The New Life

A Novel

By: Tom Crewe

Narrated by: Freddie Fox

Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the Prix du Premier Roman Étranger, the Sunday Times Young Writer Award, the Betty Trask Prize, and the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature • Named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and The Times (London) • The Sunday Times (London) Novel of the Year • Shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction, the Polari Prize, and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction • Selected for Kirkus Reviews’s Best Fiction Books of the Year

A captivating and “remarkable” (The Boston Globe) debut that “brims with intelligence and insight” (The New York Times), about two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London.

In the summer of 1894, John Addington and Henry Ellis begin writing a book arguing that homosexuality, which is a crime at the time, is a natural, harmless variation of human sexuality. Though they have never met, John and Henry both live in London with their wives, Catherine and Edith, and in each marriage, there is a third party: John has a lover, a working-class man named Frank, and Edith spends almost as much time with her friend Angelica as she does with Henry. John and Catherine have three grown daughters and a long, settled marriage, over the course of which Catherine has tried to accept her husband’s sexuality and her own role in life; Henry and Edith’s marriage is intended to be a revolution in itself, an intellectual partnership that dismantles the traditional understanding of what matrimony means.

Shortly before the book is to be published, Oscar Wilde is arrested. John and Henry must decide whether to go on, risking social ostracism and imprisonment, or to give up the project for their own safety and the safety of the people they love.

A richly detailed, powerful, and visceral novel about love, sex, and the struggle for a better world, The New Life brilliantly asks: “What’s worth jeopardizing in the name of progress?” (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice).

©2023 Thomas Crewe. All rights reserved. (P)2023 Penguin Audio. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"British actor Freddie Fox gives a riveting performance of this historical novel. In 1894 London, Henry and John set out to write a scientific book criticizing Britain's unjust sodomy laws. They each have personal reasons for the undertaking, and when Oscar Wilde is arrested in the middle of it, the trial brings the tension between them to a head. Fox’s narration is brimming with life and movement; listening to it feels like watching a play. He gives Henry and John wonderfully distinct voices that highlight their different personalities and takes equal care with the rest of the characters. His attention to detail, along with his ability to capture the smallest shifts in accent and tone, is sublime. A triumphant performance of a complex, thought-provoking book." (AudioFile Magazine)

Compelling Story; Brilliant Narration

First and foremost, the narration by Freddie Fox is amazing. The author-narrator interview at the end of the book reveals how and why his intelligent, thoughtful approach as a professional actor--not just reader--elevates the listeners' experience. Surprising to know this is just the first full novel he has voiced. Every voice he created was unique, pleasant, consistently performed, and wholly consistent with the personality of the character.
Secondly, the book itself is an intriguing story, accurately grounded in historical context (the author confirms his reliance on the writings of John Addington Symonds and Havelock ellis in a postscript). The author carries us back into the 1890s using fresh language that is comfortable to contemporary ears, and only when a character reads from a letter or book, or delivers a speech, are we exposed to just the right amount of old language style to remind us of the time period.
I normally do not care for historical fiction, but I give this book the highest possible recommendation because of the superb writing combined with historical accuracy, interpreted in audible version by a highly skilled actor.

Incredible performance and book.

Bravo. Incredible performance, incredible book. This pivotal period of time comes alive in the characters and story.

Excellent

Loved it; many surprises and unexpected turns of events. So happy I heard this book.

Poetic Prose

Beautifully written. The epilogue is most informative. Freddie Fox did a fantastic job as narrator.

Beautifully written. Great performance!

I’ve listened to this twice. It was even better the second time through. The window into the minds of turn of the century people trying to navigate their sexuality when it was against the law and barely acknowledged was fascinating. The author writes beautiful prose. The super sensual sex scenes were some of the hottest and best written that I’ve encountered.
The reader delivers a nuanced and thoroughly enjoyable performance, creating a cast of easily distinguishable characters.

Freddie Fox does a stellar job

fascinating historical fiction with lots of details based on actual people and events but also gorgeous writing about sex and sexuality in Victorian England. a must read (and wonderful listen)!

Except story and narration

What an enjoyable story. Great character development and great research on the topic. One is really immersed in the tensions and struggles of the time dealing with the important issue to individual freedom and expression. Loved it!

Fascinating and amazingly done!

What a terrific surprise. Educational, enjoyable and thought provoking. Can’t wait for more from Tom Crewe.

Brilliant Novel with a Fabulous Reading

What a wonderful, historical novel written with care and delicacy. The characters are rich and authentic and the period details are closely observed. The way current events -- in this case Oscar Wilde's trial -- can so influence the path of one's individual life and work was particularly interesting; this subject isn't often depicted in such a clear and nuanced way. I loved Freddie Fox's performance and he did an excellent job with the women's voices too which can be problematic in many book readings. Btw, there is a terrific interview by the author with Freddie (after the too long list of references) which is well worth listening to.

Fascinating

Great performance. This was a fascinating period in history with the rise of modernism told in what was also a very dark period for gay men. It beautifully captures the struggle for true identity in the face of repressive social forces.