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Mr Wilder and Me
- Author
- Jonathan Coe
- Narrator
- Kristin Atherton
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 5 November 2020
- Run Time
- 8 hours 11 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: coming of age
- Rating
- 1.0 (1 review)
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
From the prize-winning, bestselling author of Middle England.
In the heady summer of 1977, a naïve young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.
While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his new film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich for the shooting of further scenes, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history.
In a novel that is at once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of one of cinema's most intriguing figures, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze on the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it's time to let go?
Praise for Jonathan Coe
'Coe is a writer of uncommon decency' Observer
'Brilliantly funny' Economist
'Superb' Times
'Very, very funny' Stylist
© Jonathan Coe 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
Critics Review
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A satisfyingly sweeping novel that still manages to push the form in new directions. As good as anything he's written - a novel to cherish
Observer
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Effortlessly pleasurable and deceptively simple. Mr Wilder & Me doesn't lack resonance, yet stays light on its feet. The whole book feels like some marvellous party where you ricochet from one good conversation to another
The Times
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A coming of age story which offers a fascinating insight into fame - and the perils of an industry in flux
Daily Telegraph
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One of my favourite writers . . . a thoughtful tender read
Good Housekeeping
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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An insightful and moving story about how memories can or cannot be passed down through the generations
Kazuo Ishiguro
User Reviews
Book 1.0
Narration 1.0
-
1.0 1.0
A naive protagonist thrown into the world of filmmaking tells the story of Billy Wilder. While the reader also might be naive and might also have no knowledge about films, directors, actresses and actors, this story-construct didn't do the trick for me. I couldn't even listen to it all the way through - also thanks to the narrator and the overdone way of giving each character a unique voice...
Joern 2026-08-24
Details
- Author
- Jonathan Coe
- Narrator
- Kristin Atherton
- Duration
- 8 hours 11 minutes
- Release Date
- 5 November 2020
- ISBN
- 9780241457498
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Humorous fiction, Narrative theme: coming of age
- Rating
- 1.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 1.0(1 review)
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.From the prize-winning, bestselling author of Middle England. In the heady summer of 1977, a naïve young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realisation that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his new film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich for the shooting of further scenes, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history. In a novel that is at once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of one of cinema's most intriguing figures, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze on the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it's time to let go?Praise for Jonathan Coe'Coe is a writer of uncommon decency' Observer'Brilliantly funny' Economist'Superb' Times'Very, very funny' Stylist© Jonathan Coe 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
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