The Country of Others cover art

The Country of Others

 Preview
Prime Member Exclusive

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Country of Others

By: Leïla Slimani, Sam Taylor
Narrated by: Nabiha Akkari
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £13.79

Buy Now for £13.79

Alsace, 1944. Mathilde finds herself falling deeply in love with Amine Belhaj, a Moroccan soldier, billeted in her town, fighting for the French.

After the Liberation, Mathilde leaves France, following Amine to Morocco. But life here is unrecognizable to this brave and passionate young woman. Where she she once danced, bickered with her sister, her life is now that of a farmer's wife - with all the sacrifices and vexations that brings.

Suffocated by the heat, by her loneliness on the farm, by the mistrust she inspires as a foreigner and by the lack of money Mathilde grows restless. As Morocco's own struggle for independence grows daily, Mathilde and Amine find themselves caught in the crossfire . . .

This story of two nations at war, two cultures at loggerheads, and one family torn apart is as tenderly observed as it is devastatingly true

©2021 Leïla Slimani (P)2021 Faber & Faber Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction War
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
Not being one to easily give up on a book, I could not wait for it to finish. I could not even tell you what the story was about and felt myself drifting off at every turn. The story jumped , had no fluidity and at first I kept thinking I had missed great chunks of the story. The narrator sounded monotone, amateur and as if she was in an empty hollow chamber. Whilst I’m sure the story of division and war was the main focus of the story, I could not connect or feel empathy with any of the characters. The narrative did not bring any life or definition any characters.

Perhaps this just not translate in audible and should be read in hard copy.

Disappointing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I thought the sound was very poor quality. Very inconsistent quality and echoing at times.

Very poor sound quality of recording.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
l loved the story and finished the book in two days. However the pronunciation of the non native narrator was a bit let down. every time when she said taward when it was toward I kept correcting her... that was just one example...it really spoiled the fun a tad ...

the misplaced the stresses

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story was very good, with really interesting inversion of positions. But it really was spoiled by the narration, which was like listening to a satnav.

Fine story, Satnav narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sadly this is th first Audible title I haven’t finished, despite a real interest in the story line and the country. I had also read good reviews of the book itself, At times it was difficult to understand and delivered in a rather flat way, which didn’t engage me despite my best efforts. I kept having to replay sections

Difficult to engage with the telling of the story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews