Caledonian Road

By: Andrew O'Hagan

Narrated by: Michael Abubakar

A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, THE SPECTATOR, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, INDEPENDENT, SCOTSMAN AND THE NEW YORKER

'Extraordinary.' MARINA HYDE
'Pitch-perfect.' OBSERVER
'An utter joy to read.' MONICA ALI
'Majestic.' INDEPENDENT
'A masterpiece.' JOHN LANCHESTER
'Addictively enjoyable.' GUARDIAN
'Sensational.' IRISH INDEPENDENT

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION

He always knew: when his life came tumbling down, it would occur in public.

Campbell Flynn is fuelled by an appetite for wealth and admiration, controversy and novelty. An art historian and celebrity pundit, he has enjoyed a charmed career rubbing shoulders with oligarchs and aristocrats, fashion designers and fine artists, at ease with the highbrow and the mainstream.

Only now, the world is changing. Over the course of an incendiary year a web of secrets and crimes will be revealed, and Campbell Flynn may not be able to protect himself from the shattering exposure of all his privilege really involves.

Andrew O'Hagan's novel Caledonian Road was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 31/03/2024

©2024 Andrew O'Hagan (P)2024 Faber & Faber

Worth the trip down this long and winding road.

Look, I almost gave up on this book - it seemed to be all character exposition and no action - but I went back to it and was glad I did. A complex interweaving of plots exposing modern life and its vanities. Trollope-esque. Worth the trip.
Good narration. SO many accents! But, as usual, an epic fail with the Australian accent. Just don't bother, guys. Do cockney if you must.

Recognition

Engrossing. Surprising. Every one of those words rang true. Depressing and exhilarating at the same time.

Wonderful!

What a great follow-up to Mayflies. A hugely engaging and current story with excellent narration.

Really strong, complex characters. Great story. Touching moments, brilliant challenges.

Loved the attention to detail in the author’s language choices and the callbacks in the overarching themes. Really enjoyed how recognisable the characters are and how many moments made me squirm in my seat. A deep moral spring clean and a great story.

Only missed five stars in the story category because I found some of the painful sections a little too long; they are not overly gratuitous, given the themes he is working with.

Brilliantly read

Thought provoking about the world we find ourselves in. The old and the new. Sad that the anarchist wins the day with old world sentiment right there. Selfrighteous and the old manifested in the new. But that is the human condition.