Pont Neuf

By: Max Byrd

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Can a young war correspondent find herself and follow her heart? In this work of historical fiction, 20-something Annabella “Annie” March arrives in France in 1944 intending to write about the war. Soon, however, Annie begins to distance herself from her sometimes-mentor, sometimes-rival - the great Martha Gellhorn - and Gellhorn’s larger-than-life husband, the novelist Ernest Hemingway. She turns to photography in the hopes of making her own name and, to her delight, discovers that images come more easily than words.

At a party one night, Gellhorn introduces Annie to a pair of American GIs: the intense, blue-eyed John Michael Shaw, from illustrious New England stock, and the handsome, good-natured Bennett Templeton Adams, a Midwestern boy-next-door. A love triangle between Annie and the two soldiers begins to simmer. As the war against the Axis Powers rages on, Shaw and Adams are called to duty. Shaw is a legend in the trenches, Adams a brilliant tactician, and neither can get Annie March out of his head.

Unbeknownst to Shaw and Adams, Annie has made up her mind - until a snap decision in the face of evil threatens to change everything for all three of them. Told with gripping emotional force and enthralling historical detail, Pont Neuf is an unforgettable story of desire and danger and a harrowing reminder of the uncertainty of war.

Creator Max Byrd, master of the historical novel, and award-winning narrator Natasha Soudek combine forces to deliver a thoroughly engaging and entertaining listen.

©2019 Max Byrd (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC

The Journey

took me through a war my parents lived through but never talked about...am emotional rollercoaster I could not leave until the ride ended

Not a love story

The realities of war, physical, mental, and emotional. More descriptive than most, but difficult to put down.

The narrator really butchered the French in places

Good story, but mediocre narration. A few French pronunciation lessons would not have hurt. "Place d'Italie" is not "Plaz de Italie", for instance.

Narration is painful

Didn’t know the difference between turret and Tourette Affects some French pronunciations but doesn’t use it consistently Where is the production manager? Beyond annoying.

Disappointing!

Wasn't expecting a graphic war description.
The human story comprises maybe ten percent of the book, the rest, gore and body counts.