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The President's Hat
- Narrated by: Luke Thompson, Peter Noble, David Timson, Sandra Duncan, Jane Collingwood, Rebecca Egan
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Dining alone in an elegant Parisian brasserie, accountant Daniel Mercier can hardly believe his eyes when President François Mitterrand sits down to eat at the table next to him. After the presidential party has gone, Daniel discovers that Mitterrand’s black felt hat has been left behind. After a few moments’ soul-searching, Daniel decides to keep the hat as a souvenir of an extraordinary evening. It’s a perfect fit, and as he leaves the restaurant Daniel begins to feel somehow...different.
Winner: Prix Relay des Voyageurs, Laureat 2012
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What listeners say about The President's Hat
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amber
- 10-25-13
You need this book. I need that hat.
This was my book club's read this month and I have to say that I wasn't too eager to read this. I thought it sounded kind of silly and thought it wouldn't be my type of book. What a nice surprise to find out that I was wrong. I thought this book was awesome. It was unique and whimsical. The story takes place in France in the 1980s. If you read the book's description you'll see that President Francois Mitterrand leaves his black felt hat in a Parisian brasserie. Daniel Mercier, an accountant, who happens to be eating dinner at a table next to Mitterrand notices the hat. Being a bit starstruck, Daniel Mercier picks it up and keeps it for himself. This action completely changes Daniel Mercier's life. I don't want to spoil such a cool story, so I will just say that the hat takes the reader on an interesting journey. For such a short book, Laurain knows how to paint descriptions of characters, food, smells, etc., in such a intelligent and concise way that I haven't encountered before. He describes things perfectly and then he moves along. The narration was spot on and I really enjoyed listening to all the French words and accents. It was an added bonus that I feel that the reader would miss out on by just reading the book. Suffice it to say, I will be looking out for more books from Antoine Laurain in the future.
9 people found this helpful
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- Robin
- 10-28-16
A really smart plot
Such a clever story, and well narrated! My only issue with this book is that I wish it had been longer. Well worth an Audible credit, even though it might seem unremarkable from the synopsis.
2 people found this helpful
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- K. C.
- 03-04-19
What a fun story!
Loved it! Great little story about a very special hat. Another, very original and slightly magical story by the man who wrote the "The Little Red Notebook." I'm not sure how many of his books have been translated into English, but I hope to find more. Loved the characters and the story.
1 person found this helpful
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- Krobak
- 11-17-15
Delightful
A wonderful read with a delightful story. Well worth the short amount of time it will take to read.
1 person found this helpful
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- AZ dude
- 07-19-15
Great story and told very well
Super story and this recording is amazing gigging you the sense of being right there! The best
1 person found this helpful
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- l
- 02-18-14
not what I expected
Would you consider the audio edition of The President's Hat to be better than the print version?
probably
Which scene was your favorite?
The resturant
Any additional comments?
The story seemed unfinished somehow, perhaps it is me. I do not care for switchbacks.
1 person found this helpful
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- BL
- 01-17-14
A Delight
Enjoyed both the story and each of the narrators. Clever and charming. Must admit I failed to understand the ending -will listen again.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jami
- 12-30-19
Fun, Entertaining Listen
After reading The Red Notebook, I wanted to give another one of his books a try. I'm glad I did; this was another quick, entertaining read. The tour of the hat was fun and I liked how everything was wrapped up. I listened to this on audible, and the narrator was good as well; I laughed when he was talking about watching Knight Rider (this was in France; I didn't realize that show was aired there) and doing an American accent mocking the intro.
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- Cary
- 11-19-19
Wonderful all around...
Delightful novella that captures ones imagination... matched by a terrific series of English narrators whose French is parfait!
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- Java junkie
- 07-30-19
Clever story - well done!
I loved this quirky little story! Yes, it's really about a hat...or rather, all the people that come in contact with the hat. This would be the perfect book for an afternoon drive. It's short, not too heavy, and much more fun than I was expecting.
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- Elizabeth B.
- 09-22-16
Couldn't hold my attention
What would have made The President's Hat better?
Probably being French, as a non French person I didn't really appreciate why it would be so exciting to steal the presidents hat, I guess when your country has a queen, presidents aren't that important.
Has The President's Hat put you off other books in this genre?
No I might try others
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
The narrators read very clearly although a bit flat at times.
What character would you cut from The President's Hat?
I'm afraid I didn't listen to it all as I found it boring so couldn't answer this question.
Any additional comments?
There was far to much boring details, I Really don't need to know every movement a waiter made while opening a bottle or the number of the train they were waiting for, maybe someone who is interested in train numbers would find it fascinating!
3 people found this helpful
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- Waggy From Derby
- 06-25-21
a masterpiece of story telling
no murder to investigate, no psychological drama, just a simple story of a hat that changed many lives
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-27-21
Beautifully narrated
I would of struggled reading this but really enjoyed it on audible. A must listen!
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-17-21
A Delightful Listen!
In these times of doom and gloom The President's Hat was a lovely contrast to everyday life. A quirky tale of fate, change, aspiration and achievement. I loved the descriptions of Paris and the vignettes of each of the characters, who were all read by different people. A great escape from COVID19!
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- Dream-Cloud
- 02-09-21
An original and enjoyable short read
I wasn’t sure where this was going at first but stuck with what appeared at first to be a series of short interconnected stories. Very cleverly done.
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- Helen SJ
- 12-29-20
Absolutely Brilliant.
I have read this book multiple times. Each time is as pleasurable as the last.
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- K. A. Mosedale
- 02-22-20
Quirky and great fun
A relatively short listen, but a lovely, quirky story about people whose lives intersect because of a hat.
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- G
- 09-19-19
Super Book
Loved it, novel idea, told from different perspectives. A quick easy read. Would definitely recommend.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-30-19
fabulous
lovely story very well told only problem was too short. a sort of adult fairy story ! pure fantasy loved it
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- Gemma M.
- 05-04-18
Joyful
Loved the story and great readers but would have been more immersive with French accents.