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Title: Paris Trout

Author: Pete Dexter

Narrator: Charles S. Dutton

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-07

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The man accused of shooting a black girl, a storekeeper named Paris Trout, has no great feeling of guilt, nor any fear that the system will fail to work his way. Trout becomes an embarrassment to the polite white society that prefers to hold itself high above such primitive prejudice. But the trial does not allow any avoidance of the stark reality of social and racial tensions.

Critic Reviews:

"An expertly crafted and bleakly fascinating tale of social conflict and madness in the deep South." (Publishers Weekly)

"A masterpiece, complex and breathtaking." (Los Angeles Times)

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Title: The Feast of Roses

Author: Indu Sundaresan

Narrator: Sneha Mathan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-29-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 309 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Despite the rivalry of the imperial harem, which has plotted against her from the beginning, Mehrunnisa soon becomes the most powerful woman in the Mughal Empire. She rules from behind the veil, securing her status by forming a junta of sorts with her father, brother, and stepson and by risking all, even her daughter, to get what she wants. But she never loses the love of the man who has bestowed this power upon her.

Critic Reviews:

"Weaving another rich historical tapestry...Sundaresan colors the life of a fascinating woman whose female wiles inspired the Taj Mahal." (Booklist)

"The novel's scope and ambition are impressive, as are the numerous period details....Readers who enjoyed the first volume will find similar pleasures tracking the fate of one of history's most intriguing women." (Publishers Weekly)

"Sundaresan's love of storytelling is apparent in this well-researched historical romance. She makes sure that the reader stays enthralled from chapter to chapter and, with this sequel, will surely do the same in creating anticipation for her next book." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Gold Medal Finalist

Another magnificent masterpiece created by Indu Sundaresan with outstanding narration that I loved from beginning to end. The writer's creative technique and the narrator's superb presentation brings ancient India to the 21st century for both history buffs and those not so historically inclined. Every character and event is vividly depicted with grand literary performance and dialogue. The Twentieth Wife is a must read in order to grasp the potency and familiarity with all the amazing characters, and unlike most novel sequels, The Feast of the Roses will not disappoint! Sundaresan certainly raised the bar with these outstanding works of sheer enjoyment so its going to be pretty hard for me to find another author that comes close to measuring up!

Perhaps too sympathetic, but a great love story

I listened to and loved The Twentieth Wife and bought this title with my very next credit. It is the sequel which takes the story of Empress Nur Jahan from her marriage to Jahangir to the time of his death. Sundaresan is very sympathetic towards both, tempering Nur Jahan's ambition, and emphasizing her romantic love for her husband. While the passion shared between the two was legendary, I have learned that most historical accounts emphasize her tendency to be manipulative and harsh and suggest that she took advantage of her husband's addictions to drugs and alcohol. Here she seems to be valiantly struggling to be her own person in a man's world. I personally liked this softer interpretation. It is a great love story, but I question the historical accuracy of its anachronistic feminist overtones.

The narrator is very good. There are perhaps a few too many descriptions of the oppressive heat, street life, and meals. Overall, however, the author provides a fascinating account of Indian politics and history of the seventeenth century and the strategies used to deal with increasingly intrusive Portuguese and British merchants and missionaries. Nur Jahan, by the way, was the aunt of the woman for whom the Taj Majal was built.

A suprise like!

I very much enjoy historical fiction, but being a guy I'm not an into the romatic variety! This story along with the first book (The Twentieth Wife) does what good story's do ...

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Title: The Teahouse Fire

Author: Ellis Avery

Narrator: Barbara Caruso

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-04-07

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Japanese tea ceremony, steeped in ritual, is at the heart of this story of an American girl adopted by Kyoto's most important tea master and raised as attendant and surrogate younger sister to his privileged daughter, Yukako.

Pasts shrouded in secrets and mysterious traditions rocked by modernization make The Teahouse Fire a compelling and provocative story, lush in details and epic in scope.

Critic Reviews:

"Author Lee Smith's skill at capturing women's voices is a kind of literary music stemming from our ever-evolving American family life." (Midwest Book Review)

"Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: An Infamous Army

Author: Georgette Heyer

Narrator: Claire Higgins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 198 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1815, beneath the aegis of the Army of Occupation, Brussels is the gayest town in Europe. And the widow Lady Barbara Childe, renowned for being as outrageous as she is beautiful, is at the centre of all that is fashionable and light-hearted. When she meets Charles Audley, dashing aide-de-camp to the great Duke of Wellington himself, her joie de vivre knows no bounds - until the eve of the fateful Battle of Waterloo...

Members Reviews:

Outstanding

Heyer has created a remarkable story that ultimately provides a very accurate and complete accounting of the Battle of Waterloo within the context of the human relationships that were an integral part of the battle. Her main characters are very well drawn, each having many layers of complexity and showing considerable character development.

In An Infamous Army, Heyer has taken characters from two of her other novels, These Old Shades and Devil's Cub, and woven a tale from the next generation. All three are witty, highly entertaining and well-written, but this one weaves in to a much greater extent the history of the period and of, course, the battle. In my opinion, there is no better way to study history than to examine the feelings and decisions of the people who experienced it, and this book is outstanding from this perspective. I highly recommend it and would only recommend to Audible that a separate list of characters would be immensely hepful. However, the narrator does an outstanding job that enables the listener to keep them all straight and her French accent is excellent. For those who enjoy historical fiction and fine writing, this is an exceptional find.

a visit to the battlefield

An Infamous Army is a serious recounting of the battle of Waterloo, with an incidental relationship between a soldier and a pettish beauty around the edges (and unfortunately also featuring the wooden Worth and irritatingly-tamed Judith from Regency Buck). One of Heyer's substantial works, rather than in her light romantic vein. It's more likely to send you looking for a website showing the uniforms of Wellington's various soldiers than into a swoon. The account of the battle is mesmerizing and completely horrible. Unless you are made of very stern stuff, you'll weep buckets. Painstakingly researched and very well read.

A Great Account of Waterloo

There were about 45 minutes of plot at the beginning of the book, about 30 minutes in the middle and 20 at the end. In between was a detailed and supposedly accurate account of the battle of Waterloo, including a great profile of Wellington. I recommend.

Not the typical Georgette Heyer novel...

Georgette Heyer has been a favorite of mine for years. When I founds three of her historical novels on Audible, I downloaded them at once, leaving The Infamous Army until last, because it was the only one I had not read. Big, BIG mistake.

It differed so much from her other novels, I had difficulty believing it was written by the same author. I found The Infamous Army a total yawner.

Rather than a novel of the personalities and manners of the Regency period frosted with references to the historical events of the times, The Infamous Army is a very detailed history of the prelude to and Battle of Waterloo. The characters seemed to be dabbed in around the historical references to add some personal interest. Unfortunately, since the characters are the reason I read Georgette Heyer, I found this book extremely dissatisfying.

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Title: The English Patient

Author: Michael Ondaatje

Narrator: Ralph Fiennes

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 97 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

With ravishing beauty and unsettling intelligence, Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an Italian villa at the end of World War II. Hana, the exhausted nurse; the maimed thief, Caravaggio; the wary sapper, Kip: each is haunted by the riddle of the English patient, the nameless, burned man who lies in an upstairs room and whose memories of passion, betrayal, and rescue illuminates this audiobook like flashes of heat lightening.

© Michael Ondaatje; (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje wears the triple crown: it is profound, beautiful and heart-quickening." (Toni Morrison)

"There are books that change the shape of literature. The English Patient is such a book." (Books in Canada)

"A magic carpet ride of a novel that soars across worlds and times....A rare and spellbinding net of dreams." (Time)

Members Reviews:

Read the Unabridged Version

I didn't notice that this was an abridged version of the book. While I thought it was beautifully written and beautifully read by Ralph Fiennes, I was disappointed in not getting to listen to the entire book. I suggest you either read the book, or wait till an unabridged version comes out.

Beautiful

I've read the book several times, and this audio book narated by Ralph Fiennes is beautiful. I only wish the whole audio book was narated by Ralph Fiennes

Historical Novel & fictional Characters

There are 2 audio versions of the English Patient -- be sure to get this one!

Tenderly and Intensely Written

Though I would like to read this to savor the moments that so quickly went past, the Audible version still relays a heart felt story of love and loss that in moments tear at your own person.

Remarkable storytelling unfortunately abridged

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

I recommend highly to anyone who values an exquisite tragedy. This is a remarkable story about what war does to the human heart.

What did you like best about this story?

The language, the openness of Hana, the desert.

What about Ralph Fienness performance did you like?

His voice is rich and delicious with a worldly quality that serves Ondaatje's prose well.

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

Yes, too good to step away from.

Any additional comments?

I only wish it was the full text! Too brief, missing some of the beauty.

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Title: The Deception of the Emerald Ring

Author: Lauren Willig

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-06

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 435 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Meanwhile, back in England, Letty Alsworthy intercepts a note indicating that her sister, Mary, is about to make the very grave mistake of eloping with Geoffrey Pinghingdale-Snipe (second in command of the League of the Purple Gentian). In an attempt to save the family name, Letty tries to stop the elopement, but instead finds herself swept away in the midnight carriage meant for her sister and is accidentally compromised. Geoff and Letty, to each other's horror, find themselves forced into matrimony. Then Geoff receives word that he is to travel to Ireland to help the Pink Carnation; he disappears immediately after their ceremony. Letty learns of Geoff's disappearance and, not to be outdone by her husband, Letty Alsworthy steals away on a ship bound for Ireland, armed and ready to fight for her spouse and to learn a thing or two about spying for England.

As in her previous tales, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and The Masque Of the Black Tulip, a modern-day heroine and hero, Eloise Kelly and Colin Selwick, continue their budding romance in this captivating third novel in the series.

Critic Reviews:

"Clever....riveting, providing a great diversion and lots of fun." (Booklist

"Smart....taut and twisting. Fans of the series will clamor for more." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

More, more, more!

This is chick lit at its finest and most fun. While the 1st in the series remains my favorite, I wouldn't have missed any of them and have listened to each 3 times. Kate Reading's narration is invaluable to the success of these stories and the author's wit and literary style are wonderful. There is another in the series coming out soon. Here's hoping Audible will get it for us quickly.

If you like this series, don't miss Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody and the Vickie Bliss series, also available on Audible, but be sure to get the ones with Barbara Rosenblat as the narrator.

Excellent series!

This is an amusing, intelligent series of historical romance and intrigue....Read the whole series!

Another Success

If you could sum up The Deception of the Emerald Ring in three words, what would they be?

She's got it

What did you like best about this story?

I loved Leety's tenacity. Though not in love with her newlywed husband at the time, she finds love and her own sense of self achievement.

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

I made it in just a few sittings. Like the other books in this series, the story flows beautifully between the historical plot and the modern day happenings the books are set in.

Worth a listen.

Considerably less entertaining than the first two books, both of which were absolutely smashing. Both leading characters are less well-developed than in previous books: Letty Alsworthy is a country mouse with some little charm, it's true, but Geoffrey Pinghingdale-Snipe remains as quiet and unassuming as a leading man as he was as a backgrounf figure in previous books. Still, it's entertaining enough, especially the bits in between involving the modern day Eloise and Colin. Worth a listen.

Extremely enjoyable

I am thoroughly enjoying this series!! The story line is interesting and entertaining.

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Title: Regeneration: The Regeneration Trilogy, Book 1

Author: Pat Barker

Narrator: Peter Firth

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 257 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In Craiglockhart war hospital, Dr William Rivers attempts to restore the sanity of officers from World War I. When Siegfried Sassoon publishes his declaration of protest against the war, the authorities decide to have him declared mentally defective and send him to Craiglockhart.

©2005 Pat Barker; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"Unforgettable." (Sunday Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

Don't Miss This One!

A beautifully written novel, the first in Barker's "Regeneration Trilogy" (the third volume won the Booker Prize). Set in a war hospital in Scotland during World War I, the story revolves around several patients and physicians, including the poet Siegfried Sassoon. After serving honorably, Sassoon wrote an anti-war statement, which he asked an MP to read in session. His friend and fellow officer Robert Graves, knowing that Sassoon would be facing a court martial, claims the statement was due to battle fatigue and has him sent to Craiglockhaven for treatment. Dr. Rivers's task is to get Sassoon to agree to return to the front. Other patients include the young poet Wilfred Owen and Billy Priot, a young man who can't eat after having been blown into the decomposing body of a German soldier. A fascinating look at the social pressure put on young men during the war, as well as the effects of the war on people and relationahips and of the treatment of the psychological scars it caused.

Insightful

Pat Barker captures the devastating effects of the First World War on those in the front lines. Her vivid and insightful descriptions of the suffering of the survivors and, in this volume, doctors in a military hospital treating their psychological scars, are deeply moving. The device of including real historical figures such as Siegfried Sassoon, Dr. William Rivers and Wilfrid Owen heightens the realism. The articulate internal and external debates about the morality of fighting a disastrous war with no clearly defined ultimate goal or competent strategy makes the story oh, so relevant to contemporary readers.

deserves the accolades

Not only does this explore the mud and blood of WWI, it's a darn good narrative involving interesting historical figures in a non-exploitative way. It speaks to the moral dilemma of ALL war without preaching about "the old lie." By presenting its setting in period of social cultural change so well through the characters, it raises other questions still relevant today.

I downloaded the audiobook after seeing the film adaptation (Behind the Lines) - The film is very faithful to the novel. Once I started listening to the audiobook, I had to buy a paper copy to re-read passages -- If you're interested in war - and particularly the WW I poets Sassoon, Graves and Owen - this is riveting in all three versions.

I liked Firth's quiet narration style. He reads more than dramatizes. That suits the novel well, though at times you need to pay close attention to follow who is speaking - but the novel is so good that an interested listener would give it undivided attention.

World War I from a Different Perspective

World War I was such an interesting period of time. We were emerging from the Victorian Era, the age of more modern machines and tools of warfare were available, as was more modern thinking about psychiatry and women's rights.

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Title: The Trail to Crazy Man

Author: Louis L'Amour

Narrator: Christopher Lane

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 12-13-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 95 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Shanghaied into forced labor on a merchant vessel, Charles Rodney dies aboard ship from repeated beatings, but not before deeding part of his ranch to Rafe Caradec, whom he hopes will protect his family.

Critic Reviews:

"If there is an 'American sound', Lane has it. He speaks lightly, clearly, and with the greatest warmth for every character." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

NO ONCE DOES WESTERNS LIKE LOUIS LAMOUR

I read the book several times, but listening to the audio book brought the characters to life again in a way I had not thought of.

Good Entertainment

I also have the movie version, "Crossfire Trail", with Rafe played by Tom Selleck. There are slight variations but both are good. If I had to choose between the two I would take this book narrated by Christopher Lane.

In "The Trail to Crazy Man" Rafe is made half owner of Rodney's ranch giving him legal right to move onto Rodney's spread to fulfill his promise to his late friend to protect his wife and daughter. When Rafe arrives he finds Rodney's wife has died, the ranch abandoned and his daughter living in town engaged to marry Barkow; the man who holds the mortgage on Rodney's ranch. She had been told her father was killed a year ago, rather than a month or so ago from beatings aboard a merchant Vessel. Rafe and his friends move into the house and begin making repairs and restocking the ranch.

Barkow and his cronies have gone to a lot of trouble to get control of Rodney's ranch and are not going to let Rafe and his friends take over. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when they arrest Rafe for killing a back shooter through a window when he is called out to face one of Barkow's gunmen in the street. I love the way he turned the tables on their mock trial, where he was suppose to be sentenced to hang.

This is an exceptional audiobook; I highly recommend it!

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Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Author: Lisa See

Narrator: Jodi Long

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 06-24-05

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 156 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 19th-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu ("women's writing"). Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames", in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

Critic Reviews:

"Engrossing....Both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

So so

As far as the story goes it provides an interesting glimpse into 19th century China and the customs of that time. However too much is told, not revealed, and some of the story feels undeveloped. The most negative aspect of the book however was the narrator. Her style, her voice, her emoting: AWFUL.

Awesome Book

I absoluttely loved this book!! The narrator was very good, and I couldn't stop listening. Awesome book in my opinion.

Fantastic Story, Total Tear Jerker!

Wow. What can I say, other than I LOVED this audiobook?! The narrator was fantastic and the story was a fresh look at common themes: womanhood, friendship, regret, hardship...The historical details were beautifully woven into a touching story that everyone can relate to, even those of us that never lived in 19th Century China and cringe at the mere thought of foot binding. Really, I can't recommend this book any more highly. I cried for the last hour.

As a bonus, the author talks about the book and her writing process at the end of the audiobook.

Great Read !!!

I loved this book..if you like historical fiction, and you like to learn about different cultures this book is the perfect book. The narrator did a wonderful job,she is one person reading but she changes her voice so cleverly you think she is 10 different characters, the content of the book is also very entertaining, definately worth your time

Delicate, powerful and nuanced

This is a beautifully told story about the depth of women's friendships. It just happens to be set in China with all the appropriate historic and cultural contexts and subtexts that involves. It is a highly nuanced story, where you have to appreciate cultural implications of a time and a place that is completely different from our own. Like the folds of the fan mentioned in the title, the story unfolds deliberately and delicately. Take the time to enjoy the pacing of the story.

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Title: Sins of the Fathers

Author: Susan Howatch

Narrator: Robert Whitfield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-03-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 92 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Set in the years of sudden prosperity following World War II, in the mansions and boardrooms of the Van Zale family, Sins of the Fathers is the story of a dynastic struggle played out against a background of luxury and wealth, in which the fight to control the Van Zale fortune obsesses the rival claimants from generation to generation, and eventually destroys their happiness and their lives.

Members Reviews:

never wanted this story to end

very fascinating story.one of those stories you hate to finish reading

Addictive!

This is not a book of high literature but material for the afternoon soap opera's -- like the " ... Housewives". There are some dialogues on classic literature and philosophy but those are not worth much. I like to listen to books that grab me immediately, that do not require any mental exertion and this is one of them.

I chose to listen to this book because of the reader, Robert Whifield. He is one of the best narrators, I think. I did find the voices of Cornelius and Jake a little tiresome, but they mesh into the story quite well. Whitfield sounds best in his own voice, of course. He is excellent. I am going to listen to "Churchill" read by him next. A definitely more challenging work than this book, but am looking forward to it.

I Really Tried

I honestly tried to like this book. The reviews were good, the author is well known and has published several books. This is my type of genre. I usually love the family saga but this was "sheer labor". I just couldn't finish it. The reader's voice for Cornelius made the character sound like he was 90 years old and the portrayal of these people and their lives just had a plastic coating on it. Nothing about it seemed real. Finally, the stilted British accent simply didn't fit the American characters at all.

This book and the reading there of were a huge

empty disappointment for me. Sorry- I rarely pan a book but this one was just painful to listen to.

Interesting

Well narrated and written. Even though it was a little over my head at times with its references to philosophy and literature, it still kept my interest pretty well. It painted a realistic picture of greed and how it affects entire families.

Howatch fan

What made the experience of listening to Sins of the Fathers the most enjoyable?

It was a little odd to listen to a British performer reading the parts of American characters, switching back and forth in accents, depending on whether he was delivering dialogue or narration, but I acclimated. Always too much ETOH in Howatch novels, which gets tiresome, but her storytelling is always enjoyable to me.