeks ago and greatly enjoyed it but although there was a good plot I felt something was missing .
I have read and listened this few books by Sebastian Faulks so knew there was so much more hidden in the pages.
I was right, the film although good was not a pimple on the face of this book.
The writing was beautiful every word picked perfectly to describe the scene.
What I love about Faulks writing is when he describes a tender moment or a sex scene there is nothing smutty or rude just exquisite prose.
The narrator Jamie Glover was perfect, his voice fur Charlotte with a soft Scottish burr was just right. I can’t imagine a woman narrating this now, although it is a book about a woman..
If you have read or listened to Birdsong then you will love this.
Highly recommend this wonderful piece of work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Varied reading experience

The novel meanders as a result of a rambling plot and an irritating lead character who wanders at will across France during her SOE mission, seemingly doing nothing other than putting others at risk. There is excellent content regarding the second world war collaboration of the Vichy government, and these sections alone make the book worthwhile (hence 3 stars overall). However, the juxtaposition of fiction and non-fiction sit uncomfortably.

I am not sure I would have persevered with reading this book because, truly, some of it is embarrassingly weak. It really would have benefitted from some severe editing.

The performance was good enough, but the repeated incorrect pronunciation of the word 'grimace' was a spoiler.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I Loved This Novel So Much, And Learned So Much!

So I read Charlotte Grey after reading Birdsong also by Sebastian Faulks. Because I enjoyed Birdsong so much I some how didn't expect to enjoy this story as much. How wrong I was, I absolutely loved it! and have since watched the movie with Cate Blanchett, also good! I knew nothing about the French Resistance and I have learnt so much from reading this novel. It has been excellently written and excellently well researched. The bravery of those people during World War II they risked their lives, I can only try to imagine what they endured. I didn't know anything about the Vichy Government and how France was pushed around so much by the Germans and the people lived in fear of their lives. It was a piece of history I didn't know much about, and it has sparked my interest to learn more. I have also watched the movie about Marcel Marceau called Resistance, also excellent! Jamie Glover was also excellent at reading this novel. I highly recommend Charlotte Grey, and Sebastian Faulks has become one of my favourite authors, he's such a good story teller!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Atmospheric retelling of wartime events

I enjoyed the narration, The story unwound gradually pulling me in. The scenes round the camp in Paris are disturbing, as they need to be. These events should not be forgotten. The tragic involvement of ordinary French citizens in the deportation of the Jews is laid bare.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!