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My Father's House

By: Joseph O'Connor
Narrated by: Barry Barnes,Stephen Hogan,Barnaby Edwards,Laurence Bouvard,Aoife Duffin,Gertrude Thoma,David John,Roberto Davide,Thomas Hill
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war's outcome is far from certain.

An Irish priest, Hugh O'Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world's smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. Here Hugh brings together an unlikely band of friends to hide the vulnerable under the noses of the enemy.

But Hauptmann's net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmastime, it's too late to turn back.

Based on an extraordinary true story, My Father's House is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O'Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.

©2023 Joseph O'Connor (P)2023 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about My Father's House

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

Touching and authentic

Loved this look at the Vatican involvement in WW2.
This is part
Of a trilogy and I cannot wait to read or
Listen to the next one.

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Enthralling

A truly remarkable book. Even during the early hours of the morning difficult to stop listening and therefore sacrificing much sleep. But no regrets for this.

1 person found this helpful

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Excellent stuff

The story of Father Hugh O’Flaherty and his colleagues in the Vatican escape line. Even if you know the story, this version is absolutely worth a read. It’s pretty serious subject matter and that isn’t minimalised but there are some lovely scenes of human kindness and some laugh out loud lines. I will be stealing “ a face like a Lurgan spade”.

1 person found this helpful

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  • BK
  • 28-03-23

Wonderful story excellently told

I almost felt that O’Connor was trying to write Joyce in parts; some chapters have completely different styles depending on the narrator. It took a while to get this but it makes the book very listenable; who will be next ?

Great fact-based story

Full marks to the narration team for really bringing it to life.

Highly recommend this book

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Excellent

Superbly performed and matching the quality of the writing. It made the experience so enthralling.

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My Fathers House

A beautiful story well written/read, exciting, sad, thought provoking. A joy from begging to end.

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  • JB
  • 18-03-23

Well written , well crafted and well spoken

A well written , well crafted and well spoken novel. Loved the final reflections and the the observation that once we draw closer to the light we no longer fear the dark.

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Truly great book.

Just superb. The writing, the language, the sense of time & place. The extra ordinariness of complete evil & the bravery of everyday people.

Great narration.

Loved it

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Enthralling….epic and very moving .

A wonderful story of bravery and courage… beautifully narrated by various readers.. an astounding piece of historical literature .

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Excellent.

Quite astonishing this book.
the way it was written, they lovely phrases and how it all comes together, I thought this was excellent.