The Palace at the End of the Sea, Simon Tolkien
The Palace at the End of the Sea, Simon Tolkien
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The Palace at the End of the Sea
A Novel

Author: Simon Tolkien

Series: Theo Sterling

Narrator: Thom Rivera

Unabridged: 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/01/2025

Synopsis

A young man comes of age and crosses continents in search of an identity—and a cause—at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War in a thrilling, timely, and emotional historical saga.New York City, 1929. Young Theo Sterling’s world begins to unravel as the Great Depression exerts its icy grip. He finds it hard to relate to his parents: His father, a Jewish self-made businessman, refuses to give up on the American dream, and his mother, a refugee from religious persecution in Mexico, holds fast to her Catholic faith. When disaster strikes the family, Theo must learn who he is. A charismatic school friend and a firebrand girl inspire him to believe he can fight Fascism and change the world, but each rebellion comes at a higher price, forcing Theo to question these ideologies too.From New York’s Lower East Side to an English boarding school to an Andalusian village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Theo’s harrowing journey from boy to man is set against a backdrop of societies torn apart from within, teetering on the edge of a terrible war to which Theo is compulsively drawn like a moth to a flame.

About Simon Tolkien

Simon Tolkien was born in England in 1959 and grew up in a small village outside Oxford. His grandfather was J.R.R. Tolkien, professor of philology and the author of The Lord of the Rings. Simon was educated by Benedictine monks at Downside School, and then went on to Oxford University, where he studied Modern History at Trinity College. Since 1994, he has been a successful barrister in London, specializing in criminal justice, where, according to British custom, he regularly appears on behalf of both the prosecution and the defense. His wife, Tracy, is an American who owns a vintage clothing store in Kings Road, Chelsea. They have two children and live in London.

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Quotes

“Thom Rivera performs the story of Theo Sterling, a New York boy whose Mexican Jewish family suffers terrible hardship during the Great Depression. Rivera's strongly masculine voice is surprisingly suitable for young Theo, who is wise beyond his years due to his challenging experiences on the Lower East Side, and later at an English boarding school.… Rivera employs a range of mostly subtle accents. Theo is drawn into the politics and horrors of the Spanish Civil War and learns to question loyalty, the ownership of wealth, and his own identity.” —AudioFile Magazine“This coming-of-age tale is the first of a duology, establishing Theo’s foundation up to the start of the Spanish Civil War…Readers will be eager to see whether he’s ready for the fight that is to come in the next installment.” —Booklist“A book rich with lyricism as well as pain…” —Historical Novels Review“[A] fascinating, emotionally and intellectually engaging read from cover to cover…With a genuine flair for authenticity of detail and the kind of narrative storytelling style that holds the reader’s full attention for start to finish.” —Midwest Book Review

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