Download the Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical

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Title: Post Captain

Subtitle: Aubrey-Maturin Series, Book 2

Author: Patrick O'Brian

Narrator: Ric Jerrom

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-12-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 98 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

This tale begins with Jack Aubrey arriving home from his exploits in the Mediterranean to find England at peace following the Treaty of Amiens. He and his friend Stephen Maturin, surgeon and secret agent, begin to live the lives of country gentlemen, hunting, entertaining, and enjoying amorous adventures. Their comfortable existence, however, is cut short when Jack is overnight reduced to a pauper with enough debts to keep him in prison for life. He flees to the continent to seek refuge. Instead he finds himself a hunted fugitive as Napoleon has ordered the internment of all Englishmen in France.

Patrick O'Brian is regarded by many as the greatest historical novelist of the 20th century. Post Captain is the second novel in his remarkable Aubrey/Maturin series.

Critic Reviews:

"Master and Commander raised dangerously high expectations; Post Captain triumphantly surpasses them." (Mary Renault)

Members Reviews:

A brilliant series performed beatifully

I could not buy these books abridged - half the pleasure is in the recreation of the language of the Georgian navy and the ebbing and flowing of the friendship of the two main characters is a subtle thing.

Ric Jerrom does a fantastic job of narrating and I will wait for the rest of his recordings of the series rather than switching to one of the other versions.

So good that I couldn't wait until my next credits arrived and had to purchase - the first time I have done this!

Jack Caught by the Lee on the Austen-esque Land

For much of Post Captain (1972), the second novel in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin naval saga set during the age of sail and Napoleon, Jack Aubrey is "brought by the lee," stuck in a difficult and uncomfortable position. Still waiting for his promotion to Post Captain and his prize money to come through after the climax of Master and Commander (1970), Jack has barely set up housekeeping with his good friend Stephen Maturin (medical doctor, avid naturalist, and secret agent) in a rented mansion in the Sussex countryside near a family of marriageable young ladies, when Jack receives crushing news: his promotion will never be granted by the inimical guy in charge of the admiralty, his prize agent has absconded with all of his prize money, and two of his prize ships have been declared upon appeal to have been neutral and hence out of bounds, so that Jack is left broke and in debt for 11,000 pounds. This seems to put the kibosh on Jack's hopes for the beautiful and reticent Sophia Williams and sends him illicitly into the arms of her beautiful and lively widowed cousin Diana Villiers, with whom Stephen has, despite himself, fallen in love. All this threatens the "bromance" of the two friends, as Stephen discovers the strange power of jealousy. Things are complicated further when, in order to avoid being arrested for debt on land, Jack begs for and receives a modest commission in the Polychrest, a notoriously ungainly and poorly built experimental ship.

One neat thing about Post Captain is seeing how out of his element Jack is ashore. At sea he is a decisive and commanding man--"Lucky Jack Aubrey"--but on land everything is complex and ambiguous and he gets caught up in a destructive relationship and is reduced to skulking around in a large cloak to avoid the bailiff's men. Another enjoyable thing about the book is O'Brian's surprising of our expectations.

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Title: Pure

Author: Andrew Miller

Narrator: Ralph Cosham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-12

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 123 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

By 1785, deep in the heart of Paris, the city's oldest cemetery is overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby. Into their midst comes Jean-Baptiste Baratte, a young, provincial engineer charged by the king with demolishing it. At first Baratte sees this as a chance to clear the burden of history, a fitting task for a modern man of reason. But before long, he begins to suspect that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own.

Critic Reviews:

"One of the most brilliant aspects of Miller's writing is his ability to question unobtrusively, through style alone, sentimentality about both life under the Bourbons and the creative destruction of revolution...he has an instinctive knack for casting bright similes, never overextended, that ripple suggestively...The writing throughout is crystalline, uncontrived, striking and intelligent. You could call it pure." (Jonathan Beckman, Literary Review)

Every so often a historical novel comes along that is so natural, so far from pastiche, so modern, that it thrills and expands the mind. Pure is one...Miller's newly minted sentences are arresting, often unsettling and always thought-provoking. Exquisite inside and out, Pure is a near-faultless thing: detailed, symbolic and richly evocative of a time, place and man in dangerous flux. It is brilliance distilled, with very few impurities." (Holly Kyte, Telegraph)

"Quietly powerful, consistently surprising, Pure is a fine addition to substantial body of work...pre-revolutionary Paris is evoked in pungent detail...By concentrating on the bit players and byways of history, Miller conjures up an eerily tangible vanished world." (Suzi Feay, Financial Times)

Members Reviews:

This book is exquisite

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

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. It is beautifully written,a good story, and a vivid description of Paris at the time. I liked the people who inhabit the book, they are good and decent people.

Engrossing, entertaining, but weird

I am really glad I listened to this book. At first, I thought the author wrote it strictly from his head. But in the epilogue, I discovered it was a fictionalized real event. That made it even more meaningful to me. So, it is historical fiction (late 18th century), a love story, a bit of mystery. The main character, John-Baptiste, an engineer, was given the job of demolishing a very old cemetery in Paris. He designed the process and supervised the project. While Parisians weren't very happy about what happened to their families who were buried there, I couldn't help but think about the contrast with the kind of conflict a similar project caused in my city. Watching John-Baptiste grow and change made me feel quite close to him. Other characters weren't developed as much as his.

Supernatural eeriness was not part of this story. However, the weirdness of digging up thousands of bodies, (often no coffins or very flimsy ones) was enough.

This was a good story, a bit on the weird side, that was satisfying and provided a good look at 18th century Paris.

Listened to in a single day! Once I got going!

One would think that any novel you start and finish in a single day would prove to be one that you would reccomend to others, and one would be quite correct in thinking so!

This novel, once I got into the characters and situations was simply not one I could bear to wait to finish...

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Title: The Lifeboat

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Charlotte Rogan

Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-23-12

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 262 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life.

In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband, Henry, across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die.

As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found. Will she pay any price to keep it?

The Lifeboat is a pause-resistant novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

Critic Reviews:

"The Lifeboat traps the reader in a story that is exciting at the literal level and brutally moving at the existential: I read it in one go." (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)

"What a splendid book.... I can't imagine any reader who looks at the opening pages wanting to put the book down.... It's so refreshing to read a book that is ambitious and yet not tricksy, where the author seems to be in command of her material and really on top of her game. It's beautifully controlled and totally believable." (Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall)

"The Lifeboat is a spellbinding and beautifully written novel, one that will keep readers turning pages late into the night. This is storytelling at its best, and I was completely absorbed from beginning to end." (Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried, In the Lake of the Woods, July, July)

Members Reviews:

FELL FLAT

What did you like best about The Lifeboat? What did you like least?

The critics' reviews intrigued me to listen to this book. I almost never get a book until I have read some reader reviews, but something about this one made me want to get. It seemed like it was such a great premise it had to be good. I was very disappointed. I felt no connection to any character in the book whatsoever. It was only 7 hours yet I had a really tough time finishing it. I found it puzzling that what should be such a "tense" storyline was so "flat."

Would you be willing to try another book from Charlotte Rogan? Why or why not?

I would never say never after just reading one book.

What didnt you like about Rebecca Gibels performance?

Her voice didn't seem to fit the period or the mood. I did not think she was a bad narrator, I just thought this book was not a good fit for her. Hard to tell whether she did not bring any life to the book or the book had no life to bring.

Do you think The Lifeboat needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

no

Any additional comments?

I thought this book was a great idea and could have explored t so many human emotions/actions, yet, as I stated, I was hard-pressed to even finish it and there was no sense of connection with anybody.

Lord of the Flies on the Water

In the very first few minutes of this Charlotte Rogans The Lifeboat the passengers in lifeboat 14 make their way through the debris of their ship. Trying to stay afloat they dont rescue a child floating on some wreckage next to his dead mom and actually beat away swimmers attempting to board their boat. It is one moral dilemma after another from there on out. Soon they come to realize the boat is overloaded. As hours and days drag on their humanity is tested.

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Titre: Le Nom de la Rose

Auteur: Umberto Eco

Narrateur: François d'Aubigny

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 22 hrs and 8 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 02-29-12

Éditeur: Audiolib

Evaluation: 4.5 sur 5 sur 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Au début du XIVe siècle, une abbaye située aux confins de la Provence et de la Ligurie. Un lieu voué à la prière et à l'étude avec sa bibliothèque qui fait l'admiration de tout l'Occident chrétien, à l'écart des violences et des luttes de pouvoir qui déchirent les royaumes voisins. Jusqu'au jour où un moine est trouvé mort au bas des murailles. C'est le début d'une sanglante série que devra élucider Guillaume de Baskerville.

Fascinant roman policier médiéval, Le Nom de la Rose est aussi la preuve éclatante de la virtuosité intellectuelle d'Umberto Eco.

Il faut une grande maîtrise pour restituer le foisonnement des tons et des rythmes qui donne au roman d'Umberto Eco toute sa séduction : c'est cette performance que réussit l'interprétation de François d'Aubigny.

L'auteur

Bien connu des milieux intellectuels pour ses remarquables travaux sur le langage et la littérature, tels que

ou

,

, né en 1932 en Italie, s'est fait connaître du grand public avec

. Médicis étranger en 1982, Le Nom de la Rose a été classé par Le Monde parmi les 100 livres les plus représentatifs du XXe siècle.

Le narrateur

Artiste interprète français, on retrouve

au cinéma, au théâtre et à la télévision.

© 2012, Editions Grasset et Fasquelle pour la traduction française de la version revue et corrigée du " Nom de la Rose". Traduit de l'italien par Jean-Noël Schifano. Edition revue et corrigée par l'auteur

© et (P) Audiolib, 2011

Revues par les critiques:

A propos de ce titre

Prix Médicis Etranger 1982.

Avis des membres:

Le latin classique

La seule chose qui m'a déçu chez le narrateur c'est qu'il prononçait les passages en latin avec la prononciation classique quand il s'agissait de moines et de textes religieux où l'on s'attendrait plutôt une prononciation ecclésiastique/italienne.

Le petit passage où il fait un accent anglais était très amusant et bien réussi.

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Title: Centurion

Subtitle: Eagles of the Empire, Book 8

Author: Simon Scarrow

Narrator: Steven Pacey

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-12

Publisher: Headline Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 50 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the first century AD, the Roman Empire faces a new threat from its long-standing enemy Parthia. Parthia is vying with Rome for control of Palmyra an officially neutral kingdom. Palmyra's royal household is on the brink of open revolt, and so a task force under the command of experienced soldiers Macro and Cato is dispatched to defend its king and guard its borders.

Members Reviews:

To be determined

Too short was very surprised. I like the story however and will continue the series

Great story

Listen to all the other audible books on the series the voice of the Macro and Cato didn't go well with them but I love this series and will read or listen to the rest. Scarrow is the best historical fiction author I have read. This was my least favorite of the series so far but I still loved it.

Good book, but a mediocre point in the series

I write this based on listening to the Abridged version, since there is not unabridged version. But you definitely blow past it pretty quick. The voice acting was acceptable, but not amazing. Previous audio books had superior voice acting with better attention to accents and more imagination.

Altogether, a decent read. But not something I'll listen to again unless blowing through the whole series.

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Title: The Highland Witch

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Susan Fletcher

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-28-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 100 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A breathtaking novel of passion and betrayal in 17th-century Scotland and the portrait of an unforgettable heroine.

February 13, 1692. Thirty-eight members of the MacDonald clan are killed by soldiers who had previously enjoyed the clans hospitality. Many more die from exposure. Forty miles south, brilliant, captivating Corragaccused witch and orphaned herbalistis imprisoned in the Scottish highlands for her involvement in the massacre. As she awaits her death, she tells her story to Charles Leslie, an Irish propagandist who seeks information she may have condemning the Protestant King William. Hers is a story of passion, courage, love, and the magic of the natural world. By telling it, she transforms both their lives.

As in her award-winning debut novel, Eve Green, Susan Fletcher shows that she is "a novelist with the soul of a poet" (Booklist). This deeply philosophical and dramatic book is about an epic historic event and the difference a single heart can makeand how deep and lasting relationships can come from the most unlikely places.

Critic Reviews:

A stirring historical romance. Sweeps out a lot of the old clichés about witches and casts an enchanting spell in favor of bold women everywhere. (Washington Post)

Members Reviews:

beautifully written!

Was The Highland Witch worth the listening time?

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected I would. The author has a wonderfully descriptive way of giving us a vision of the natural world and how the protagaonist interacts with it. Having been to the Glencoe area many times (it is one of my favorites places), Corrag's love of the mountains and glens was beautifully brought to life.

Will Fill Your Heart

As stated in another review, it took a bit to get into the story. But, once into it, it will fill your heart. It will make you think. It will make you wonder. It will make you cry.

This story explores the fears of mankind and what is done to be rid of those things and people that are different. It illustrates the life-changing journey of one man as he listens to the story of a woman convicted of witchcraft.

I cannot say enough about this book. It moved me beyond words. Listen to it or read it. And when you do, open your heart to accept the differences in all of us.

Enjoyable after you get into the story

It took me about 90 minutes before I started enjoying this one. The beginning (which covers the Corag's early life) just really dragged for me. I did start enjoying it once she took off on her own. I'm glad I stuck it out and would recommend it to anyone who likes Scottish locales and historical fiction.

A nice nod to history

Great read linked directly to real events and the fight that independent women faced throughtout history.

I loved this book!

I loved everything about this book...a wonderful, well-written story and so beautifully narrated. Well done!

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Title: There'll Be Blue Skies

Author: Ellie Dean

Narrator: Annie Aldington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-24-11

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When sixteen-year-old Sally is evacuated to the English south coast, she is terrified by what lies ahead of her. All she knows are the sights and sounds of London's East End but Sally swallows her tears as they leave the familiar landmarks behind, knowing that she has to be a Grown-Up Girl and play mother to her six-year-old brother Ernie. Playing mother is nothing new for Sally their real mother Florrie, a good-time girl, hasn't even come to the station to wave them off and Ernie, crippled at an early age by polio, is used to depending on his older sister.

When they arrive in Cliffehaven, they're taken to live at the Beach View Boarding House where they're welcomed by the open-hearted Reilly family headed up by warm, loving Peggy, and life begins to improve. Sally gets a job in a uniforms factory to help pay her way and to pay for Ernie's expensive medicines but then Florrie arrives in Cliffehaven, bringing disaster with her. And Sally is forced to work out where her true loyalties lie....

Members Reviews:

Guilty pleasure

This is chic lit for the older person, something my auntie would really enjoy.

Personally i found it a little bit Mills and Boon, but although it was not a great work of fiction, secretly I did quite enjoy it. If you want a book that is comforting, not challenging, where romance is slightly higher on the agenda than realism, and where everything comes together in the end, then this might just do the job. Good for a rainy afternoon, the equivalent of a big bowl of comfort food............

Another great Beach View story

If you could sum up There'll Be Blue Skies in three words, what would they be?

Really good story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ron, such a character!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Gabbled narration. Annie Aldington is great with cockney accents but that's about it. She fails to take notice of punctuation, and has a sharp delivery which I dislike intensely.

Great listen

Story was interesting with lots of background interest of the time and place slipped in without it becoming tedious. Characters were people you wanted to know more about. Storyteller grew on me and I decided by the second chapter that she was perfect. Her character voices were such that I forgot it was being narrated.

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Title: Pastoral

Author: Nevil Shute

Narrator: Frank Muller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-19-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 92 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

She was from the hills of Yorkshire, country born and bred. He was a city boy. By the stream where they fished they were two young people falling in love. Overhead, the bombers roared, threatening to blow their idyllic world, so young, so fresh, to smithereens.

Members Reviews:

Historical romance set in WWII England.

Any additional comments?

This story is a gentle romance that ranks above midway (7/10) of all the stories I have listened to. Set in WWII England the story is about the developing romance between a Bomber Command pilot and a WAAF Section Officer. The drama of the night bombing of Germany contrasting with the quietness of the fishing sub -plot serves to emphasize the difficulties of war time relationships. All-in-all, this is a story suitable for everyone.

wonderful story!

I throughly enjoyed this story. Very convincing picture of a developing romance against the backdrop of war and a bomber station, especially given that the war was still ongoing at the timing of this book's publication. Although most of the book was quite slow paced, there were definitely some exciting periods towards the end. I greatly enjoyed what appears to be a personal appearance of the author in his own book! Excellent narration, well suited to Shute's quiet, understated style. I'm so glad that another of my "top 5" Shute favourites has been added to Audible!

When the Greatest Generation were young

What did you love best about Pastoral?

Pastoral puts the reader in to the daily life of a Royal Air Force Bomber Squadron during the early part of World War II.

In the RAF at this time the loss rate among bomber crews was very high, it was at best a coin toss if any given crew member would survive to the end of a tour.

The crews were all very, very young. Many were teenagers. The primary male character was 23, the primary female was 21. Younger readers will be astounded at the very conservative code of behavior these young men and women lived with.

The commander of the whole air base, the Wing Commander, is 32.Put these young active men and women together in the pressure cooker of Bomber Command in WWII and you're going to have young love.

That's what this book is about.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Pastoral?

Just when I got kind of tired of teenage love sickness the pace of the book picks up as the crews fly dangerous bombing mission over Germany.

What about Frank Mullers performance did you like?

As usual for a Recorded Books LLC production, the recording quality is perfect in all respects. Muller was one of the best narrators every to read a recorded book.

I only gave him four stars for this performance for two reasons:

1) There is a lot of dialog in this story. The main character is a 23 year old pilot. As great as he is, Muller has the voice of a man in his 50s. A younger narrator might have been more appropriate given the very young age of all the principal characters.

2) All though born in Europe, Muller moved to the United States at a the age of five. His accents are plausible, but still sound a bit like an American doing an English accent. I would have preferred that an Englishman read this book.

Who was the most memorable character of Pastoral and why?

The character who appears on the last page of the book.

Any additional comments?

A slow paced basic love story placed in extraordinary times.

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Title: Lion of the Sun

Subtitle: Warrior of Rome, Book 3

Author: Harry Sidebottom

Narrator: Stefan Rudnicki

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 108 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In Mesopotamia, AD 260, Ballista faces yet another enemy, the man the Syrians call The Lion of the Sun.

Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the desert sun as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, king of kings. Ballista looks on helplessly but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending. Ballista, the warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet.

Members Reviews:

War is UGLY

Would you consider the audio edition of Lion of the Sun to be better than the print version?

Never read the print version and most likely wouldn't

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ballista, he is the main character and his character grows with each action he takes.

Which character as performed by Stefan Rudnicki was your favorite?

All the characters Stefan Fudnicki does are great, he's a fantastic narrator. He brings each character to life with just the right accents, and emotion

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

When Balista learns his wife and sons killed (or believed so)

Any additional comments?

War in ancient times be it in Rome or any other time when inhumanity shows its ugly face can be only expressed as in a book like this one. The descriptive horror of every action, and consequence of the actions, especially by anyone who has the ability to see right from wrong. is really shattering, when choices are taken away from people. That is what war does, and turns ordinary individuals to do things they would never do under other circumstances. Great story, full of action and can truly turn you off from war.

Action, Action, Action

Where does Lion of the Sun rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It's one of the all time favorites for me, but I'm in a bit of a zombie phase right now

What other book might you compare Lion of the Sun to and why?

The Genghis Khan series, equal in action

Which scene was your favorite?

don't recall, I liked it all though

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

yes

Great historical fiction A+ story A- reading.

continue to enjoy Sidebottoms stories. Performance was good but could use some fine tuning to be great.

Ballista goes Ballistic!! Thumbs up

Sidebottom does another great Job not turning a historical fiction into a boring 'study' he must have to teach as a professor. Many teachers have difficulty writing novels that do not put u asleep, BUT he has woven an in-depth group of characters & a rich, completely entertaining battle strewn life as a Roman war leader, I'm looking fwd to any new books he writes

I highly recommend this series if u like roman dynasty legends, but be ready for not only complexity but rather gory details (I love it), plus Rudniki is always a great narrator

I love this series

Would you listen to Lion of the Sun again? Why?

Yes, eventually I'll listen to the whole series again. It's simply so good.

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Title: Sharpes Escape

Subtitle: Portugal, 1810

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Patrick Tull

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-22-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 124 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

International best-selling author Bernard Cornwell, an undisputed master of historical fiction, is in top form for the 20th novel in his wildly popular Richard Sharpe series. In the year 1810 Napoleon is determined to conquer Portugal. But Captain Richard Sharpe leads the French directly into the Duke of Wellingtons devastating defenses at Torres Vedras, where one of the great battles of the Napoleonic wars erupts.

Members Reviews:

The Napoleonic James Bond Lives to Fight Again.

Before James Bond, there was Richard Sharpe. Fighting the King's enemies. Dashing about getting himself into trouble, then pulling out the miraculous escape. And always getting the beautiful girl into his bed. That is our Richard Sharpe.

Bernard Cornwell knows how to write great stories. Yes, they tend to be formulaic, but I love these stories for their sheer bloody enjoyment. The author does an excellent job of building in the actions, patterns, and personalities of the time (as I understand them to be). He also educates you into the military thoughts and concepts of the British army during the Napoleonic Wars in Spain, Portugal, and France. And if the French leaders were are narcissistic as Cornwell suggests, I wonder how they won any battles at all.

The only complaint I have is Patrick Tull as the narrator. I much prefer these stories read by William Gaminara or Frederick Davidson, Tull is not bad and I got used to his accent as the book progressed, but Gaminara and Davidson are better. Personal preference there.

If you like British military history in general, and the Napoleonic Wars in particular, then you will enjoy the Sharpe novels.

Get the other copy listed on Audible.

Great book and great performance. Definitely listen to this book. I think the other copy may have the historical note at the end though. This one did not. I don't know for sure if there is one, but the Author usually includes one and it's not at the end of this copy of the book.

Great story, and Patrick Tull is the best!

What made the experience of listening to Sharpes Escape the most enjoyable?

To me, Tull's voice and acting skills make the story come alive. Here is no artificially polished public speaker, sounding like a politician or a preacher. Here is a genuine story teller from the past, one who speaks as though he has a rapt audience at his feet on a dark and windy night, room lights off, and a fire crackling. I find it easy to get completely into the narrative, and to live the story myself. Tull's is a rare skill with the spoken word. The Sharpe books are perfect for this style of storytelling, and Sharpe's Escape was a wonderful listen. I have several of the Sharpe books now, selected based on Tull as the narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sharpe, of course. His character is, while heroic, very realistic. He gets away with a lot of risky moves, but it's believable when he does. Bernard Cornwell's stories appeal strongly to me, and the Sharpe character and stories are great creations.

Have you listened to any of Patrick Tulls other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have all the Aubrey/Maturin books from Patrick O'Brian, and I purposely chose Tull as the narrator.