Listen to a sample
The Immortalists
- Author
- Chloe Benjamin
- Narrator
- Maggie Hoffman
- Publisher
- Headline
- Publish Date
- 9 January 2018
- Run Time
- 11 hours 30 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
'A captivating family saga' The New York Times Book Review
'This literary family saga is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Donna Tartt' People Magazine (Book of the Week)
'Once I started reading The Immortalists, I resented every moment I had to spend away from the book until I'd finished' Stylist
'A compelling and utterly absorbing read with virtuoso storytelling on display' Sunday Express
It's 1969, and holed up in a grimy tenement building in New York's Lower East Side is a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the date they will die. The four Gold children, too young for what they're about to hear, sneak out to learn their fortunes.
Such prophecies could be dismissed as trickery and nonsense, yet the Golds bury theirs deep. Over the years that follow they attempt to ignore, embrace, cheat and defy the 'knowledge' given to them that day - but it will shape the course of their lives forever.
Readers love The Immortalists:
'I read this book over three days and will remember it for a lifetime' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This is a book that I never wanted to finish reading. I truly enjoyed each single word of it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A book of epic proportions. . . mystical and hugely memorable . . . I can't praise it highly enough. A must read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Deserves all the noise around it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'One of those books I wish I could un-read so I could read it all over again for the first time' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A perfect book club read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Critics Review
-
A boundlessly moving inquisition into mortality, grief and passion...The Immortalists is not just a novel about grief; it conjures characters with such dimension that you mourn them too, a magic rare enough to leave one astonished
Observer
-
Immersive and impressive
The Sunday Times
-
A captivating family saga
New York Times Book Review
-
The Immortalists is a compelling and utterly absorbing read with virtuoso storytelling on display. The drive to discover how each character's story unfolds gives the novel a sense of urgency yet Chloe Benjamin's prose - lyrical, tender, perceptive - compels you to linger on every exquisitely crafted sentence: The Immortalists is rich in historical detail and displays immense wisdom in its portrayal of the intensity and messiness of sibling bonds. It is a hugely powerful novel and asks fundamental questions about fate, mortality and life and the ways we choose to live it
Sunday Express
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
For someone who loves stories about brothers and sisters, as I do, The Immortalists is about as good as it gets. A memorable and heartfelt look at what might happen to a family who knows too much. It's amazing how good this book is
Karen Joy Fowler
-
Mesmerising, like a well-crafted illusion...Benjamin is a gifted writer, a creator of quiet asides and haunting images, who mines a seam of sad wisdom
Financial Times
-
Big themes of fate and free will, superstition and rationalism, guilt and legacy bounce back and forth with the lightness of ping-pong balls through this rambunctious novel, as each vividly drawn character grapples with the question of how to live. Benjamin crams her novel with incident, while never stinting on detail. Such is her dazzling sureness of touch that you wonder if here is a writer who is truly capable of anything.
Daily Mail
-
A stunning, immersive novel, which has echoes of Donna Tartt and Elizabeth Strout, but Benjamin's gift for story-telling is all her own. It's a novel that you'll lose yourself in and foist on all your friends and will still be thinking about it long after you've read the final page. I expect this one to be on all the book award shortlists for 2018 and deservedly so
Red Magazine
-
One of those books that whenever I wasn't reading it, all I could think about was getting back to it... Incredibly absorbing, hugely moving and that perfect balance of beautiful writing and brilliant storytelling
The Pool
-
Skilled storytelling, a complex structure that spans decades and vivid characters make this an intelligent, entertaining read
Woman & Home
-
Once I started reading The Immortalists, I resented every moment I had to spend away from the book until I'd finished. It's an extraordinarily moving, beautifully told and, at times, almost unbearably tense read
Stylist
-
Skilled storytelling, a complex structure that spans decades and vivid characters make this an intelligent, entertaining read
Woman & Home
-
As deft and dizzying as a high-wire act... the reader is beguiled with unexpected twists and stylish, crisp prose...[an] ambitious, unorthodox tale
Economist
-
A great new talent
Lorrie Moore
-
The very best kind of literary thriller
Richard Russo
-
A captivating idea, executed with wit, care and enormous charm
Big Issue
-
THE IMMORTALISTS made me want to hug my siblings. I couldn't put it down
Carys Bray
-
Such a beautiful, melancholy, absorbing book
Anna James
-
A beautiful, compassionate, and even joyful novel. Chloe Benjamin has written an inspiring book that makes you think hard about what you want to do with the time you're given. This is not really a book about dying - it's a book about how to live
Nathan Hill, author of THE NIX
-
The four siblings were so real to me that when I turned the last page I immediately missed their company... I loved how Benjamin conveyed the intimate details of these people, which made them and their stories come alive
Claire Fuller, author of OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS
-
Benjamin is at turns funny, tragic, informative, and mystical. And, like a good magic act, you'll be wondering what on earth she'll pull out of the hat next. The Immortalists demands to be discussed, dissected, and pondered long after reading
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of HARMLESS LIKE YOU
-
One for those who like a rich story along the lines of Manhattan Beach or The Time Traveler's Wife
Irish News
-
Not many books have this sort of vivid immediacy
Lady
-
Like literary nectar. I LOVE it
Hannah Beckerman
-
Imaginative and satisfying . . . A cleverly structured novel steeped in Jewish lore and the history of four decades of American life. The four Gold siblings are wonderful creations, and in Benjamin's expert hands their story becomes a moving meditation on fate, faith, and the family ties that alternately hurt and heal
Publisher’s Weekly
-
To describe Chloe Benjamin's second novel as a story about the evolution of a family would be true, but wholly insignificant for the breadth and depth of this amazing work of fiction....Her spare, yet gorgeously robust prose belies her youth and every page is imbued with her obvious storytelling skill
Washington Post
-
Thought-provoking, suspenseful, moving, intelligent. Exquisite.
Will Dean, author of DARK PINES
-
Moving, rather beautiful, a mystery about how our lives and fate intertwine, this is a novel that will stay on your mind for ages after you've read it and I cannot recommend it any higher
Crime Time
-
A special book that stays with you long after the last page
Good Housekeeping
-
A wonderful story of family and life
Prima
-
Intriguing, page turning and wonderfully written... a story of family, loss and love that's brave enough to ask big questions. It completely captivated me from beginning to end
Kate Hamer
-
An unpredictable and thought- provoking novel
Lady
-
Beautifully written and brilliantly well-plotted
Irish Examiner
-
In its scope and themes, The Immortalists brings to mind Hanya Yanagihaya's A Little Life
Independent
-
This is quite possibly the book of spring 2018 - it's been everywhere, with salutary quotes from Karen Joy Fowler and The New York Times. Happily, it lives up to the hype
Stylist
-
The Immortalists worms its way under your skin. Benjamin writes with verve and charm and her four protagonists are resolutely real. She is particularly good at the sibling bond, the unbreakable ties that bind brothers and sisters together even as they drive each other to distraction.It is a testament to Benjamin's skill that, as her story pulls focus from the wild nightclubs of the Castro and the glitter of Las Vegas to life in the suburbs, as youthful exhilaration and recklessness give way to grief and anger frustration and fear, the novel itself does not narrow but instead grows deeper and more absorbing
Guardian
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Chloe Benjamin
- Narrator
- Maggie Hoffman
- Duration
- 11 hours 30 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 January 2018
- ISBN
- 9781472253835
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- Headline
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Speculative fiction, Family life fiction / Stories about family
Synopsis
From the author of the eagerly anticipated Under Story comes the reading-group classic that asks: if you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? 'A captivating family saga' The New York Times Book Review'This literary family saga is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Donna Tartt' People Magazine (Book of the Week) 'Once I started reading The Immortalists, I resented every moment I had to spend away from the book until I'd finished' Stylist'A compelling and utterly absorbing read with virtuoso storytelling on display' Sunday ExpressIt's 1969, and holed up in a grimy tenement building in New York's Lower East Side is a travelling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the date they will die. The four Gold children, too young for what they're about to hear, sneak out to learn their fortunes.Such prophecies could be dismissed as trickery and nonsense, yet the Golds bury theirs deep. Over the years that follow they attempt to ignore, embrace, cheat and defy the 'knowledge' given to them that day - but it will shape the course of their lives forever.Readers love The Immortalists:'I read this book over three days and will remember it for a lifetime' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is a book that I never wanted to finish reading. I truly enjoyed each single word of it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A book of epic proportions. . . mystical and hugely memorable . . . I can't praise it highly enough. A must read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Deserves all the noise around it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'One of those books I wish I could un-read so I could read it all over again for the first time' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A perfect book club read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About xigxag and the x-book®
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by "x-book" to find them.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.