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The Paper Man
- Author
- Billy O'Callaghan
- Narrator
- Gerard Doyle, Helen Lloyd
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 2 May 2023
- Run Time
- 8 hours 20 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
A deeply moving interwar romance set between 1930s Austria and 1980s Ireland, based on a real-life unsolved mystery
1930s Austria. Vienna is a bustling, cosmopolitan city on the brink of war. Matthias Sindelar is an internationally renowned soccer player known as “The Paper Man” because of his effortless weave across the field. When Sindelar speaks out against Hitler, his fame can’t protect him from being placed under Gestapo surveillance. Meanwhile, Sindelar falls in love with a young Jewish girl named Rebekah. As the atmosphere in Vienna darkens under the Nazi regime, Rebekah flees to relatives in Cork, Ireland. Only after she arrives there does she realize she is pregnant with Sindelar’s child. The following year, at the age of thirty-five, the Paper Man is found dead in his apartment.
1980s Ireland. In the Jewish Quarter of Cork, Rebekah’s son Jack Shine discovers a bundle of German letters and newspaper clippings tied with a ribbon while sorting his mother’s belongings. With the help of his German-speaking father-in-law, Jack translates the letters and attempts to piece together his family history and, hopefully, solve the mystery of his father’s identity.
Based on real people and true events, The Paper Man is the story of twentieth-century Europe, the Holocaust, the cost of fame, and love against the odds.
Critics Review
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“Helen Lloyd and Gerard Doyle’s polished performance…gives a clear distinction to the different timelines. Lloyd and Doyle are well matched, with both demonstrating excellent accents and characterizations. Their spot-on pacing keeps listeners engaged throughout this novel based on actual events.”
AudioFile
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“History’s inherited burden presses firmly on the characters...O’Callaghan moves his narrative deftly between the Vienna of the Anschluss, rural Austria before the Nazi takeover and early 1980s”
New York Times
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“O’Callaghan brings to life 1930s Austria and 1980s Ireland in this mesmerizing tale of love, soccer, and family secrets….O’Callaghan’s storytelling is magnetic.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“The poignant and passionate The Paper Man covers lost love, anguished lives, and the discovery of an enduring heritage.”
Foreword Reviews
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Billy O'Callaghan
- Narrator
- Gerard Doyle, Helen Lloyd
- Duration
- 8 hours 20 minutes
- Release Date
- 2 May 2023
- ISBN
- 9798212381680
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Historical crime and mysteries, Historical romance
Synopsis
A deeply moving interwar romance set between 1930s Austria and 1980s Ireland, based on a real-life unsolved mystery1930s Austria. Vienna is a bustling, cosmopolitan city on the brink of war. Matthias Sindelar is an internationally renowned soccer player known as “The Paper Man” because of his effortless weave across the field. When Sindelar speaks out against Hitler, his fame can’t protect him from being placed under Gestapo surveillance. Meanwhile, Sindelar falls in love with a young Jewish girl named Rebekah. As the atmosphere in Vienna darkens under the Nazi regime, Rebekah flees to relatives in Cork, Ireland. Only after she arrives there does she realize she is pregnant with Sindelar’s child. The following year, at the age of thirty-five, the Paper Man is found dead in his apartment.1980s Ireland. In the Jewish Quarter of Cork, Rebekah’s son Jack Shine discovers a bundle of German letters and newspaper clippings tied with a ribbon while sorting his mother’s belongings. With the help of his German-speaking father-in-law, Jack translates the letters and attempts to piece together his family history and, hopefully, solve the mystery of his father’s identity.Based on real people and true events, The Paper Man is the story of twentieth-century Europe, the Holocaust, the cost of fame, and love against the odds.
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