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Nonesuch

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Nonesuch

By: Francis Spufford
Narrated by: Lydia Wilson
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About this listen

'What a joy! A novel with endless ingenuity and enormous heart.' Kaliane Bradley
'One of the finest prose stylists of his generation.' The Times
'My God can he write.' Richard Osman

It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC's nascent television unit.

What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit - into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.

And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.

©2026 Francis Spufford (P)2026 Faber & Faber Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction Heartfelt England War
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This is a fabulous and captivating story where saying anything both diminishes its splendour and leads to spoilers. It’s set just prior to WW2, it’s about class, it’s about what it is to be a woman, it’s about magic, but, fundamentally, it’s about choices and their consequences. Brilliant in every way.

Brilliant in every way!

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Very high quality writing. Interesting throughout with a thorough knowledge of the period and a first class reader.

Excellent in all ways

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I enjoyed this story so much that I could not stop listening but also so much did not want it to end. I hope that there will be more from this author very soon.

Could not stop listening.

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I've been listening to Spufford's books since Cahokia Jazz, which I loved.

He never fails to bring something new with each novel. I find him to be a very good world builder.

Great story and truly excellent narration. The narrator really cared.

Loved the story with great narration

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Just great-mysticism, spying, love story, feminine power- all rolled into one. One thing you can expect from Spufford- he never descends into vulgarity. Now, he absolutely must write a follow up, he bloody broke my heart!

broke my heart!

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