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Waiting for Sunrise: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,906 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Vienna, 1913. Lysander Rief, a young English actor in town seeking psychotherapy for a troubling ailment of a sexual nature, becomes caught up in a feverish affair with a beautiful, enigmatic woman. When she goes to the police to press charges of rape, however, he is stunned, and his few months of passion come to an abrupt end. Only a carefully plotted escape—with the help of two mysterious British diplomats—saves him from trial.
But the frenzied getaway sets off a chain of events that steadily dismantles Lysander's life as he knows it. He returns to a London on the cusp of war, hoping to win back his onetime fiancée and banish from memory his traumatic ordeals abroad, but Vienna haunts him at every turn. The men who helped coordinate his escape recruit him to carry out the brutal murder of a complete stranger. His lover from Vienna shows up nonchalantly at a party, ready to resume their liaison. Unable to live an ordinary existence, he is plunged into the dangerous theater of wartime intelligence—a world of sex, scandal, and spies, where lines of truth and deception blur with every waking day. Lysander must now discover the key to a secret code that is threatening Britain's safety, and use all his skills to keep this murky world of suspicion and betrayal from invading every corner of his life.
Moving from Vienna to London's West End, from the battlefields of France to hotel rooms in Geneva, Waiting for Sunrise is a mesmerizing journey into the human psyche, a beautifully observed portrait of wartime Europe, a plot-twisting thriller, and a literary tour de force.
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"Another great spy story from William Boyd, I love his characterisation and the description of places is so real. Good read, though I do always feel I'm missing something below the surface of the text!"
— Emma (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A tantalizing, fast-paced spy novel…beguiling, suspenseful…Seductive as it is, Waiting for Sunrise is no bodice-ripper. It’s a brainteaser, charged with uncertainty and danger, electric with restraint.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Few contemporary writers are able to evoke the ambiance and drama of our recent past as forcefully as Boyd…Boyd’s prose is radiant, yet it is a brilliance that serves to illuminate his story…Waiting for Sunrise might have the feel and place of a thriller, but its ultimate focus is on the psychic damage inflicted on some of those who enter the permanent night of espionage.”
— Washington Post -
“So rich with surprises and reversals, so rife with false friends and treacherous ‘saviors’…This is a terrific yarn, but it’s also a complex work full of telling detail and rich in allusions literary, mythical, and psychological.”
— Globe and Mail (Toronto) -
“Celebrated English literary virtuoso Boyd creates an express-train read. Once you’re on board, you won’t even think about stopping until the last page is turned…Boyd’s delectably mercurial characters, astute use of this complex historical milieu and the dawn of psychoanalysis, superbly torqued plot, and exceptionally evocative language that is, by turns, lush and tensile, witty and wrenching, coalesce into a long, dark night of the soul.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“With intelligence and humor, acclaimed author Boyd explores the themes of truth and betrayal in the human psyche…Boyd has developed his characters with depth and crafted an exciting plot that moves along at quite a clip.”
— Library Journal -
“Classy entertainment from the British virtuoso—a period caper that evolves into an adventure story of wartime counter-espionage…Boyd’s latest has the irresistible charm of a vintage car that’s still eminently roadworthy. And it’s great fun.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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Selected for the May 2012 Indie Next List
Waiting for Sunrise Listener Reviews
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" William Boyd is one of my favorite authors. This book is another great story to add to the long list of others. "
— JMN, 7/30/2024 -
" I never read spy novels but offhandedly picked this up at the library and enjoyed it. Fun getting to see life in Vienna and Great Britain during WW1 and Lysander was a fun character. "
— Robyn, 2/8/2014 -
" I found most of this story convoluted, unrealistic and too incredible. But the characters are engaging, there's wonderful historical detail and the writing is well crafted. "
— Michael, 2/1/2014 -
" This book was not for me. I usually enjoy historical fiction but had to force myself to get to the ending. "
— Penny, 2/1/2014 -
" This was a beautifully written and compelling examination of the effects of war on the human psyche. I was a little disappointed by the ending - it built up to something bigger and didn't deliver - and I felt the character development was rather weak. Plots branched off and came to dead ends, often quite abruptly. But it kept me turning the page and the writing style was interesting. Overall an enjoyable read. "
— Allegra, 1/25/2014 -
" Fun read. After a certain point I had no idea what was happening, but I'm not sure I minded what with the glut of period detail (he packed a rubber cycling cape in case of rain, the lists of duties undertaken by officers in the War Office responsible for the movements of materiel). Slap-dash ending, mostly unbelievable, but fun! "
— Mari, 1/22/2014 -
" Great author; one of my favorites. THis novel is among his best. "
— Christine, 1/13/2014 -
" This was enjoyable. It took place just before and during World War I. It involved Freud, decoding, spying and theater. "
— Karen, 1/8/2014 -
" Thoroughly enjoyable period thriller touching on the birth of psychoanalysis and the Modern War Machine as unleashed in WWI. Reminiscent of Graham Greene's thrillers like The Ministry of Fear. "
— Adam, 1/6/2014 -
" It was a good read! Interesting, a page turner! "
— Evelina, 1/5/2014 -
" I did not like this book at all! I kept reading, hoping at some point it would all come together and make sense. The characters were not realistic, the story was pointless and stupid! It was just all over the place bit nowhere at all! Don't waste your time, it's not worth it! "
— Shari, 10/24/2013 -
" Enjoyable, but did not blow me away. "
— M, 10/24/2013 -
" William Boyd is one of my favourite authors and yet again he doesn't disappoint. "
— Jane, 9/25/2013 -
" A spy novel, a different genre for W Boyd and he turns out to be quite good at it. The story is pretty good, the actor dragged into the spy world during WW1. The atmosphere in Vienna and London is very well rendered. The rhythm makes this a page turner, although the end of the story is a bit odd. "
— Jc, 8/3/2013 -
" Very complex but extremely good "
— Jan, 6/16/2013 -
" Rubbish book, didn't bother to finish, life too short. Contrived, silly, affected. frankly annoying. "
— Scott, 6/13/2013 -
" A good read - however not a favourite. I have read a few books by Boyd which normally have me hooked completely. The book left me slightly disappointed. "
— Golightly2012, 3/19/2013 -
" I have always been a big fan of Boyd's work. As usual, he doesn't disappoint. No one can weve a plot like this author. Tip top. "
— Susan, 3/16/2013 -
" Book is very well written and smart, but I got bored. Read 3/4 of it and put it down. "
— Brandyce, 2/20/2013 -
" Not one of Boyd's best. I enjoy his novels that are in more current time frames than the the historical ones. "
— Susan, 1/21/2013 -
" Fantastic book. Reminded me of Restless a little. "
— Nathan, 8/24/2012 -
" Interesting. Some psychology and intrigue. British and Austrian locale. "
— Diane, 4/14/2012
About William Boyd
William Boyd, Scottish novelist and screenwriter, was born in Accra, Ghana, and attended university in Nice, Glasgow, and Oxford. He is the author of ten novels and a number of screenplays and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel, the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction. He lives with his wife in London.
About Robert Ian Mackenzie
Robert Ian Mackenzie, Earphones Award–winning narrator, became an actor after holding a wide variety of other jobs, including everything from London policeman to water ski instructor in Greece. Since then, his acting career has encompassed straight theater, musicals, opera, films, television, voice-overs, commercials, and recorded books.