The Sparsholt Affair

A novel

By: Alan Hollinghurst

Narrated by: David Dawson

From the internationally acclaimed winner of the Man Booker Prize, a masterly new novel that spans seven transformative decades in England - from the 1940s to the present - as it plumbs the richly complex relationships of a remarkable family.

In 1940, David Sparsholt arrives at Oxford to study engineering, though his sights are set on joining the Royal Air Force. Handsome, athletic, charismatic, he is unaware of his effect on others - especially on Evert Dax, the lonely son of a celebrated novelist who is destined to become a writer himself. With the world at war, and the Blitz raging in London, Oxford nevertheless exists at a strange remove: a place of fleeting beauty - and secret liaisons. A friendship develops between these two young men that will have unexpected consequences as the novel unfolds.

Alan Hollinghurst's new novel explores the legacy of David Sparsholt across three generations, on friends and family alike; we experience through its characters changes in taste, morality, and private life in a sequence of vividly rendered episodes: a Sparsholt holiday in Cornwall; eccentric social gatherings at the Dax family home; the adventures of David's son Johnny, a painter in 1970s London; the push and pull in a group of friends brought together by art, literature, and love. And evoking the increasing openness of gay life, The Sparsholt Affair becomes a meditation on human transience, even as it poignantly expresses the longing for permanence and continuity. Witty, tender, epic in scope yet rich in observation, this is a dazzling novel of fathers and sons; of family and home by a writer hailed by The Wall Street Journal as "one of the best novelists at work today".

©2018 Alan Hollinghurst (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Masterful - written in elegant, captivating prose. The story sweeps along in five interlinked sections, in which the characters move through different stages of their lives and their country’s history. Hollinghurst shines a clarifying light on the gay and art worlds through decades of British cultural and political change. In this magnificent novel, Hollinghurst is at the height of his powers." (Publishers Weekly)

"Thrilling; fascinating...a novel full of life and perception. A man’s inability to be honest about his sexuality has scandalous, and brutally public, consequences for several generations. Hollinghurst tracks the vast, transformative changes in gay life over many decades. Part of Hollinghurst's bold talent in this novel, as in his previous work, is to make it evident that lust, sex, and who does what with whom in the bedroom (and even how) are fitting, and insightful, subjects of literary fiction." (Kirkus)

"David Dawson is masterful with dialogue, and there can be no better qualification for the narrator of this vast and engrossing audiobook.... Dawson's ear for personality, class, regional speech, and the accents of different periods is uncanny. An impressive performance." (AudioFile)

Delightful meandering

David Dawson gives life to the words that Alan Hollinghurst strung together so beautifully. I would probably never read this book but I’m already listening to it again.

Nothing happens. I'm ashamed to be gay.

The characters are so vapid and selfish that I was embarassed by them. Plot wise, nothing interesting happened. At all. There was the potential to take the story in different, compelling, directions, but the author never did. Dawsons narration was sexy and the only redeeming part of the listening experience. Kudos to him for trying to spin gold out of straw.

henry james improved for our age

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

the prose is so stunningly fine it takes your breath away....i have read all of his work and i find this is his finest

What other book might you compare The Sparsholt Affair to and why?

a stranger's child

Which character – as performed by David Dawson – was your favorite?

ivan

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

awe at what a well educated intellect is capable of in these sad times for the world

Any additional comments?

world goes to hell and i cling to a hollinghurst novel as a life-raft

Perfect narration of a very fine novel

Rarely does the reader so perfectly present a complex story filled with wonderfully written characters.

great book

love the characters and the story, beautifully done. the transitions were fantastic, could close my eyes and picture it all in my mind.. thank you.

Beautifully written book

I am a huge fan of Alan Hollinghurst and think this is his best book, so far, although I loved The Line of Beauty too. The rich detail of the telling of this story comes through beautifully.

The narrator was excellent. His ability with different voices was superb and enriched the experience of reading this book. Bravo!

Didn’t want it to end.

I really enjoyed this book. The narration was excellent- all the voices and dialects very believable. Like some other reviewers, I didn’t want this book to end. I kept the speed at 1.0 the entire book to savor it.
Beautifully written. Interesting and well developed characters.

Loved this

This is an enchanting novel with a superb narrator. I didn't want it to end!

Perfect listen!

Another great Hollinghurst story.
Narrator spot on!
Perfect blend of story, family, history and art.

Epic

Absolutely phenomenal! This book is epic and sprawling in scope, but intimate and beautiful in detail. One of the best I’ve read/listened to in a long time.