The Wide World, Pierre Lemaitre
The Wide World, Pierre Lemaitre
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The Wide World
A Novel

Author: Pierre Lemaitre

Narrator: Philip Bird

Unabridged: 17 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/05/2023


Synopsis

This electrifying novel of passion, greed, murder, and revenge follows the sweeping saga of one prominent French family in postwar Paris, Beirut, and Saigon. The Pelletiers are a prominent French family living in Beirut. The patriarch, Louis, has built a successful business that he hopes to pass on to his eldest son. With no head for management, Jean nearly runs the company into the ground, then marries a materialistic young woman who insists they emigrate to Paris and join high society. But there's another reason Jean must leave—he has committed a terrible crime...

Youngest son Etienne is sent to make his fortune in Saigon. Soon, he begins investigating a covert scheme to channel smuggled goods and cash to the Viet Minh. But the evidence he amasses presents a real threat to his own life.

François, the middle brother, arrives in Paris and tries his hand at journalism. His career begins to take off when he starts covering the brutal murder of an actress that seems part of a pattern of killings. But the killer he’s chasing is closer to him than he realizes.

Epic in scope, and a vivid depiction of French life in the booming postwar years, TheGreatWorld is a riveting saga at once gripping and classic.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Esti on April 08, 2023

Esta es una novela que va de menos a más y a más. Al principio me he preguntado: pero esto ¿qué es?¿la tontería de un autor de renombre que se pone a escribir cualquier cosa para publicar su enésimo libro? Pues no. Cuando ya te dejas llevar y te acomodas un poco, la cosa cambia. La pluma afilada de......more

Goodreads review by Sara on February 03, 2023

Es superior a mis fuerzas, lo confieso. Tengo una pila de libros por leer y me prometí que no tocaría a Lemaitre hasta acabar por lo menos un par de los pendientes. Una vez más, me defraudé. Lemaitre es mi debilidad desde que me lo descubrió Mabi, hace ya unos cuantos años, cuando me recomendó leer......more

Goodreads review by La pecera de Raquel on April 12, 2024

Primera parte de una tetralogía, donde el autor nos da a conocer a la familia Pelletier, dedicada a la fabricación en Beirut, con cuatro hijos que ya vuelan fuera del hogar familiar. No le falta de nada. Reseña completa: [URL not allowed]......more

Goodreads review by Lucia on April 09, 2024

Con esta novela comienza la ¿trilogía?¿saga?de los años gloriosos.Vamos a encontrarnos con la familia Pelletier, una familia peculiar, donde cada uno de los integrantes tiene su cosa, su tara, su forma de ser o de pensar … algo que me ha gustado mucho. . Ambientada en varios lugares Paris, Beirut y Sa......more

Goodreads review by Miguel on February 04, 2025

4.5⭐️ Me ha recordado al Lemaitre de "Nos Vemos Allí Arriba", no se me ha hecho largo aunque algunas subtramas sí se me han hecho más pesadas que otras, casi como si fueran circulares sin ningún propósito de hacerlas avanzar hasta las últimas 100 páginas de la novela. Todo sea dicho, la trama central......more


Quotes

Praise for All Human Wisdom:

"Terrific . . . Easily the most purely entertaining novel I have read so far this year."—David Mills, The Sunday Times

"A really excellent suspense novelist."—Stephen King

Praise for The Great Swindle:

"Mr. Lemaitre's background in crime fiction shows through in the intricate plotting and suspenseful pacing of The Great Swindle, which at times reads like a thriller. Its characters harbor so many secrets that part of the enjoyment in the book comes from seeing how the author plans to disentangle them."—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

"A masterly epic of post-war France, where impostures triumph and capitalists grow rich from the ruins."—Macha Séry, Le Monde

"Lemaitre's tale is carefully researched, and most of the story's value lies in its historical authenticity . . . the battlefield and hospital scenes convey Lemaitre's mastery of imagery."—Kirkus Reviews