Everyone Brave Is Forgiven

By: Chris Cleave

Narrated by: Luke Thompson

From the author of the number-one New York Times best-selling Little Bee, a spellbinding novel about three unforgettable individuals thrown together by war, love, and their search for belonging in the ever-changing landscape of WWII London.

It's 1939, and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, are mentally disabled, or - like Mary's favorite student, Zachary - have colored skin.

Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and - while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them - further into a new world unlike any they've ever known.

A sweeping epic with the kind of unforgettable characters, cultural insights, and indelible scenes that made Little Bee so incredible, Chris Cleave's latest novel explores the disenfranchised, the bereaved, the elite, the embattled. Everyone Brave Is Forgiven is a heartbreakingly beautiful story of love, loss, and incredible courage.

©2016 Chris Cleave. All rights reserved. (P)2016 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Luke Thompson delivers a fine and nuanced narration of Chris Cleave’s moving new novel... Thompson draws telling vocal portraits of the three very different protagonists; does nice sketches of lesser characters, including an American black child and his father; and paces his delivery perfectly for a story that shuttles between peace and desperation." ( AudioFile)

Wonderfully nuanced telling of the blitz.

I loved the writing style. It was poetic in description and so delicate and forceful at the same time. I truly marveled at the piquant humor of the Brits in the face of such horror and desolation. The characters were so well fleshed out. I felt like I knew them all. A very highly recommended book. I'm going to miss Alastair and Mary and Hilda.

A book I yearned to get back to everyday.

I loved Little Bee and had to listen to another of Cleave's books. He did not disappoint.

Great Story

You could really connect with the characters and the narrator was great. I would recommend this story.

books worth reading

I loved listening to this book and loved all the different voices for the characters.

Beautifully written

This book is fantastic- such a beautiful story of love and loss during war. I have read a lot of historical fiction World War II novels and this is one of my new favorites!

Heartbreaking and Beautiful

This is so beautifully written - the author clearly loves language and knows how to bring it to life. It's WWII set in London and the island of Malta, with interwoven story lines and characters that he makes you care for deeply.

If you liked "The Nightingale," you'll like this.

Living other lives

I have listened to and loved all of Cleave's books. He has the ability to create absolutely truthful characters placed in a world that the reader enters and inhabits. This time it is the world of England during WW II. But this is a different perspective than many other stories with this setting.
For 12+ hours I lived the 3 years with the protagonists as they struggled with social issues of class, race, and loyalty to country. I finished the book feeling as if I had been to another place and time.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

amazing narration

I've only listened to 5 or 6 audible books but this one by far has the best voice over. Great story, I loved the British humor.

Well written enjoyable

I was born in London, just after this period - meant a great deal to me. Wonderful perspective of the writer!

Heart-wrenching and beautiful...

...Witty and not afraid to look human nature straight in the eye. It made me laugh out loud in the beginning, and left me in tears during the second half. an emotional rollercoaster of a book, full of gorgeous prose and absolutely human characters. Beautiful.