My Father's House

By: Joseph O'Connor

Narrated by: Barry Barnes, Stephen Hogan, Barnaby Edwards, Laurence Bouvard, Aoife Duffin, Gertrude Thoma, David John, Roberto Davide, Thomas Hill

Brought to you by Penguin.

September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war's outcome is far from certain.

An Irish priest, Hugh O'Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world's smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. Here Hugh brings together an unlikely band of friends to hide the vulnerable under the noses of the enemy.
But Hauptmann's net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmastime, it's too late to turn back.

Based on an extraordinary true story, My Father's House is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O'Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.

© Joseph O'Connor 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

Critic reviews

A spectacular, thrilling novel...suspense crackles...celebrates triumphant against-the-odds camaraderie.

O'Connor is on stellar form with this ensemble thriller ...while the story's inbuilt tension urges you on, it's the sheer vigour of O'Connor's beautifully turned phrases that really makes the book sing...an expert storyteller

A literary thriller of the highest order. The incarnation of O'Flaherty, the Irish Oskar Schindler, is sublime. What often elevates a writer is compassion, and O'Connor has it in spades... Beautifully crafted, his razor-sharp dialogue is to be savoured, and he employs dark humour to great effect. The plot twists keep on coming

Breathtakingly good writing - O'Connor puts you right there, centre stage in the story and never lets you go (Peter James)

The novel's evocative scene-setting, its propulsive narration and its powerful depiction of bravery and unity in extremis, all make for an engrossing read.

Thrilling... Based on true events, this tense, gripping narrative is rendered in beautifully evocative prose

Impressive and pleasurable...the diverse ventriloquism of O'Connor's novel evokes a city in peril with wonderful vitality

A tale worth re-telling, adorned as it is by the brilliants of O'Connor's impressionistic writing (Best New Thrillers)

A powerful portrait of extraordinary courage

Precisely choreographed... We eagerly follow the characters through uncertainty and disappointment as well as high-stakes jeopardy. O'Connor is playing with the possibilities of multiple narrators, and thinking also about plurality, reliability and the historical record

A Tremendous listen.

A book in which the “ hero “ is sadly an oft forgotten Irishman detailing “ the choir” and the elaborate underground plan which saved the lives of over 6000 people during the occupation of Rome by the Nazis .
Joseph O Conor is a master of descriptive writing through which I was transported to another era quite completely .
Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend highly

Takes a while to get going but a good read

I don't know if it was because I started this book slowly and maybe as a result dropped elements of the plot but I struggled to join all the dots in the early chapters and to understand the characters and how they all fitted together but after a few hours of reading it started to come together. I live in Rome so it was enjoyable to see the story built around some of the areas that I know. Its strange that its listed as Book 1 of a trilogy as the others don't seem to exist yet, I guess the author is confident of his ability to deliver the rest.

Story and writing are brilliant

The telling of the story (fictionalized version of a historical story) and quality of the writing (reviewers point to the “turns of phrase”, and I only wish I could be as clever when I speak!) are superb. Unlike the other reviewers, I was not enthralled with the performance. It was a mixed bag. Some were very good, some were quieter than others, so I had to adjust the volume depending upon who was speaking. But the performer I found most difficult was whoever played Enzo. His accent made it difficult for me to understand his English at times. It was too exaggerated. I know he’s Italian. There are many Audible books that have one narrator who can do multiple voices and accents, and I think they surpass the quality of this mixed bag. But, as you can see, I still gave 5 stars overall because the book is definitely not to be passed over because of the narration quality. It’s a great listen and inspiring story. I’m looking forward to the next volume.

Surprisingly engrossing book

Accounts of Resistance heroism in occupied countries during WWII are fairly thick on the ground. This one distinguishes itself by a clever structure, well-defined and sympathetic characters, a genuine build-up of tension and a most vivid evocation of Rome. Highly recommended.

Beautiful allround

Wonderful novel, exceptional production which I will revisit often. Well done, thank you for this gem.