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Title: The Temporary Gentleman

Author: Sebastian Barry

Narrator: Frank Grimes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-14

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Jack McNulty is a 'temporary gentleman', an Irishman whose commission in the British army in the Second World War was never made permanent. In 1957, in his lodgings in Accra, he sets out to write his story. He is an ordinary man, both petty and heroic, but he has seen extraordinary things. He has wandered the world - as a soldier, an engineer, a UN observer - following his childhood ambition to better himself.

Critic Reviews:

"Fascinating and Moving, [it] shows Sebastian Barry to be one of our finest novelists daring, accommodating and humane" (John Banville)

Members Reviews:

Another heartbreaking piece of the puzzle

In a story told by Jack McNulty, the brother of Eneas and Tom McNulty, this beautifully-written book fleshes out the narrator's life and that of his wife Mai, and at the same time fills in gaps in our understanding of the extended family. Barry's The Secret Scripture and The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty are companion novels to The Temporary Gentleman. All are written in staggeringly beautiful prose and are, at times, almost unbearable in their detailing of the tragedy of Ireland's political conflicts, the treatment of women, and, in this book, alcoholism. While telling us of his wife's descent into alcoholism, Jack McNulty reveals even more about himself and his culpability in her situation.

Frank Grimes does a marvelous job of the narration. These novels by Sebastian Barry (and the ones about the Dunnes: Annie Dunne, A Long, Long Way and On Canaan's Side) are to be listened to and/or read slowly, and savored. They are not all available in audiobook form; I recommend ingesting them in any form you find.

Poetic and melancholy

I have heard that this author is known for his dense literary style of writing and this is certainly a true example. I get the sense that every sentence has been worked on over and over again until it is honed to perfection. By and large this works as a masterwork but I did think the result was a little too self conscious to draw me into the story. This is probably fortunate as this is a grim tale of lives destroyed by alcoholism and gambling and a woman's descent into misery and self destruction.

I have heard Sebastian Barry's books are very good so I am a little sorry I started with this one. Overall this was not for me but I can understand why he is so widely admired.

Beautiful prose wonderfully narrated

Would you consider the audio edition of The Temporary Gentleman to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but audio is so good I would heartily recommend

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Temporary Gentleman?

When he meets May first.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When he meets May's family

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Very enjoyable story and narration

Loved it, would highly recommend it. Excellent story telling again my Sebastian Barry, narrator was spot on also with tone and dialect.

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Title: Corsair

Subtitle: Ned Yorke, Book 4

Author: Dudley Pope

Narrator: Ric Jerrom

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the 1660s Jamaica was an uneasy island, occupied by Spain but settled by the English and French. When Admiral of the Brethren, Ned Yorke, a brave, loyal Buccaneer, learns that Spain is mounting a Caribbean fleet perhaps to protect the treasures of Spanish ships, or carry an army to Jamaica, he vows to find out the truth. Yorkes audacious attacks on Spanish camps reveal all and the Buccaneers must fight a bloody, desperate battle to try and hinder them.

Members Reviews:

A look at life in late 1600's

Would you listen to Corsair again? Why?

I read all 4 books and the series was a good read maybe after a couple years yes I would

What was one of the most memorable moments of Corsair?

Many, I liked all the cast and the women were unforgetable

Which scene was your favorite?

Near the end with being out numbered as Ned had to come up with a plan to turn to the brotherhoods advantage

Who was the most memorable character of Corsair and why?

I liked them all Ned York and his fellows were a wild bunch

Any additional comments?

These tie in with a much later time in his other books in the Royal navy refer to bucanner admiral Ned York

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Title: The Lady and the Unicorn

Author: Isolde Martyn

Narrator: Rebecca Macauley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-14

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1470 the Wars of the Roses threatens to tear England apart. Overnight a man can find himself set against his brother or unable to trust the woman in his arms. For the beautiful and spirited ward of Warwick, the Kingmaker, Margery, freedom is the only prize worth fighting for. Disgraced and banished to a nunnery after the philandering Edward IV seduced her, she is determined that no man will ever decide her fate again.

Torn between her loyalty to her cause and a dangerous attraction to a man she should despise, Margery's mission becomes a race against time to outwit her enemies and her husband.

Critic Reviews:

"A great read." (The Romantic Times)

"This novel leaves the reader with a desire to know more about the period and the people who lived it." (Hearts Talk)

"A wonderfully interwoven tapestry of a book." (Barbara Erskine)

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Title: East Side Story

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Louis Auchincloss

Narrator: Clinton Wade, Gregory St. John

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

"Louis Auchincloss has an enveloping story to tell and a perfect, understated knowledge of those who inhabit it," said the New York Times of The Scarlet Letters. The same can be said of Auchincloss' new novel, a tour de force that charts the rise of one uncommon family in America's grand city.

How did the families who live on Manhattan's Upper East Side get to where they are today? As much a penetrating social history as it is engaging fiction, East Side Story tells of the Carnochans, a family whose Scottish forebears establish themselves in New York's textile business during the Civil War. From there they quickly move on to seize prominent positions in the country's top schools and Manhattan's elite firms. As the novel unfolds, family members across the generations recount their stories, illuminating lives steeped in both good fortune and moral jeopardy. From women who outsmart their foolish husbands, to ambitious lawyers who protect the Carnochan name, to the family's artists and writers, all weigh the question that infuses so much of Auchincloss's fiction: What makes for a meaningful life in a family that has so much?

In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews hails Auchincloss for being "once again the master of his craft". East Side Story is both a loving and wicked look at New York's own as only this sublime master of manners can provide.

Members Reviews:

Small Gem of a book.

LIke many of Auchincloss books, ESS is a series of biographical sketches of members of the mythical Cancarhan (sp) clan, that function as individual short stories, but in their whole, make up a history of the clan (and are threaded together with references to other memebers). If you are interested in the subject: the old east coast establisment, Aunchincloss is 'authentic voice"

Auchincloss has the unique ability (like Edith Warton) to both know and be his subject: the now faded anglo-saxon elite (though with a calvinist scottish flavor). he is 90 now, and i hope he has one more book in him:: what happened to the wasp elite, who have definitley lost power and influence since the 60s.

And Never Talk About Your Children When You Go Out. Only Bores Do That.

Louis Auchincloss was honored with the American National Medal of Arts and honored as a "Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy. He was also the former President of the Academy of Arts and Letters. He is a lifelong New Yorker from the Upper East Side. He was cousins to the late First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Auchincloss has written his 59th novel about the people in the Upper East Side.

This book is about the fictional Carnochan family of the East Side. The Carnochans immigrated to America in 1829 from Scotland. The patriarch has died and a family member has decided to chronicle the family's history.

Each chapter is titled with a name and there is a family tree in the beginning of the book to assist the reader. The book is not a difficult read to a reader most of the time. Sometimes you need to return to the tree for assistance, the writing is pretty straightforward more like an encyclopedia about the Carnochan family.

I purchased this book in order to learn about upper crust American families of wealth and high social status at the turn of the twentieth century.

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Title: Trail of Thread: A Woman's Westward Journey

Subtitle: Trail of Thread, Book 1

Author: Linda K. Hubalek

Narrator: Pam Dougherty

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-27-13

Publisher: Butterfield Books Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In this first book of the Trail of Thread series, in the form of letters she wrote on the journey, Deborah Pieratt describes the scenery, the everyday events on the trail, and the task of taking care of her family. Stories of humor and despair, along with her ongoing remarks about camping, cooking, and quilting, make you feel as if you pulled up stakes and are traveling with the Pieratts, too. This series is based on author Linda K. Hubalek's ancestors that traveled from Kentucky to Kansas in 1854. Besides the history of the times, Hubalek weaves quilting facts and quilt pattern sketches in her book series.

Members Reviews:

Very interesting format

What did you love best about Trail of Thread: A Woman's Westward Journey?

I really liked the format of reading letters actually written by women on the westward journey. I've never read or listened to a book written this way and it seemed so very personal with the actual letters. Loved it!

What other book might you compare Trail of Thread: A Woman's Westward Journey to and why?

I have nothing to compare it to.

Which scene was your favorite?

The way it was written/read I felt like I was there.

Any additional comments?

I will definitely try more written this way. The reader did an outstanding job.

Very interesting!

This book, and the others in the series, are based on the authors ancestors who moved from Kentucky to Kansas in 1854. Told in a series of letters written by Deborah Pieratt as she travels west, we learn of the joys and hardships of travel via wagon train.

This was a great little book about the one familys adventures as they move west. I really enjoyed all the small things that went into this tale. For instance, as the Pieratts travel, they meet other travelers who share with them tips of the trail, like stick bread. I want to try stick bread this summer. You take a flour sack, put some flour in it, make a small center, add water, tie up the sack, set on a stick that is upright in the ground near the campfire, and throughout the evening give a tap or spin. Sooner or later, you get a kind of bread.

There were also lots of quilt pattern sharing going on in this book. While there were tons of chores to be done every day, there were also periods where all you had to do was stay on the wagon as the oxen pulled you ever closer to the western horizon. So quilting was a common, transportable hobby. I did not realize this before, but apparently quilting patterns were so treasured that one could trade a pattern for a bit of bread or cheese along the road.

Not everything was rosy and sunny for the Pieratts as they made their way towards Kansas. The biggest problem was the elements dangerous river crossings, unpredictable weather, etc. So theres a little drama in this book showing the hazards of the road.

A great mix of the entertaining and educational, definitely worth the read (or listen)!

Narration: Pam Dougherty did a great job with the regional accents in this book and with Deborahs voice as she wrote home about her travels. She really imbued Deborahs letters with emotion happy, sad, troubled, desperate, elated, tired. Excellent narration!

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Title: The Venom of Serpents

Subtitle: Book Two of the Arrowsmith Saga

Author: Dane St. John

Narrator: R.D. Watson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-13-13

Publisher: Cherry Hill Publishing

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the second segment of David Arrowsmith's dramatic narrative, nectar - the wine that flows between England and France during the 14th century - truly turns to venom as Jean Créton continues to record the man's scintillating account. This as they nervously await Hugh Lawrence of Colchester to reveal himself at the Scottish friary and reclaim the panel of saints in David's possession. The story resumes in the year 1370, when David has married the ravishing Eleanor, taken over the Pelican Tavern Inn in London, and recommenced his apprenticeship in the wine trade. Little Jack is now three, and although he is not his natural son, David raises him as his own, even as he longs to learn the identity of Eleanor's wicked attacker. With civil wars brewing in Brittany and Spain, and France and England openly fighting, the truce has ended and the Hundred Years' War is again in full swing, threatening to bring everyone into its fold. In backing Edward the Black Prince and the Plantagenets, David distances himself from the Lancaster faction, including John of Gaunt and Hugh Lawrence, eventually earning their hatred, while John Wycliffe struggles to bridge them, and John Ball dreams of revolution.

Members Reviews:

Enthralling, riveting historical fiction

I love historical fiction and read (& listen to) mountains of it, and my focus for the past 8 years has been the so called "Middle Ages," particularly the 1300's and 1400's. Despite all the many titles of this genre that I have voraciously consumed over the years, the two books of the Arrowsmith Saga, of which this is the second volume, blew me right out of the water !! After listening to both Book One (The Nectar of Angels) and Book Two (this title) on Audible, completely captivated by every single word in a way that rarely happens to me, and in addition (as the icing on the cake, as if any were needed) seduced by the brilliant narrative skill of R. D. Watson, I am so besotted that I am actually going to buy both BOOKS and hold them in my hands and peruse them in the form in which they were first created, namely on paper. But these two audiobooks are both simply stellar, and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves history, anyone who loves the Brits, anyone who loves historical fiction, and indeed anyone who enjoys a tale spun so intricately that Dickens comes to mind--- except that here we have not only great writing, but also a fascinating look at a distinct period of history, complete with kings and knights and churls and priests and historical figures like Wycliffe !! Love, violence, art, sudden twists of fate, it's all here. Well I could go on and on but ... just buy this pair of audiobooks and have a whale of a time listening to them !!

A sequel that lives up to expectations & then some

The Venom of Serpents carries on the torch of the literary fire that The Nectar of Angels ignited. It brought the story of David Arrowsmith to a satisfying and gratifying conclusion. The suspenseful tale and brilliant wordsmithing was enhanced by this deeply educational rendering of a the wine trade in 14th century France. I was riveted by the story, and along the way, enlightened about a period in history up until now I knew very little about. Like The Nectar of Angels, R.D.

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Title: The Complete and Utter History of the World

Subtitle: By Samuel Stewart Aged 9

Author: Sarah Burton

Narrator: Oliver J. Hembrough

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-11-13

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When his teacher sets the class a History project, Sam cannot choose which bit of History he prefers, so decides to do all of it. His version of History is a rumbustious collection of half remembered facts, assembled roughly in the right order, and glued together with alarmingly confident misunderstanding. Sam takes us from Ancient Egypt right up to Last Week with the flair of a bright eyed nine year old.

Sarah Burton is currently director of the Creative Writing M. St Programme and Tutor in Writing for Children and Short Story Writing at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of several non-fiction books, including A Double Life: a Biography of Charles and Mary Lamb, which was shortlisted for the 2003 Mind Book of the Year.

Members Reviews:

Delightfully funny

Quirky and clever, great wordplay and humour. Laugh out loud at times, innocent and just lovely.

I loved it!

This is hilariously funny take on history. Requires knowledge of history to spot the humour, so not really a children's read.

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Title: The Wolf Hunters

Author: James Oliver Curwood

Narrator: Gene Engene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-13

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The starved wolf-pack was hot on his trail. It was the biggest pack that Wabi had ever seen. He calculated there were at least 50 animals in it, possibly even more. Nearer and nearer they came, until the first were scarcely 200 feet away. Close enough for Wabi to see this was a hungry, determined pack. Then, with a shout, the Indian leaped and dashed fearlessly toward them. This unexpected move stopped the foremost wolves and Wabi fired two of his three remaining bullets. The trees were 80 yards away....

Members Reviews:

5 stars

Great book on adventures in the Arctic. If you like this book you will also want to read the following 99 cent books on Arctic adventures:

1A Winter Circuit of Our Arctic Coast: A Narrative of a Journey with Dog-sleds Around the Entire Arctic Coast of Alaska (1920)

2Hunters of the Great North (1922) (Interactive Table of Contents)

3An Eskimo Village (1920)

4My Arctic Journal: A Year Among Ice-fields and Eskimos (1894)

5A Year with a Whaler (1919)

6By Eskimo Dog-sled and Kayak (1919)

7Forty-two Years Amongst the Indians and Eskimo: Pictures from the Life of the Right Reverend John Horden, First Bishop of Moosonee (1893) (Active Table of Contents)

8Journey from Great Bear Lake to Wollaston Land and Recent Explorations along the South and East Coast of Victoria Land (1852)

9Robert Peary's Short Narrative of His "GREAT WHITE JOURNEY" across Greenland (1894)

Adventure in the Canadian wilderness

Reading this book was a pleasure. It was good right from the beginng until the end and I have recommended it to my friends. James Currwood's description of the the struggle for life in the Canadian wilderness at the turn of the century kept me wanting to read more. This novel is a well written story of survival, exploration and discovery in what is a harsh but beautifull enviroment, vividly described by the author, if your looking for a great adventure then read "THE WOLF HUNTERS".

Doesn't Disappoint!

The Wolf Hunters is a thoroughly enjoyable novel that kept me flipping the page late into the night. The pace is terrific and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next with Wabi, Rod and Mukoki.

I really enjoy the works of James Oliver Curwood. His books are pure escapist entertainment absent the agenda of many modern authors. A throwback to an earlier time? Perhaps, but this is precisely what makes this novel so much fun.

For those looking for the sequel to this book there's good news. The Gold Hunters picks up where this one left off. Although I haven't read it yet, I look forward to joining the characters on their next adventure to see if they do indeed find the gold rumored to be at the third waterfall.

Good Read

Great wilderness adventure story for all ages, perhaps especially for young teens. The writing and language are expert and it's a page turner. I had no problem imagining what it may have been like in Northern Canada around the turn of the century.

Adventures in Snowy Canada that Still Ring True After Nearly 100 Years!

This story, although a bit dated, is fast-paced and kept my interest. The animal killing scenes were a little over the top, but this author eventually became a conservationist. There is some violence from an ongoing conflict with some Native American (or should I say First Nations) renegades a la Louis L'amour.

This story left me hanging a bit with some loose ends and lots of material for a sequel...

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Title: Our American West

Subtitle: Volume 2

Author: Gary McCarthy

Narrator: Rusty Nelson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-24-13

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Our American West, Volume 2 begins with Americas first colonizers, the prairie dogs, and how out on the ranges they were so hated by ranchers that they were almost made extinct. Conestoga Wagons were once called prairie schooners crossing America long before the famed Pony Express. The indomitable courage of Sarah Winnemucca, the Prairie Princess rivals that of a tall Swede named Showshoe Thompson who skied the snowy river passes of the Sierra Nevadas for over twenty years packing the mail and saving lives. Almost no one knows of Esther Hobart Morris, but Wyoming proudly claims her as its Mother of Womens Suffrage. Marvel at the transcontinental railroad race between the Union Pacifics Chinese laborers and the predominately Irish Central Pacific Railroad crews and about how a one-armed Civil War hero named John Wesley Powell was the first explorer to run the mighty Grand Canyon deep within its corridors of stone. Doctors called sawbones struggled to save their patients with little more than poultices and prayers. Tom Horn was a tall, handsome hired gun but did he hang for a crime he did commit? Are mules smarter than horses? Clay Allison was every bit as deadly as Billy the Kid. Native American stories featuring Chief Sitting Bull. Buffalo Soldiers, The Ghost Dancers and Mark Twain, Frederick Remington and The Infamous Bandit Queens round out Our American West, Volume 2.

Members Reviews:

well informed author

Excellent book about the trivia of the old west.

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Title: The Stray Sod Country

Author: Patrick McCabe

Narrator: Gerard Doyle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-09-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1958, and as Laika, the Sputnik dog, is launched into space, Golly Murray, the Cullymore barber's wife, finds herself oddly obsessing about the canine cosmonaut. Meanwhile, Fonsey "Teddy" O'Neill is returning, like the prodigal son, from overseas, with Brylcreem in his hair and a Cuban-heeled swagger to his step, having experienced his coming-of-age in Skegness, England. Father Augustus Hand is working on a bold new theatrical production for Easter, which he, for one, knows will put Cullymore on the map. And, as the Manchester United football team prepares to take off from Munich airport, James A. Reilly sits in his hovel by the lake outside town, with his pet fox and his father's gun, feeling the weight of an insidious and inscrutable presence pressing down upon him.

As these imperiled characters wrestle with their identities, a mysteriously powerful narrator plucks, gently, at the strings of their fates, and watches the twitching response. This novel is a devil's-eye view of a lost era, a sojourn to the dark side of our past, one we may not have come back from. With echoes of Peyton Place and Fellini's Amarcord, and with a sinister narrator at its heart, this is at once a story of a small town - with its secrets, fears, friendships, and betrayals - and a sweeping, theatrical extravagance from one of the finest writers of his generation.

Members Reviews:

Eerie & hilarious with a tangible sense of madness

What made the experience of listening to The Stray Sod Country the most enjoyable?

This was the first Patrick McCabe audiobook I have listened to and I think the performance very accurately portrays McCabe's humourous, yet disturbing style. To me, it is horror in its purest form. I say 'horror' because the story and the characters therein encapsulate feelings, emotions and fears that are frighteningly familiar. The narrator, we can suppose, is the devil. Truth be told, though, the devil is inside all of us.

Frightening and hilarious, this is Patrick McCabe in full swing. In this book, he does what he does best. The journey this book takes the listener on is somewhat surreal, hilarious, and frightening and yet eerily familiar.

Fans of Patrick McCabe will definitely enjoy this.

Well done to both the author and the narrator. Excellent stuff!