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Glorious Exploits
- Author
- Ferdia Lennon
- Narrator
- Ferdia Lennon
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 18 January 2024
- Run Time
- 8 hours 15 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 4.5 (4 reviews)
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024
WINNER OF THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION 2024
LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME
A BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS PICK
PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, THE INDEPENDENT, THE IRISH TIMES, THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND THE TLS
Ancient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover. Enter LAMPO: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction.
Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads.
They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food.
And so an idea is born. Because, after all, you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry.
It’s audacious. It might even be dangerous. But like all the best things in life – love, friendship, art itself – it will reveal the very worst, and the very best, of what humans are capable of.
What could possibly go wrong?
‘One of the most original and brilliant debuts in years’ Irish Times
‘Bold and totally unexpected ... I was hooked from the first page’ Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain
‘Brilliant ... Hilarious, moving, and profound’ R. F. Kuang, author of Yellowface
©2024 Ferdia Lennon (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Critics Review
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One of the most original and brilliant Irish debuts in years
Irish Times
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'The debut novelist to watch ... Remarkable ... This debut is entertaining, vivid, original – and has a huge amount of fun turning the genre on its head ... The premise is irresistible ... Terrific ... A novel to be gulped down'
The i
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Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book. A brilliant novel about friendship, the healing power of art, and why we must fight for our dreams. I was hooked from the first page
Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain
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Immensely likeable ... Raucously funny ... The writing is beautifully controlled
The Observer
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Brilliant ... I love contemporary Irish fiction and Greek tragedy, so how wonderful to find a novel where they are brilliantly paired. It is as hilarious, moving, and profound as promised
Rebecca F. Kuang, author of Yellowface
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As thrilling for me as the first time I picked up a Kevin Barry novel. Glorious Exploits is exuberant, funny, lyrical and profoundly moving. It is, quite simply, a rare beauty
Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
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Glorious Exploits stinks of misery, despair, love, war, poetry, reckless ambition, terrible failure, and glorious triumph. It’s a novel thick with the stuff of the Classics, in other words. A delicious treat of a read. I loved it
Jon McGregor
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In At Swims-Two-Birds, Flann O'Brien gave us cowboys riding through Dublin. Now, Ferdia Lennon gives us modern-day Dubliners living among the ancient Greeks. This is a very special, very clever, very entertaining novel
Roddy Doyle
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One of the best debut novels of the year – it even received an award saying so – this is a ridiculously fun book…It's a poignant story about war, art, and friendship, while also being very funny
iPaper – The 30 best books for Christmas 2024
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Funny, thoughtful, moving, brilliant
Nick Laird, Irish Sunday Independent
User Reviews
Book 4.5
Narration 4.8
-
4.0 5.0
After a slow start, this story was totally gripping. My book club friends struggled with reading the book but I loved the audio version. It’s an unusual story but quite rightly an award winning book as it operates at so many levels. Even a week after finishing it, I feel the thrill and pain of so much of it.
Rowingchamp18 2026-01-23
Details
- Author
- Ferdia Lennon
- Narrator
- Ferdia Lennon
- Duration
- 8 hours 15 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 January 2024
- ISBN
- 9780241679784
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Historical fiction, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction, Narrative theme: love / relationships, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 4.5(4 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.8(4 reviews)
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024WINNER OF THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION 2024LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZEA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIMEA BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS PICKPICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, THE INDEPENDENT, THE IRISH TIMES, THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND THE TLSAncient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover. Enter LAMPO: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction.Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads.They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food.And so an idea is born. Because, after all, you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry.It’s audacious. It might even be dangerous. But like all the best things in life – love, friendship, art itself – it will reveal the very worst, and the very best, of what humans are capable of.What could possibly go wrong?‘One of the most original and brilliant debuts in years’ Irish Times‘Bold and totally unexpected ... I was hooked from the first page’ Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain‘Brilliant ... Hilarious, moving, and profound’ R. F. Kuang, author of Yellowface©2024 Ferdia Lennon (P)2024 Penguin Audio
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