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Title: The Air We Breathe

Author: Andrea Barrett

Narrator: Jeff Woodman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-10-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the fall of 1916, Americans debate whether to enter the European war. "Preparedness parades" march and headlines report German spies. But in an isolated community in the Adirondacks, the danger is barely felt. At Tamarack Lake the focus is on the sick. Wealthy tubercular patients live in private cure cottages; charity patients, mainly immigrants, fill the large public sanatorium. For all, time stands still. An enterprising patient initiates a weekly discussion group. When his well-meaning efforts lead instead to a tragic accident and a terrible betrayal, the war comes home, bringing with it a surge of anti-immigrant prejudice and vigilante sentiment.

©2007 Andrea Barrett; (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic Reviews:

"This expertly paced and thoughtfully written book is ample testament to [Barrett's] gifts." (Elle)

"Barrett [writes in the] collective we, the voice of the crowd of convalescents. Details of New York tenements and of the sanitarium's regime are vivid and engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Rich and absorbing

I love Andrea Barrett's story collection, Ship Fever, and this new novel is also terrific: complex, absorbing and intelligent, full of history but also good characters and a good story. There are even some elements of mystery.

As in Barrett's short stories, several of this novel's main characters are people who love science. Whether professional scientists or amateurs, they live ordinary and extraordinary lives that are often distorted by gender, social class, and politics. The complex but entirely credible plot plays out the combined effects of war, mass migration, chance, and individual psychology in the lives of several appealing and interesting main characters.

The reader is very good, although occasionally he gets his accents mixed up. This is a great book for a long, long drive.

Big world/little world

This book is the perfect example of how the world's big events are just background to our private dramas for most of us, and what a struggle it is to escape from the confines of our small lives and our self-delusions into something bigger and more alive. It gives you a lot to think about.

so/so

a good story with interesting historical background but I never quite got involved in the characters

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Title: The Pillars of the Earth

Author: Ken Follett

Narrator: Richard E. Grant

Format: Abridged

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-10-07

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 54 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Against this richly imagined backdrop, filled with intrigue and treachery, Ken Follett draws the reader irresistibly into a wonderful epic of family drama, violent conflict, and unswerving ambition. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, the dreams, labours, and loves of his characters come vividly to life. The Pillars of the Earth is, without doubt, a masterpiece, and has proved to be one of the most popular books of our time.

Members Reviews:

poorly abridged

No doubt a good book but spoiled by being poorly abridged - and of course no unabridged version available in my geographical location!

Cinematic

Ken Follett writes with such vivid prose it's impossible not to drop into his world as he projects the story directly onto your imagination. Whilst the ending is a little rushed it is a deeply satisfying tale full of adventure, courage, loss, retribution and the full melodramatic palette. There is also screeds of fascinating information of time, place and matters architecture.

Highly recommended.

Pillars of the Earth

A great author that took me along the journey of hardship, sadness, relief, anger, cruelty, self obsessed people, generous people, heartache, determination and survival. The book ending was a slight anti climax and seem to end before it should have but I think that about good movies I want them to go on forever.

Long and heavy

Well this certainly killed time in the car, but how it drags on. Not my best read of the year.

Absolutely absorbing

I had always meant to read this book, but never quite got around to it. The size of the volume might have had something to do with it. I even hesitated to purchase the audiobook when I saw that it required four separate downloads. However, I am really happy it did. I couldn't put it down. What a great story. It was Ken Follet's passion and it shows. Richard Grant does a fabulous job of narration. Not only is his voice a pleasure to listen to - he handles the various characters beautifully. Buy this book. You won't regret it.

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Title: The Stone

Author: Nigel Tranter

Narrator: Andrew Dallmeyer

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-04-07

Publisher: Tell-A-Vision Television

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Abridged by Andrew Dallmeyer, The Stone is Nigel Tranter's thrilling tale of the discovery and the adventures of a group of Scottish patriots as they try to ensure that it remains in Scotland forever.

Members Reviews:

The legend lives on...

History, tradition, adventure...with a sure grasp on these components of a great story, Nigel Tranter builds upon the fabled history of the Stone of Scone - the Stone of Destiny. The tale itself captures the imagination, and Andrew Dallmeyer reads with a deep understanding of the material - and a wonderful voice.

Anyone who lays claim to even a drop of Scottish blood will thrill to this addition to the legend.

Better read than listened to...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator!

What did you like best about this story?

I read this book many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it but as an audio - no no no

What didnt you like about Andrew Dallmeyers performance?

Too much sniffing, sighing, swallowing. heavy breathing and umming and ahhing to make listening enjoyable. Ten minutes was as much as I could stand.

Was The Stone worth the listening time?

Definitely not

Any additional comments?

This narrator seems to think that heavy breathing adds to the drama. It doesn't! it's just irritating. I returned it.

The Stone-Nigel Tranter

This is very interesting story of Scotland history.The Stone - A novel which focuses on the Stone of Destiny, which is said to have been situated beneath the Coronation Chair of Westminster Abbey for 700 years, but what is the truth behind the stone. The Stone of Destiny or Lie Fail, also called the Stone of Scone, was for centuries the coronation ?throne? of the Celtic Kings of Scotland. Nearly 700 years ago, Edward Plantagenet, King of England supposedly stole the Stone from the Scots in 1296 after his forces defeated John de Balliol?s army of Scots at the Battle of Dunbar. Edward carried it back to Westminster Abbey and had a throne built around it in 1301 for the English Monarchs. So the last King of the Scots to sit up the Stone was John de Balliol. In 1996 the English returned the Stone of Destiny in a big production on the eve of Scotland?s partial independence from England. Tranter blends myth, fact and speculation into a satisfying tale of a race to discover the hiding place of the real stone and protect it from those bent on using it. He weaves his love for Scotland, its history and legend into one of his best works. This audio book is very popular as Scottish history fictions. I love this audio book. It is very well narrated and creates an interest in to the story with good quality of sound that easily understandable and audible to us with proper proportion of voice throw. It is also available in affordable price and easily download. It is very good to be a part of this finest story.

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Title: The Chess Machine

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Robert Lohr

Narrator: Stephen Hoye

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-07

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Vienna, 1770: Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen unveils a strange and amazing invention: the Mechanical Turk, a sensational and unbeatable chess-playing automaton. But what the Habsburg court hails as the greatest innovation of the century is really nothing more than a brilliant illusion. The chess machine is secretly operated from inside by the Italian dwarf Tibor, a God-fearing social outcast whose chess-playing abilities and diminutive size make him the perfect accomplice in this grand hoax.

Von Kempelen and his helpers tour his remarkable invention all around Europe to amaze and entertain the public, but despite many valiant attempts and close calls, no one is able to beat the extraordinary chess machine. The crowds all across Europe adore the Turk, and the success of Baron von Kempelen seems assured. But when a beautiful and seductive countess dies under mysterious circumstances in the presence of the automaton, the Mechanical Turk falls under a cloud of suspicion, and the machine and his inventor become the targets of espionage, persecution, and aristocratic intrigue.

What is the dark secret behind this automaton, and what strange powers does it hold? The Chess Machine is a daring and remarkable tale, full of envy, lust, scandal, and deception.

Critic Reviews:

"Well-executed¿. Authentic....Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

"Rich in detail and psychological depth....A work of...marvelously creative imagination." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Stimulating but narrative stronger than characters

Any additional comments?

I love books that deftly blend historical accounts (however loose) with easily digested scientific ideas/inventions and fold them into clever stories with believable, achingly human characters. This book succeeds in several of those areas, but falls short in its presentation of characters. Too often, they are flat and predictable. Their comments seem like points taken from a storyboard to propel the plot, not natural expressions of real people swirling about in the events of their lives. To its credit, the narrative is quite fine and the reading is well-matched to the writing style. The author understands how to craft a book with foreshadowing and story tentacles that wrap back upon themselves to create that mobius strip flow that marks the complexity of quirky, rich lives. So, I can recommend this as a good read, but not a great one. If the category appeals to you, I can highly recommend A Case of Curiosities (print only, bestseller and available in trade paperback) or The Invention of Everything Else (print and Audible.com - I found the reading a delight!).

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Title: The Village Show

Author: Rebecca Shaw

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-07

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Craddock Fitch is a relative newcomer to the village of Turnham Malpas and is keen to make a splash by holding a village show, the best ever, on the grounds of his large house. Committee secretary and co-ordinator of the show Louise Bissett is the spoilt daughter of Sir Ron and Lady Sheila. Although a brilliant organiser, Louise is in deep personal trouble and her growing obsession with the married rector can only end in tears. As the weeks roll by into summer and nerves tighten in anticipation of the great day, romances heat up and then cool down, tempers flare, and misunderstandings multiply.

©1999 Rebecca Shaw; (P)1999 Soundings

Members Reviews:

Excellent

Amazing story .... Fantastic narration felt like i was,there and part of story a must listen if you get chance .

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Title: The Chocolate Girls

Author: Annie Murray

Narrator: Frances Barber

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-26-07

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Edie, the main character, marries young to escape her unhappy family home. Widowed at 19 and having lost her child, she faces the war grieving and lonely. Then, one night during the Blitz, an infant mysteriously abandoned during the bombing is handed into her care.

Ruby, meanwhile, doesn't want to be left behind in the wedding stakes and settles for marriage with Frank. Finally, there's Janet, kind-hearted and susceptible to male charm, who is hurt desperately by an affair with a married man.

David steals Edie's heart as she brings him up through a time none of them will ever forget. And when David is old enough to wonder who he really is, he leads Edie through struggle and heartache to a life and love she would never have dreamed of.

Members Reviews:

A huge disappointment.

This book left me wondering if I had fallen asleep and missed some major parts of the story.

The beginning had the reader jumping into a good strong story but quickly I was left wondering what on earth was going on as chunks of the story seemed to be missed out.

The ending was ridiculously abrupt leaving me feeling really let down.

Ms Barber narrates beautifully and was the only saving grace of this book.

the chocolate girls

i loved this book by annie murray what a lovely story it was gripping and you just had to keep reading it, it was very sad in parts but a really great read also the follow on book was a great read to and sad but had a happy ending love audible

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Title: Spartan

Author: Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Narrator: Derek Jacobi

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-07

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

They live out their story in a world dominated by the clash between the Persian empire and the city-states of Greece, a ferocious, relentless conflict, until the voice of their blood and of human solidarity unites them in a thrilling, singular enterprise.

Critic Reviews:

"Italian archaeologist and novelist Manfredi has crafted another compelling saga set in ancient Greece....Plenty of action, passion, and drama underscore this authentically detailed historical adventure." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Sorry Derek

A good book, but had I the chance to go back, I would have read it personally, rather than listening to it. I like Derek Jacobi's voice normally, but in this he just irritated me a little. I won't be too criticising as it's all a matter of opinion, but his voice for the 'speech' parts was not quite right in my opinion. Sorry Derek.

Excellent - particularly the narration

(I rarely give 5 stars; a good, decent book deserves 3 as standard)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a good story, with a decent pace and no obvious gaps from being an abridged version (though I've never read the full book so I might have missed something!)

Much of the story is from the position of the helots, the servant/ slave class that supported the Spartans. But don't let that fool you - it's a great story covering the famous battle of the 300, but more interestingly, the aftermath of that battle.

The story was really brought to life by the excellent narration - I can't praise Jacobi enough. It really highlighted just how good an audiobook can be if the narrator is top class, which Derek Jacobi is.

A good, well-paced, brilliantly read story!

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Title: Gramercy Park

Author: Paula Cohen

Narrator: Alyssa Bresnahan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-29-06

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

This novel, selected by the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and the Book of the Month Club, has been hailed as "Daphne du Maurier meets Edith Wharton". Set in turn-of-the-century New York, it is a tale of passion, intrigue, and murder.

Critic Reviews:

"Smart, tender, witty and titillatingly libidinous, Cohen's debut fiction is a credit to the genre of the historical novel. Set in 1894 in the eponymous Manhattan enclave at a time when Mrs. Astor ruled New York society, the novel boasts vivid characters, both sublime and nasty, and a sly and absorbing plot embroidered with period details." (Publishers Weekly) "Leave[s] us amazed at her ability to re-create a vital, graceful, almost elegiac world....An excellent piece of historical imagination." (Chicago Tribune) "High society, mystery, and opera merge in Cohen's haunting first novel." (New York Daily News)

Members Reviews:

A romance, not a mystery

I love mysteries. I do not love romance novels. This novel has been mis-categorized by someone, which is too bad, because by the standards of romance this probably would be one of the better ones. Hey, if you like florid, cliched writing, goopy sentimentality, and stock characters, you will love this. Like most if not all romance novels, it's a re-hash of the Jane Eyre archetype. Like most romances, it's a poor imitation of the original.

I kept hoping it would get better or at least more suspensful (I DID find it in the "Mystery" section), but so far that hasn't happened. I feel like I'm stuck with it, because I'm not sure how one goes about returning digital merchandise.

I don't feel like the summary or the publisher's blurbs adeqately conveyed the character of this novel.

disturbing

The narrator does a creditable job, but the pace of the story seems overwrought and slow. At one point a the narrator says of a character something like "He had never felt so tired in his life." To which I mentally replied "Me too, buddy." But it was just interesting enough for me to keep listening.

Eventually there came some scenes of pedophilia and death that were disturbing and repulsive. You might ask "is it possible to have scenes of pedophilia and death that *aren't* disturbing and repulsive?" And you're right - these subjects are horrible. It doesn't mean that they can't be valid subjects to arise in fiction. But in my own personal opinion, the situations brought forth in this book were too much for me to find any redeeming value in continuing to read it. Just my opinion, and maybe I'm more sensitive than most people. I just thought I would provide my thoughts as a caution to others.

A stretch of credibilty - even for New York

This book will disappoint those seeking historical fiction, an atmospheric New York yarn, and/or an opera connection. It's a interminable melodrama that goes on and on like the Energizer bunny.

Luscious Listening

This narrator is pure pleasure to listen to and her command of the material is superb. The the writing itself full of compellling characters and exquisite descriptions, and the story holds layer after sumptuous layer all folded together with mystery and drama and an immensely satisfying range of emotions.

A winner

I disagree with the other review.

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Title: Shoot, Minnie, Shoot!

Subtitle: The Story of the 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls, Basketball's First World Champions

Author: Happy Jack Feder

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-23-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In less than one year after first seeing a basketball, they were crowned the first world champions of basketball at St. Louis' 1904 World's Fair. Millions saw them and gained a deeper understanding and love for Indians. This is the story of that team, seen through the eyes of star player, Minnie Burton.

Critic Reviews:

"Anna Fields brings this fictional biography to life with respect and joy. Fields skillfully portrays the various Native American children from a wide variety of tribes....One needn't be a basketball fan to enjoy this reading." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Full of Inaccuracies

I gave the book 2 stars because the story of the Fort Shaw Indian girls basketball team is fascinating, but this particular telling of it is so full of inaccuracies that I hardly know where to begin. The Shoshone are not part of the Sioux (Lakota!) nation. F.C. Campbell was only 6 yrs old when the Massacre on the Marias took place. The girl holding the ball on the cover is Belle Johnson, not Minnie. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the cultural misrepresentations that were found throughout the book. I imagine that Shoshone, Blackfeet, and other Indian readers will be more than irritated by the distortions of their cultural and religious beliefs.

A peek into Montana History

I'm from Montana and took Montana history in school. This story may have been told in class but I don't remember hearing it before so it was fascinating to find out about the success of these amazing female athletes in a time when there was much discrimination against the native people of our country. The story was fictionalized by the author who took a very positive uplifting point of view about the adventures of the Fort Shaw Indian girls basketball team. The narrator, Anna Fields, did a nice job of giving each character in the story a unique voice. I was slightly disappointed at the end to find out that parts of the story were just fiction and never actually happened but at the same time, I think Happy Jack did a good job of imagining what might have gone on in the journey of the girls.

inspirational

Would you consider the audio edition of Shoot, Minnie, Shoot! to be better than the print version?

yes

What did you like best about this story?

it was based on fact.

What does Anna Fields bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

not sure

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I loved the book it made me feel good

Any additional comments?

I have recommended it often

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Title: Lilah

Author: Marek Halter

Narrator: Ellen Reilly

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-26-06

Publisher: Random House Audio

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Living in exile, Lilah is in love with Antinoes, a Persian warrior. They have known each other since they were children, and Antinoes dearly wants to make Lilah his wife. Yet Lilah does not feel she can marry without the blessing of her brother, Ezra. She and Ezra are close, and Lilah knows her brother well; he does not want his sister to have a husband outside their faith. Ezra is a scholar of the laws of Moses, and Lilah believes it is her brother's destiny to lead the Jewish people back to the Promised Land. While Antinoes pressures her to accept his proposal, Lilah realizes that before she can consider her own happiness, it is her duty to help her brother accomplish the seemingly impossible task that is before him.

Putting herself in grave danger, and with the help of Antinoes, Lilah wins Ezra an audience with Artaxerxes II, the King of Kings, who grants permission to lead the exiles on their journey back to the Promised Land. After a hazardous trip across the desert, Lilah, Ezra, and the thousands who join them arrive in Jerusalem. But the hardship of rebuilding the Temple takes its toll, and the religious enthusiasm of some turns to extremism. Ezra, listening to the zealots, orders all non-Jewish wives and their children banished from Jerusalem. Lilah, whose love for Antinoes has never wavered, is horrified by this command. She knows she must now choose between her brother and her conscience, which tells her that the time has come to defy him.

Lilah is a timeless story of one woman's stand against intolerance; it will linger in the reader's mind long after the last page has been turned.

Critic Reviews:

"Plenty of highly charged sexuality and some imaginative storytelling." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

I like it and read it a couple times every year ...

It's ok !! I like it and read it a couple times every year but beloved Leah and Rebecca's redemption is so much better!!!

The heroine lived in a very dark time in Jewish ...

The heroine lived in a very dark time in Jewish history and the book paints Ezra as a very weak character. I thought it was interesting how the author portrayed the years in Jerusalem by having Lilah write a VERY long letter to her husband. The fact that writing then was with a stylus and very difficult makes it seem a bit far-fethched, but it enabled the author the cover history only from her knowledge and feelings.

Another Great Title!

Purchased this book based on the genre, but haven't regretted it a bit. Lilah is a great story with a great twist, especially for those who remember fondly the stories from the bible, but love the embellishment this author provides. The story is rich, the character development is suberb, and the landscape is so vividly described that you can almost feel the ground beneath your feet. This book is part of a trilogy, and I couldn't wait to finish each novel. I will recommend this novel to any one looking for a great story. Also, please look up "The Red Tent" for further reading along the lines of "Lilah."

As far as the seller is concerned, I am glad to note that the book arrived in good condition, exactly as described, and on time, too! I would recommend them to other Amazon.com shoppers.

Good Book

I liked Lilah's story. I'm not totally familiar with Ezra's story and his roll in rebuilding Jerusalem but this story is based on Ezra's journey back to Jerusalem to rebuild it.