Discover Most Popular Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Top Rated

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Title: A Hundred Flowers

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Gail Tsukiyama

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-07-12

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 77 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A powerful new novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

China, 1957: Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society. Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend. Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Yings husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for reeducation.

A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the 100-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles 30 feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg. As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husbands absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

Members Reviews:

Excellent book about China revolution.

This is the story of a Chinese family whose father and grandfather were part of the educated class in 1957 when Mao Tse Tung said that there should be a hundred flowers meaning people should feel free to criticize constructively the Communist party. But when people did, he had them arrested and sent for re-education to labor camps. They arrested Shenn for sending such a letter. It turned out his father wrote the letter, but Shen took the punishment because he knew his father would never be able to survive labor camp. Shenns wife, Kai Ying, and his son, Tao, were very angry when they found out what happened. This family, taking in others who needed help as well, were surviving the grief of living without their father/husband/son. A very good book showing the very beginning of what turned out to be a nightmare history for China for the next 30 years. The author is interviewed at the end of the book.

A family's story in early Mao's China

When Mao Tse-Tung came into power in China he was supposedly improving the living conditions in China so that things would be more equal for all the people.In 1956, he instituted a new policy where he asked the people to help him with ideas to accomplish this goal.He said: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." BUT, after a few months of ideas asking for changes involving changing Mao's policies, a reign of dictatorship began that eventually ended in millions of citizen deaths in China.

As this story begins, Mao has just decided it's his way or no way. He ordered the round up of the intellectuals, wealthy families, artists, and everyone who dared to express anything but praise of Mao and his policies.

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Title: Zipporah, Wife of Moses

Author: Marek Halter

Narrator: Ellen Reilly

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-09-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the time of the Pharaoh, a tiny infant is rescued from the banks of the Red Sea. She is named Zipporah, "the little bird". Although she is a Cushite by birth, one of the black people of the lands to the south, she is taken in by Jethro, high priest and sage of the Midianites. Jethro adores his adopted daughter, and she is an honored member of his family. But the blackness of Zipporah's skin sets her apart and will decide her future: she will be an outsider, and the men of her adopted tribe will not want her as a wife.

But when she becomes a young woman, Zipporah's destiny changes forever. While drawing water at a well one day, she meets a handsome young man, a stranger. Like her, he is an outsider, a foreigner. His name is Moses. A Hebrew raised in the house of the Pharaoh, Moses is a fugitive, forced to flee his homeland of Egypt after murdering one of the Pharaoh's cruel overseers. Zipporah knows almost immediately that this man will be the husband and partner she never thought she would have.

At first Moses wants nothing more than a peaceful life with the Midianites. But Zipporah refuses to let Moses forget his past or turn away from what she believes to be his true destiny. Although he is the love of her life and the father of her children, Zipporah won't marry Moses until he agrees to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and free his people. When God reveals himself to Moses in the burning bush, his words echo Zipporah's, and Moses returns to Egypt with Zipporah by his side.

A woman ahead of her time, Zipporah leaps from the pages of this remarkable novel. Bold, independent, and a true survivor, she is a captivating heroine, and her world of deserts, temples, and ancient wonders is a fitting backdrop to an epic tale.

Critic Reviews:

"Halter includes many rich cultural details and plenty of steamy sex, and he strikes a balance on miraculous occurrences, offering plausible ideas for some while leaving others open to divine activity." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Outstanding telling of Moses!!!

This book speaks of the woman behind the man. It speaks of her qualities, her strengths and her weaknesses . It shows that she was real. She was a daughter, sister, woman, wife and mother. Truly an example for females even in this modern day!!

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Title: Casca the Cursed: Casca Series #18

Author: Barry Sadler

Narrator: Gene Engene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-12

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

This is audiobook #18 in the Casca Series.

Casca Longinus was cursed by Christ on Golgtha. Condemned to outlive the ages, and wander the globe a constant soldier. Forever fighting, surviving, and waiting for Christ to return. In this book, it is the turn of the century in colonial China, and Casca is a British soldier with a choice: a suicide mission, or the agony of death on the gallows.

To avoid the rope, he must penetrate the heart of the mysterious land and bring back word of the impending revolution. Captured and tortured by a warlord, his true identity is revealed. They call him Cas-Ca Sho (Of Long Life) and proclaim him a count. Now he must lead an army of a million subjects into the slaughter of revolt against the British.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Great book

Casca - great addition to my collection

Barry Sadler wrote a great series of books and The Cursed is a must to make the collection complete. I thoroughly enjoy Casca!

Five Stars

Arrived quickly and as advertised.

I enjoyed this series but why not keep original covers and ...

I enjoyed this series but why not keep original covers and why is the price so high for a digital copy from a dead author. Rest in Peace.

Fabio??

The story had some good parts, but the one thing that makes me want to puke is the friggin cover. Fabio? With not one scar? Man, this is just plain misleading. Casca is not some pretty boy, and even in #1 when he had very few scars...he still had scars. I have no idea whom the target audience was when this cover was done. Jeeez!

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Title: Woe to Live On

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Ron Rash (foreword), Daniel Woodrell

Narrator: Bernard Setaro Clark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-19-12

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 56 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Set in the border states of Kansas and Missouri, Woe to Live On explores the nature of lawlessness and violence, friendship and loyalty, through the eyes of young recruit Jake Roedel. Where he and his fellow First Kansas Irregulars go, no one is safe, no one can be neutral. Roedel grows up fast, experiencing a brutal parody of war without standards or mercy. But as friends fall and families flee, he questions his loyalties and becomes an outsider even to those who have become outlaws.

Members Reviews:

Totally original and true voice of Southern MO

If you could sum up Woe to Live On in three words, what would they be?

Realistic, Gritty, Outstanding!

What other book might you compare Woe to Live On to and why?

Books by Edward Abbey, Jim Harrison and Cormac McCarthy. The characters and the language. Not so much the scenery or landscape discriptions.

Any additional comments?

Daniel Woodrell is the only writer I have ever read who accurately uses the language of southern Missouri. Having grown up and presently living in a very small town in southeast MO myself (Eminence, MO about 50 miles from where the author resides) I am thrilled to read books written in the language of my home. I highly recommend all of Daniel Woodrell's books to anyone who is interested in peering thru a window into the modernday or historic Ozark hillbilly world.

A Different View Of The Civil War

If you could sum up Woe to Live On in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, Suspenseful, Unique

What other book might you compare Woe to Live On to and why?

Maybe Cold Mountain...

Which character as performed by Bernard Setaro Clark was your favorite?

All of them. He was great.

Any additional comments?

This is not only a well-written tale, it's also action packed historical fiction. I loved it. I'd love to see a movie come out of it.

If I Had Shotgun, I'd Blow You Straight to Hell

I think it takes a fellow Missourah boy to capture the heart, spirit and anger that the bushwhackers from Missourah must have felt protecting their women, property and parents from the nasty redlegs coming out of Lawrence. I reckon it was the time those sissy jayhawkers pistol-whipped a young lady that the heroes from Missourah felt obliged to strike Lawrence properly leaving very few men standing and zero women hurt. The only thing good to come out of that god forsaken city since is world class social workers and some sports ball team that is just a distraction along with all the other sports ball tribes from the sad reality that the federalists continue to rape the earth, poison the planet and attack every country standing in her way of more oil or opium.

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Title: Little Big Horn

Subtitle: A Radio Dramatization

Author: Jerry Robbins

Narrator: Jerry Robbins, The Colonial Radio Players

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-12

Publisher: The Colonial Radio Theatre on Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer leads his 7th Cavalry into the Valley of the Little Big Horn, and into eternity in this truly spectacular audio dramatization of the events that took place on June 25th, 1876. It was a horrific battle, which saw no true victors. Custer's command lost their lives. The Plains Indians lost their way of life.

With an exciting music score (using many themes from the actual 7th Cavalry song book), and thousands of sound effects, you will be right in the middle of the famous last stand on the Little Big Horn.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Enjoyed historical content

Very enjoyable

I got this for a friend who's great grandfather served with Custer at Bighorn as one of Custer's horse handlers. But he survived because he was was sick and confined to infirmary bed at Bighorn, and they wouldn't allow him to go into battle. My friend listened to it and said it was very historical and very entertaining.

little big horn

I took awhile to get here but when it did it was in great shape and the cost was very reaseable

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Title: Dynasty 12: The Victory

Author: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Narrator: Terry Wale

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-05-12

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

1803: Napoleon is poised to invade England, with only Nelson's weather-beaten ships in his way, but the French fleet are not the only threat to the fortunes of the Morland family. In the North of England, Mary Ann's relationship with the missionary, Father Rathbone, introduces her to the stark realities of life in plague-torn Manchester. In the South, Lucy's lover, Weston, is assigned to the blockade of Brest, while her neglected husband, Chetwyn, finally finds love in an affair which threatens him with disgrace and ruin.

From the fashionable salons of Beau Brummell's London to the shot-torn docks at Trafalgar, the Morlands face danger and personal tragedy, as well as love and fulfilment.

Members Reviews:

Following the family

I love the Morland books. They are interesting as novels but have a wonderful historical perspective. The history is very naturally included as part of the life of the people of the family and makes very clear how political and military events affect the life of the "family" we follow.

Of course, that's always true but reading history in this way makes it more alive and vivid. Cynthia Harrod Eagles is very skilled at doing just this.

I love Cynthia Herrod-Eagles' Dynasty series. Took over my life, in a very good way.

I stayed immersed in this series for several years. Well written, totally engrossing and educational.

Marine masterpiece

In 1803, Naopleon Buonaparte is set to invade England with a huge navy, leaving the English fleet of old, tired ships under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson to protect its shores. In this, the 12th in the Morland family series, affairs of the heart bode ill for many of its members. Lucy's estranged husband, Lord Chetwyn is allowing his affection for a young man to damage his credibility and that of his family, while Lucy's long time lover, Weston is away at sea for most of the time, blockading Brest, where the French fleet is tied up. At Morland Place in the north, James's wife, Mary Anne, spends as much time away with her father as she does at home and while there on a visit, suffers the consequences of mixing with the poor and diseased who are battling cholera. It's not a happy time for any of the family and I hope that it's merely a bridging time until the next episode.

excellent

Loved it. Only thing that lets it down once again are all the typing errors. They are a bit off-putting.

Dynasty 12

This book was very interesting. I had to read other history books at the same time as reading Dynasty 12 to help me to understand the history period

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Title: The Alamo

Subtitle: A Radio Dramatization

Author: Jerry Robbins

Narrator: The Colonial Radio Players, Jerry Robbins

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-12

Publisher: The Colonial Radio Theatre on Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna arrives in San Antonio with 6,000 troups and begins to besiege the Alamo for thirteen days. Flying a red flag and playing the El Deguello (cut the throat), Santa Anna signals that no quarter will be given to the defenders. You will be there with David Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, and 16-year-old David Cummings as they fight to the bitter end in this spectacular epic production of one of the worlds most famous battles.

Members Reviews:

Remember The Alamo!

This dramatization is delightfully accurate in the timeline and protrayal of one of Texas' largest disasters that ultimately rally's the Texicans to defeat General Santa Anna's army and win Independence for the Republic of Texas at San Jacinto. The cannonade, musket fire, and bayonnet will give you goosebumps and make you flinch and ache with pain due to the realizism of their sounds. Bowie, Crockett, and Travis all are played well, as are the young men central to the storyline who persue their dreams and passion from up North traveling to their goal of what is Texas. Only to give their lives in battling the Mexican army. If you are a history fan of the Alamo, this one will not disappoint at all. The final battle is accurate on it's beginning, the death of Travis, many of the defineders retreat into the long barracks, surprisingly pointing out defenders fleeing the Alamo itself only to be run down by lancers, and the final overwhelming of the fort. It should be a part of anyone's library who is a Texan or an Alamo history buff. The Colonial Theator gets a standing ovation on this one.

Coloial radio players

This one the "Alamo" was the third one in the series,that i have heard. This group does this on the radio each week so they are usally one disk But the are very good. Amazon did a great job on the speed of delivery

Five Stars

Another Great BOT!!!

The Alamo -- A Radio Play

Radio has been called the "theater of the mind." The Alamo, presented here for the first time as a radio dramatization, is a professional production that uses talented actors, realistic sound effects, and an able musical score to tell a story. Much like a good book, it will transport you to another place and time where you become more than a casual observer.

The story is told from the standpoint of a young David Cummings an actual Alamo defender from Pennsylvania and begins when he, like so many others, answers the call for volunteers in the Texas Revolution. We travel with Cummings to Texas and along the way meet a bevy of characters, some familiar others not-so-familiar.

This dramatization is just that, drama and as such is also entertainment and should not be taken by the listener to be an accurate reference resource. The writers stuck fairly close to history, but in some cases chose to take artistic license for the sake of telling a good story.

For example, our protagonist, David Cummings, who was 27 at the time of the siege, is suddenly 16 years old. I am not sure why the writers did this when they could have easily chosen other defenders who were that young or simply chosen someone else. This is not a detractor from the story because 99.9% of the population doesn't know David Cummings from Adam, so for most part it doesn't matter.

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Title: The Falcon Killer

Author: L. Ron Hubbard

Narrator: R. F. Daley, Chris Emerson, Jim Meskimen, Christina Huntington, Robert Wu, Mark Silverman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-23-11

Publisher: Galaxy Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Japanese military has turned the once-thriving Chinese city of Nencheng into a reeking pile of blood and ash. And now the Japanese Rising Sun threatens to scorch the ancientand oil-richKingdom of the Silver Lake. Can the Chinese survive the onslaught? Do they have a prayer?

The answer is about to fall out of the sky. He is The Falcon Killer. Chinas ace fighter pilot and scourge of the Japanese air force, he is in fact Bill Gaylord, an American orphaned and self-relianta man without a country and without fear. Like William Holden, hes the guy every man wants to be . . . and every woman wants to be with.

Shot down over Nencheng, Gaylord parachutes into the arms of the one woman who can give him reason to live . . . and to rejoin the fight against Japanas he squares off against their top spy. His prey is in his sights, and catching it will change everything . . . for The Falcon Killer.

As a young man, Hubbard visited Manchuria, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence in northern China. Hubbard gained a unique insight into the intelligence operations and spy-craft in the region as well as the hostile political climate between China and Japana knowledge that informs stories like The Falcon Killer.

Members Reviews:

Love these stories!!!

I love the old time,radio serial feel of these stories. The actors and story narrator are wonderful. Thanks fir the Thrilling adventures

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Title: News From Paraguay

Author: Lily Tuck

Narrator: Lisette Lecat

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Lily Tuck is a National Book Award winner and PEN/Faulkner Award finalist who is praised by The San Francisco Chronicle for her knack for shaving a scene to its essence. Set in the late 19th century, The News from Paraguay traces the colorful, ill-fated romance between an Irish courtesan and the flamboyant, self-indulgent man who becomes dictator of Paraguay. A mesmerizing blend of fact and fiction, it is reminiscent of works by Gabriel Garcia Márquez.

Members Reviews:

Reminiscence

This was a re-read for me. I was in the Peace Corps in Paraguay in the 1980's, and every so often I get an itch to go back to that environment. Lily Tuck's novelized account of the lives of Eliza Lynch and Francisco Solano Lopez is a good, if somewhat lightweight, account of those years. It moved me back into the sights and sounds, the smells, the language, of Paraguay, and was a very good read.

The relativity of being a kept woman

In life many things are relative. When is a woman a prostitute and when is she a kept woman? This is the question that I ask about Ella Lynch, the central character of Lily Tuck's THE NEWS FROM PARAGUAY.

Ella, a divorcee living in Paris, moves from her Russian lover to Franco, the son of the dictator of Paraguay. Judging Ella on 21st century norms, she was an abused woman and with that mindset the reader wants to know why she stayed. But the fact is, Ella had no place to go. Her fate was sealed when she left France with Franco and when get got pregnant. There was no way for her to turn back if she wanted to continue in the life style she wanted. She chose her fate when she hooked her wagon to Franco's star and his money and as a result she had to live with it. She had good times but also many bad times. It was her choice.

The book depicts the brutality of life in the 19th century and the role of women in a culture where men ruled with an iron fist. I thought many of the characters were predictable. It was not hard to predict that Franco would become more evil as he progressed.

This was an interesting read, but clearly not great. I felt that the reviews rated it far beyond it's real value.

Five Stars

A very good read!

and a wonderful peak at this little known history

Though ambitious....and a wonderful peak at this little known history....the writing was disappointing after Tuck's I Married You for Love....a profoundly moving novel about love and life and its gifts and disappointments...developed in a Woolfian, stream of consciousness sort of way...

Elegant and unconventional

One has to read this novel on its own terms. Many readers seem to have let their expectations prevent them from seeing the book for what it really is: an elegant work of imagination, observing few of the conventions of the historical novel. If you are looking for a romantic tale featuring characters with whom you feel an instant affinity, don't read this book. But if you are interested in the writer's craft, you will enjoy and admire this novel, and perhaps understand why it won the National Book Award.

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Title: The Settlers of Catan

Author: Rebecca Gable

Narrator: Ralph Lister

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-11

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 53 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 850. In the seas of northern Europe, the small coastal village of Elasund falls prey to marauding neighbors. Their food stores pillaged, women and children stolen, livestock destroyed, the villagers are left to barely survive the harsh winter - and contemplate a drastic solution to their recurring hardships: leaving the only village they have ever known. Foster brothers Candamir and Osmund lead their people on an epic quest to a mythic island home, but without knowledge of exactly where the island is, they must trust the gods to deliver them safely. Lost at sea and set adrift, an extraordinarily violent storm washes them ashore the island famed in pagan lore: Catan.

They quickly set about building a new society but old grudges, animosities, and social orders lead to fraternal strife. As the ideals of Candamirs Christian slave spread throughout the village and conflict with pagan law, the two belief systems clash. When both Osmund and Candamir fall in love with Siglind, the mysterious queen of the Cold Islands, things come to a head. Based on the wildly popular board game of the same name designed by Klaus Teuber, Rebecca Gables The Settlers of Catan is a must-read adventure rich in detail and rippling with intensity.

Members Reviews:

Too many sex scenes

I cannot recommend this book with the graphic sex scenes it has. This is Not appropriate for children which is why I got it. I wanted an audiobook our family could enjoy together. I had many places I had to skip so as not expose the children to sodomy, adultery, and fornication. The storyline would not have been affected had these perversions been left out. Too bad as would otherwise have been a fun book.

Not a book for children

this book contains adult content not suitable for children. I enjoyed the book but only because I really like the board game.

A long tale of Misery and woe

If this book wasnt for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I have no idea, to be honest im a tolerant man and I enjoyed parts of this book but there was so much doom and gloom. it actually got me down a bit. it was a story of a struggle and became a struggle to listen to.

What will your next listen be?

i think smthing with unicorns and fairies so i dont slit my own wrists.

What three words best describe Ralph Listers voice?

just about average

What character would you cut from The Settlers of Catan?

well you can really cut any of them as they all have a role in there.

Any additional comments?

right lads and ladies gaze here in horror on a tale of woe, more so than juliet and her oh no she dies. see thats what happens in this book. its about some people traveling to a far away land after the get raided in thier own and setting up a new life together. but far from trying to expand on new green world and play nice, they all want to kill and steal each other stuff or rape each other. heres the issue.

say you set up a world get me invested in the characters an then some one gets raped. its sad and horrible and you go oh no how will they survive and want to see what happens how they will struggle through. but then the person who just got raped has there brother killed and gets beaten up. your like oh my god . thats horrible im sad. how will they go on and survive.

then the person who is raped and beaten up has there house burnt down. and ur like ok does anything nice happen at all to this person? and then that person is raped again.