Discover Most Popular Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Top Rated

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Title: The Well and the Mine

Author: Gin Phillips

Narrator: T. J. Kenneally, Margaret Nichols

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-09

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For the Moore family, focused on helping anyone in need during the Great Depression, the apparent murder forces them to face the darker side of their community and question the motivations of family and friends. Backbreaking work keeps most of the townspeople busy from dawn to dusk, and racial tensions abound. For parents, it's a time when a better life for the children means sacrificing health, time, and every penny that can be saved. For a miner, returning home after work is a possibility, not a certainty.

However, next to daily thoughts of death, exhausting work, and race are the lingering pleasures of sweet tea, feather beds, and lightning bugs yet to be caught.

Members Reviews:

Uplifting Depression Era Novel

This is a wonderful novel about a very strong family living though very hard times. All the characters are so believable and the reader is transported to another place and time. I look forward to Gin Phillips' next book.

A swing and a miss

I would dearly love for someone to write a really good historical novel about Alabama coals towns of the early twentieth century. I've read interviews with folks who lived in these towns and worked in the mines, and their stories are often gripping--the efforts to organize that were met with brutality and injustice, the unbelievably difficult and dangerous work, the enormous love that the people of the towns felt for one another and their community. By comparison, The Well and the Mine is pretty tepid stuff. It also fails to leave this time and take the reader to another. The Moore family is a contemporary white middle-class family plopped into a historical setting. They have the values and attitudes applauded by our time. Albert Moore is a miner, yet manages to own land and buy his momma a house. So few miners were able to own homes or land, at least not in their young lives. Their wages were too poor and too inconsistent, especially in the Depression years. That the Moore family does a bit of farming on the side is nothing out of the ordinary. Most miners kept a garden and a milch cow. Ultimately, The Well and the Mine is didactic and a bit preachy. Reads like young adult fiction.

Great Escape!

I really enjoyed this book.It took me back to my childhood watching The Waltons.Anyone who enjoys that type of family story telling will surely enjoy this book.It is told from the 1st person perspective of 5 family mambers,but mostly from 2 sisters 14 and 9 yrs of age.From the start I was hooked,wanting to know what would happen next.Was sorry when it ended.

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Title: The American River

Subtitle: Rivers West

Author: Gary McCarthy

Narrator: Michael Taylor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

While the two adventurers follow new fortunes westward, the ill-fated Donner Party is mired in the grip of frozen death high in the Sierra Nevadas. Suddenly, Sutter and Beck are torn between the hot winds of revolution, and the desperate pleas of the trapped immigrant party. Little do they know of the icy horrors under the snows of the mountain pass. At stake is the greatest agricultural empire in California - Sutter's Fort - on the banks of the wide American River.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Good and on time.

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Title: Casca: The Assassin

Subtitle: Casca Series, Book 13

Author: Barry Sadler

Narrator: Gene Engene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Now known as "Kasim The Spear", Casca is captured by fanatical Hashishi tribesmen. He is forced to commit murder after murder until the earth seems soaked with the blood of Hassan al Sabah's enemies.

Living under a curse from the lips of the crucified Christ on the hill of Golgotha in centuries past, the eternal mercenary must endure the horror of thousands of deaths, until, with his always growing skill at arms, he can claim a life of his own. Forever a fighting man, surviving many seemingly mortal wounds and condemned to outlive the ages, Casca waits for the one who cursed him to return.

This is audiobook 13 in the Casca Series.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

I'm a Barry Sadler fan. This did not let me down.

Five Stars

A fantastic read, fun and imaginative!

Book Review

No problems whatsoever, received product in timely manner. Was in good shape as noted. Appreciate the timely service because it was a gift.

NOT THE BEST IN THE SERIES

I gave this one three stars rather than the two I probably should, due simply to the fact that it is a Casca book and is supposedly by Sadler. This is number thirteen in the series and is certainly not up to the good read the first several books were. I rather think I agree with the other reviewer here in that I suspect that this was, at least in part, written by someone other than the author, i.e. Sadler. The story seems rather thrown together and almost follows some sort of formula. Certainly the spirt of Casca was not there. On the other hand, reading it did me no real harm, it was kinda fun, and only took a couple of short sessions. Recommend it simply as it is a part of the series, but don't expect too much out of this one. On the other hand again, it is still far, far better than the recent two attempts by the publisher to bring back Casca.

Casca The Assassin is Assassinated

I was quite disappointed with this story - it had the feel of being rushed through and had far too many convenient meetings and solutions at the end. Some of Sadler's books are good in parts, others good all through. This was assassinated after about one third of the way in! Maybe it was written in one afternoon and there were cakes in the oven... not one of his best but a few good points? Well, the induction into the Assassins was well written and the Arabic characterization was good.

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Title: The Other Queen

Author: Philippa Gregory

Narrator: Bianca Amato, Dagmara Dominczyk, Graeme Malcolm

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-08

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 136 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The newly-married couple welcome the doomed queen into their home, certain that serving as her hosts and jailers will bring them an advantage in the cutthroat world of the Elizabethan court. To their horror, they find that the task will bankrupt them, and as their home becomes the epicenter of intrigue and rebellion against Elizabeth, their loyalty to each other and to their sovereign comes into question. If Mary succeeds in seducing the earl into her own web of treachery and treason, or if the great spymaster William Cecil links them to the growing conspiracy to free Mary from her illegal imprisonment, they will all face the headsman.

Philippa Gregory uses new research and her passion for historical accuracy to place a well-known heroine in a completely new tale full of suspense, passion, and political intrigue. For years, readers have clamored for Gregory to tell Mary's story, and The Other Queen is the result of her determination to present a novel worthy of this extraordinary heroine.

Members Reviews:

Not up to usual standards

I have read all of Ms Gregories books about the Tudor family and I was disappointed in this one. I had wondered for years about Mary Queen of Scots but I had trouble being very interested in this. It was easy to start and stop not coming back for weeks at a time. I felt that there was very little history involved and didn't learn anything about Mary. Will think before getting another book like this.

Basic

I find this time period fascinating, but after reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I must admit my expectations were not very high. I was hoping for a fuller story of Mary. Her time in captivity is rather dull actually, and with the exception of a few intrigues and plots, not much happened. Mary's younger life is more interesting- trying to avoid Henry VIII by marrying a prince of France, then having him die, not to mention all the drama when she was pregnant with James and had to be rushed to the castle from Hollyrood and protected from her own husband... all that excitement and not much was mentioned in the book. It's a basic story, but if it's you're first time learning of the Scottish queen it could be enjoyable.

The Other Queen

When this book first came out I was to busy to read it. It was worth the wait, excellent book.

Very good

Very good story but not my favorite, maybe because it was about just one Queen and not several characters. But it was still good, not a disappointment.

Two Queens is One too many.

*SPOILERS* I love Philippa Gregory books. The audiobooks are so supurbly done, as well. This is the last in the Tudor Court Series and it was a good one. It seems like every time I finish the book before and feel badly for the previously betrayed/abused/ignored heir or heiress they show up in the next book to be the tyrant putting the royal screws to the NEXT poor heir or heiress! Elizabeth is show to be paranoid and a tyrant at Cecil's bidding, but in other books she is to be given pity by the reader. THIS is why court intrigue is fun to read about. Bastard or not, everyone is in line for the throne in some way and could be hoisted up to that place and dragged back down again. Mary and Elizabeth should have joined forces and took on the male dominated world, but instead had their own agendas including Protestants versus Catholics. Good book. Good series.

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Title: America America

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Ethan Canin

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 09-02-08

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the early 1970s, Corey Sifter, the son of working-class parents, becomes a yard boy on the grand estate of the powerful Metarey family. Soon, through the family's generosity, he is a student at a private boarding school and an aide to the great New York senator Henry Bonwiller, who is running for president of the United States. Before long, Corey finds himself involved with one of the Metarey daughters as well, and he begins to leave behind the world of his upbringing. As the Bonwiller campaign gains momentum, Corey finds himself caught up in a complex web of events in which loyalty, politics, sex, and gratitude conflict with morality, love, and the truth.

America America is a beautiful novel about America as it was and is, a remarkable exploration of how vanity, greatness, and tragedy combine to change history and fate.

Members Reviews:

elegant and thought-provoking

great story, great narrator, but you have to listen carefully or you may miss key plot moments. i love Ethan Canin and this novel is a thoughtful portrayl of American politics, public and private values, family and growing-up. I will say, there are definite shades of the Kennedy legacy and Chappaquidick that are kind of obvious from the beginning, but there are plenty of other surprises that keep you interested until the end.

Kept me listening even when I shouldn't have been

Just an engrossing, fast moving story set during an historical period I knew little about so I learned something too. Good characters and not so many you were confused but enough to keep things interesting and move the story from several different perspectives.

Great Story

What did you love best about America America?

I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes I had a hard time switching back and forth from present time to the past, but overall it was awesome. Very thought provoking.

Canin missed opportunity

I have always been a big fan of Ethan Canin so I was very excited to start listening to America, America. I was quite disappointed in the overall story. There is a great story there, but Mr. Canin failed to draw it out. The story lost energy when the author tried to be a little too clever in trying to surprise the reader along the way in a very understated way. It had so many possibilities that I wished it could be revisited. Still, it is better than most books so deserves the 3 stars.

compelling, moving, memorable

This is a very interesting book, well written and fascinating about people and power and politics. I thought about the characters long after I finished listening.

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Title: The Story of a Marriage

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Andrew Sean Greer

Narrator: S. Epatha Merkerson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-08

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 81 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful young housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District in San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived and tried to protect her family are thrown into doubt. Does she know her husband at all? And what does the stranger want in return for his offer of a hundred thousand dollars? For six months in 1953 young Pearlie Cook struggles to understand the world around her, and most especially her husband, Holland.

Pearlie's story is a meditation not only on love but also on the effects of war, with one war recently over and another coming to a close. Set in a climate of fear and repression - political, sexual, and racial - The Story of a Marriage portrays three people trapped by the confines of their era, and the desperate measures they are prepared to take to escape it. Lyrical and surprising, The Story of a Marriage looks back at a period that we tend to misremember as one of innocence and simplicity.

Critic Reviews:

"Andrew Sean Greer is a devastating new writer." (Michael Cunningham)"[Greer] has an eerie maturity not often found in young novelists. His prose, incantatory but not overheated, idles along with a top-hatted, almost courtly elegance." (

The San Francisco Chronicle)

Members Reviews:

disappointed as well

I too was disappointed by this book. Somehow it felt too wordy -- I almost felt like the story could have been told in a short story more effectively. I didn't understand the motivation behind the actions of various characters, and I could predict what was going to happen at the denouement. I gave the novel three stars for managing to grab my attention for at least a while. "The Confessions of Max Tivoli" is a much better read.

A Disappointment

After reading The Confessions of Max Tivoli, I could hardly wait to read the next book from this author. What a disappointment! It was so incredibly unbelievable and completely uncomfortable to read. The characters actions and reactions and the scenarios did not seem plausible or real. By the end of the book, I didn't really even care what happened to anyone!

Maybe it's me.....

After reading the rave reviews I decided to listen to this book. I'm at a loss for the rave reviews. While listening, most times, I felt

like I had walked in the middle of the characters conversation.

The characters seemed to talk in code to each other and I was not privy to what that code was. I wanted to like this story,but sadly I did not.

Thoughtful and moving book

From the first line of this novel, I was hooked. The writing is gorgeous and almost flawless, and the story's unexpected twists will make you question your assumptions. The narration is especially effective---I listened to it twice. Can't recommend this one more highly. It's my favorite out of a couple of dozen audio books I've listened to since I started using this service.

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Title: The Queen's Fool

Author: Philippa Gregory

Narrator: Emilia Fox

Format: Abridged

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-13-08

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Here is a stunning novel set in the Tudor court, as the rivalry between Queen Mary and her half-sister, Elizabeth, is played out against a background of betrayal, conflict and passion.

©2008 Philippa Gregory; (P)2008 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Members Reviews:

Mary, Mary quite contrary

In this story, a young Jewish girl, Hannah Green has escaped Catholic Spain with her father to England where she becomes Fool to Queen Mary I (AKA Bloody Mary - King Henry VIII's eldest child).

The story details the protagonist's teenage years and uses her as a devise to examine the plots, scandals and politics of the English Court at the time. It is an interesting account of Queen Mary herself, who is portrayed in a few more sympathetic manner than in many other accounts of her. This is due to the close friendship that grows between Queen and Fool (in a similar way that Henry VIII has a friendship with his own Fool). The future Queen Elizabeth I is another major character in the story, but is more conniving, petulent, and arrogant than other accounts of her. In all, she is rather an unlikable character, but as in history, plays her own role in swaying Queen Mary's actions.

This is in no way a true-to-life account of the Tudor court post-Henry, though the author has drawn hevaily from the history. Hannah Green is a fictional characted created as a plot device, and is effective in her role. I enjoyed the author's interpretation of The Queen, particularly as Gregory seems to have, I think, really gotten to the crux of who Mary was and how she became that way.

This was a very enjoyable audiobook and I highly recommend it. Emilia Fox is a superb narrator - she's one of my favourites!

The Queen's Fool

Fabulous story telling. Ms Gregory made me care about the main character. There was a defined, pacy plot and the historical information was underlying and given as essential to the story rather than brief interludes of learned discourse, which sadly happens frequently in historical novels.

History the easy way

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

As an admirer of Phillipa Gregory for the stylish way she presents historical facts and turns them into stories that are hard to put down, this is yet another example of the excellence of her vision of the way England was. Not page after page of dates and events, but a story line that includes all those events and turns them into a gripping tale that not only gives you an insight into the workings of the English Court, but a story line that is both original and with a high degree of historical accuracy. Any author does not please every reader - Phillipa is no different - but she cannot be criticised for her attempt to look into the strange and difficult worlds of both Mary and Elizabeth.

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Title: The Rebels of Ireland

Subtitle: The Dublin Saga

Author: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrator: John Keating

Format: Abridged

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 12-26-07

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Princes of Ireland, the first volume of Edward Rutherfurd's magisterial epic of Irish history, ended with the disastrous Irish revolt of 1534 and the disappearance of the sacred Staff of Saint Patrick. The Rebels of Ireland opens with an Ireland transformed; plantation, the final step in the centuries-long English conquest of Ireland, is the order of the day, and the subjugation of the native Irish Catholic population has begun in earnest.

Edward Rutherfurd brings history to life through the tales of families whose fates rise and fall in each generation: Brothers who must choose between fidelity to their ancient faith or the security of their families; a wife whose passion for a charismatic Irish chieftain threatens her comfortable marriage to a prosperous merchant; a young scholar whose secret rebel sympathies are put to the test; men who risk their lives and their children's fortunes in the tragic pursuit of freedom, and those determined to root them out forever. Rutherfurd spins the saga of Ireland's 400-year path to independence in all its drama, tragedy, and glory through the stories of people from all strata of society - Protestant and Catholic, rich and poor, conniving and heroic.

A tale of fierce battles, hot-blooded romances, and family and political intrigues, The Rebels of Ireland brings the story begun in The Princes of Ireland to a stunning conclusion.

Members Reviews:

Not as good as part one

This was a little harder to follow than its predecessor and I didnt find the characters as engaging. I was happy when I had finished it.

Excellent continuation of the Princes of Ireland

Kept my interest and was an enjoyable story rooted in Irish History. Well worth the listen.

Great audiobook about Irish history

Where does The Rebels of Ireland rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It ranks high. Well read and good author.

What did you like best about this story?

I like how the history comes alive through the characters in the book.

What about John Keatings performance did you like?

His voice is perfect for this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but easily could.

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Title: The Constant Princess

Author: Philippa Gregory

Narrator: Samantha Bond

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-03-07

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Slowly, she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is strong. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it.

Philippa Gregory proves yet again that behind the apparently familiar face of history lies an astonishing story: of women warriors influencing the future of Europe, of revered heroes making deep mistakes, and of an untold love story.

Members Reviews:

Excellent Book

I love this book and the narrator. This is a fantastic story, filling you with feels and the difference in the narrators voice brings this story to life. The Spanish accent for La Infanta of Spain is wonderful and adds so much to the story. :D Highly recommend it!

Audio irritating.

Having enjoed Philippa Gregory's work in the past, The Constant Princess perhaps is not a bad novel, but the audio I found extremely irritating.

The 'Princess" has a Spanish accent (which is fitting) which was rather annoying, made all the more so by the echoing sound the voice made when we hear her thoughts.

This is one book I would have preferred to read rather than listen to.

very good

good story, narration with Spanish accent excellent however used for Henry also so confusing occasionally.

Another great story

loved it. shorter than some others i have spent credit on but very enjoyable

would love to hear the whole version

glorious performance, love her novels and really would like to hear the whole story. very much enjoyed.

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Title: The Boleyn Inheritance

Subtitle: Boleyn, Book 2

Author: Philippa Gregory

Narrator: Emilia Fox

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-07

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Philippa Gregory is the acknowledged queen of historical fiction, and this novel again displays her trademark blend of passion and politics, authenticity, and tremendously gripping storytelling.

Critic Reviews:

"Compelling." (Booklist)

"Gregory's accounts of events are accurate enough to be persuasive, her characterizations modern enough to be convincing. Rich in intrigue and irony, this is a tale where readers will already know who was divorced, beheaded, or survived, but will savor Gregory's sharp staging of how and why." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Very good book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Enjoyed this book and the content was interesting. I would have liked to have learnt more about each wife from their own view

The Boleyn Inheritance

Another saga of the tudors. I loved the narration. Emilia Fox is excellent

Love it!

I enjoyed this title very much....

Emilia Fox weaves a spell telling this tale

Thank goodness for the fabulous oratory skills of Amelia Fox to relate the tales of these womens lives in The Tudor court . Caught in the era of Henry viii 's descent into madness with a cuelty that is hard to fathom these women fortunes are finalised by intrigue and manipulation by powerful men . They were but pawns. Highly recommended.