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Sparrow

By: James Hynes
Narrated by: Theo Solomon
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Publisher's Summary

As an empire burns, he will rise from the ashes.

Sparrow, the Sunday Times bestselling historical epic by James Hynes, is the incredibly moving story of one boy’s journey to freedom in the harsh world of the Roman Empire.

Raised in a brothel at the edge of a dying empire, a boy of no known origin creates his own identity. He is Sparrow.

Sparrow’s world consists of a kitchen and herb-scented garden, a loud and dangerous tavern, and the mysterious upstairs where the wolves, the women who have shaped his world, conduct their business. Where freedom is only for a privileged few, Sparrow’s life is hard-edged and violent.

But change is coming.

The world outside his garden is about to be reshaped, and as an empire crumbles, murder and mayhem will come to Sparrow’s door. As the only family he’s ever known scatters, will Sparrow fall – or fly?

‘Truly unforgettable' – Daily Mail
‘Masterful in its portrayal of love, sex and friendship' – The Observer

©2023 James Hynes (P)2023 Macmillan Publishers International Limited
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

Critic Reviews

"Utterly engrossing, vivid, and honest, this coming of age story reaches across millennia to grab us by the throat." (Emma Donoghue)

"An unnerving, exhilarating, unflinching portrayal of sex, slavery and sisterhood, takes the reader to one the most pitiless backstreets of the Roman Empire in its final years only to discover there - between the violence and the suffering, amid the Decline and the Fall - enduring tenderness and love. This is a novel of ancient times for our times. And it is splendid, a work of scorching distinction." (Jim Crace)

What listeners say about Sparrow

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Average

Not really what I was expecting, the narrator voice is also very annoying when he try’s to do the scratchy child’s voice and talks so slowly in points I had to speed up the pace just to make it less painful to hear the next drawn out word.

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Totally engaging story

Loved this book. The story was really engrossing, the characters well developed and the narrative was written in a way that immersed the reader into the world of the era. The story was well narrated, the ending was a bit disappointing and I can’t help wondering if a sequel is planned.

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