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Title: Suite Francaise

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Irene Nemirovsky

Narrator: Daniel Oreskes, Barbara Rosenblat

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-29-06

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 464 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Part One, "A Storm in June", is set in the chaos and mayhem of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion. Part Two, "Dolce", opens in the provincial town of Bussy during the first influx of German soldiers. Each part features a rich cast of characters, people who never should have met, but come to form ambiguous relationships as they are forced to endure circumstances beyond their control.

Translated by Sandra Smith.

Critic Reviews:

"A finely made work of fiction that portrays occupied France with both severity and sympathy....Written with extraordinary detachment by a woman who seemed to know that her own days were numbered." (The New York Times)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: Shenandoah

Subtitle: The Civil War Battle Series, Book 8

Author: James Reasoner

Narrator: Lloyd James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The last half of 1863 has taken a toll on the Brannon family, but a Christmas lull in the fighting brings home Mac and Will as well as Titus, the son believed to have been killed in the war. Though his return is joyous news, Titus is devastated when he finds his wife remarried and pregnant. In his bitterness, he unleashes a personal war on the new family.

Will returns to duty and is swept into the fighting in the wilderness. For a time, Mac is with him, but a Federal raid near Richmond propels the Confederate cavalry toward the crossroads at Yellow Tavern, and towards destiny. Of the two brothers left at the Brannon farm, now behind enemy lines, one seeks vengeance on the Yankees fighting in the Shenandoah Valley.

Critic Reviews:

"Robust, detail rich, and well-paced....Reasoner's battle narrative provides equal parts pathos and accuracy." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A Tale of Two parts

This is now the 8th book of the series I have listened to and the author continues to produce a very good series with some unpredictable surprises!

But in this book - it really is in two parts.

Part One of the download I rated a "3" because it is really a mystery (I'll leave it at that)that takes place with the Brannons - told in civil war times but not having anything really to do with the war.

Part Two is a "5"! Wonderful description of the battles of the Wilderness and other aspects of the 40 Days battles between Grant and Lee, ending in this case with Cold Harbor.

And a very interesting section with one brother at the end, riding with Mosby's rangers - and some discussion of this very controversial southern officer.

A breather before the finale

This was of all the books so far in the series the most disappointing - it focused almost entirely on the Brannan family and their troubles and hardly at all on the battles or the coming climax of the Civil War.

That said those battles that were described were as always masterly vivid - this is James Reasoner's forte, painting the battle scenes with such tight descriptions that you can see the fighting in your minds eye. Its graphic but not gratuitous in its rawness. It also brings home the unbelievable waste that is war - its humbling and saddening stuff.

Lloyd James as he has for the other 7 books did a fantastic job narrating the book and the producers were back on the ball and there were no glitches in production in this reading.

Only two more books left and I have downloaded both ready for the final acts of the war and the dramas of the Brannan family. I can already sense that when I finish this series there is going to be a bit of a hole in my life!

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Title: An Unfinished Season

Author: Ward Just

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-04

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In rural Quarterday, on the margins of Chicago's North Shore, 19-year-old Wilson Ravan watches as his father's life unravels. Teddy Ravan, gruff, unapproachable, and secure in his knowledge of the world, is confronting a strike and even death threats from union members who work at his printing business. Wilson, in the summer before college, finds himself straddling three worlds when he takes a job at a newspaper: the newsroom where working-class reporters find class struggle at the heart of every issue; the glittering North Shore debutante parties where he spends his nights; and the growing cold war between his parents at home. These worlds collide when he falls in love with the willful daughter of a renowned psychiatrist with a frightful past in World War II. Tragedy strikes her family, and the revelation of secrets calls into question everything Wilson once believed.

Critic Reviews:

"Crisp and intelligent, animated by dry humor and by a realism that is too humane to be cynical. This novel, with its resonant questions about the class divisions that most Americans refuse to acknowledge, is one of [Just's] most trenchant works to date." (Publishers Weekly)

"Emotionally freighted, witty and sophisticated, and powerfully evocative of both the time (the early 1950s) and the place (Chicago) in which it is set....A beautiful, wise book." (The Washington Post's Book World)

"Just masterfully evokes the bittersweet beauty of city and suburb, the immensity of solitude, the fortitude life requires, and death's ever-present shadow." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Superb novel - nicely read

This novel's virtues are not easy to describe. Beautifully written, it revolves principally around the events in the life of a 19 year old boy coming of age one summer in the early 1950's in the exurbs of Chicago. As if told many years later, his memories of this period focus on the people around him: his changing parents, his peers leaving high school to the world beyond, the journalists at his summer job, the jazz musicians he becomes acquainted with, the girl he falls in love with briefly, and the mysterious events surrounding a tragedy in her family. This story builds slowly, although it is never lacking in interest. (Life is full of events with no huge import.) When circumstances change and when tragedy strikes, the loss is quite palpable, without being the least bit maudlin. The narration was excellent.

Why?

Why does a male narrator have to do female lines in falsetto? He keeps altering his voice according to who is speaking, and he doesn't pull it off. Just read everything in your natural voice, please.

unconvincing

Really disliked this book and strongly advise you to listen to the sample before purchasing.

I wanted a book based in chicago as I was heading there on a trip and wanted to get some historical background and a sense of the place. This book is based in the Chicago area and that's about the only good thing about it. It feels like a very poor mans attempted copy of Catcher in the Rye, though here there is very little to redeem the main character or any of his actions. The other characters are unbelievable and frankly irritating. The story is thin and actually dull.

It may be an accent issue, not one I usually have, but I really disliked the narrators voice and pronunciation of many words.

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Title: Promise of Glory

Author: C.X. Moreau

Narrator: Tom Parker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-04

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

On September 13, 1862, a Union private found, wrapped around some cigars left behind by fleeing Confederate soldiers, a piece of paper. On that paper was Special Orders No. 191, a message from Lee to his generals detailing his master plan for opening an invasion of the North. When General McClellan received this intelligence, he knew his opportunity to prove his detractors wrong was at hand. The result was the Battle of Antietam...with more than 23,000 American casualties.

This is the story of the battle of Antietam and the events leading up to the single bloodiest day in the entire Civil War. Union casualties topped 12,000 and Confederate casualties exceeded 11,000. Such memorable figures of military history as Lee and McClellan, as well as Burnside, Longstreet, Hooker, and Jackson, all took part.

Promise of Glory is the story of these men, their officers, and the soldiers of both armies who so valiantly served their cause. C. X. Moreau has faithfully created their common history and brought to life the drama and tragedy of Antietam. Promise of Glory is a truly epic narrative of the American War between the States.

Members Reviews:

Promise of Glory

If endless cliches and purple prose are your preference, this is a great audiobook. Otherwise, you might want to stay away--it makes you roll your eyes so much you need a bottle of aspirin. I am willing to tolerate bad prose in an audiobook far more than in print (I even enjoyed The Da Vinci Code), but this was just too much. I lost count of how many times a person experienced a "chill down his spine."

"He felt his temper rising"

This book is an interesting read, but seemed somewhat lacking in depth. As a fan of the Civil War, I was hoping to find a gem, instead I found over-used phrases and a weak ending. The author seems to make an attempt to create an equal to "Gods and Generals" or "The Killer Angels", but fails to do so. Not enough description of the actual battle, and too much focus on what seems to be irrelevant characters.

Overall the book was okay, but wasted the potential to be a great novel.

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Title: The Adventures of Gerard

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: John Bolen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-01

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Napoleon's presumptuous but unsung hero, the Brigadier Gerard, faces certain death at every turn while outwitting the enemies of France! Gerard careens across Europe, swept along in the ebb and flow of the Napoleonic wars. This series of eight stories includes: I) How Brigadier Gerard Lost His Ear, II) How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa, III) How the Brigadier Slew the Fox, IV) How the Brigadier Saved the Army, V) How the Brigadier Triumphed in England, VI) How the Brigadier Rode to Minsk, VII) How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo, and VIII) The Last Adventure of the Brigadier.

©2000 Tantor Media Incorporated

Members Reviews:

Good Stories, bad Narration

The narrator does such a bad job of fake French, Italian and Spanish accents that I could not get past it and enjoy the stories. He really made a mess out of a good book. Avoid this narrator!

Doyle Strikes Out with Me

What would have made The Adventures of Gerard better?

It is obvious I hope from my uniformly giving this title two stars across the board that I am not a fan of this book. I was not expecting anything as brilliant as Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes but this book missed the mark in almost every respect. Except for a few mild chuckles, the book did not elicit much from me. The stories were unremarkable, the narration was inconsistent (changed his pronunciation of cavalry to the common mispronunciation of Calvary and back again, as an example) and passionless. I just could not muster any enthusiasm for this book. Its only virtue was that it was mercifully short.

Has The Adventures of Gerard turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I remain an optimist at heart. But I probably will preview titles more thoroughly in the future.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Bolens performances?

I will be very wary of subjecting myself to John Bolen again.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I wish it did make me react with anger, sadness, or disappointment. I just felt blah. Maybe I could call it disappointment at a low frequency. And I wanted to like this book.

Any additional comments?

It is rare for me to comment. This book is the first in a long time that I didn't enjoy. At the same time, maybe more sympathetic listeners (or hardcore Doyle enthusiasts) will fancy this book. I didn't.

Excellent book dreadful narration

What would have made The Adventures of Gerard better?

A different narrator, this one is terrible

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gerard. The perfect hero, in his own mind.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

By being a useless narrator

What character would you cut from The Adventures of Gerard?

The narrator

Any additional comments?

How do I get my money back

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Title: The Golden Age

Author: Gore Vidal

Narrator: Kathryn Walker

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-00

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Golden Age offers up United States history as only Gore Vidal can, with unrivaled penetration, wit, and high drama, allied to a classical view of human fate. It is a supreme entertainment that will also change listeners' understanding of American history and power.

Members Reviews:

A somewhat bitter ending to the series

The Golden Age is the last chapter in a series of books that stretch from Aaron Burr and the birth of America, all the way to the apogee of the American Empire, as Gore Vidal describes it.

The reader may enjoy reading the novels in order, since they follow a small number of families through history, but this is not mandatory; each book can be read as a standalone story.

The Golden Age forms a somewhat bitter ending to the series and feels more like a very polished draft than a finished Vidal novel. The characters are less dimensional; like the author maybe, they seem tired and disillusioned. Even Vidal's brilliance, he was a brilliant writer, cannot hide the patterns and recipes he uses, sometimes abuses, and his monomaniacal attention to the upper classes and the power brokers, as well as on his own family's political clout, wear a bit thin in the end.

The books is still enjoyable and well written, but if you are looking for an introduction to Gore Vidal, you can do much better. We recommend, in particular, his incredible "Lincoln" to anyone who enjoys historically based fiction.

This was my least favorite book in the Empire series and led to a ...

This was my least favorite book in the Empire series and led to a very flat and unsatisfying conclusion. It pales in comparison to Burr and Lincoln. I particularly disliked the fact that Vidal brought himself into the book as a reference character -- kind of cheesy. With that said, I really enjoy Gore Vidal's writing and highly recommend Burr, Lincoln, and Hollywood.

Gore Vidal's Golden Age

The time just before World War II is considered here and this is interesting. Wendell Wilkie's run for President, Roosevelt and

his approach to a third term, war discussions at every cocktail party, all the players in Washington when Washington was small and everyone seemed to know everyone. After a while one grows tired of all the name dropping and chatter, but Vidal was certainly at home in this world and that counts for a good deal.

read the entire series

From Burr to the golden age you will read the history of the USA in away that you were never taught at school. Interesting, good stories and educational while being fun to read. Gore Vidal was one of Americas best writers and if you read the entire group of books you will understand why. Should be a must reading for all Americans.

To Be Golden, An Age Must Have Its Gore

Gore Vidal's "The Golden Age" is a magnificent book by our greatest living author and man of letters. As the capstone on his historical novelization of the rise and decline of the American Empire, it is a fitting end to a series which enlightens and entertains.

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Title: Sioux Dawn

Subtitle: The Fetterman Massacre, 1866

Author: Terry C. Johnston

Narrator: Ed Asner

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Fetterman Massacre of 1866 marked the tragic opening to one of the longest and most dramatic wars in history. Told from the perspective of the gruff Seamus Donegan, this historically accurate tale describes the massacre in vivid detail.

At the end of the Civil War, a tremendous stream of soldiers and settlers began moving westward along the Bozeman Trail, cutting deep into sacred Sioux hunting grounds. For Red Cloud and his warriors, a bloody fight to retain their ancestral homeland proved inevitable. Seven-time Emmy winner Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) narrates.

Critic Reviews:

"The author's attention to detail and authenticity, coupled with his ability to spin a darned good yarn, makes it easy to see why Johnston is today's best-selling frontier novelist. He's one of a handful that truly knows the territory." (Chicago Tribune)

Members Reviews:

Very Good Read

I enjoyed this book real and would like to see more books by Terry C. Johnston. I would like for Audible to carry more books by him.

The story held my interest too the very in.

Almost Inaudible

What did you like best about Sioux Dawn? What did you like least?

A potentially great story to be told ruined by a pathetic delivery. Fetterman's Massacre was

massacred by the poor narration. It deserved better.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

See above

if zero stars was an option

Any additional comments?

Extremely biased and racist. If you are looking for something that reads like a Clint Eastwood western this book is for you if, like me you are interested in history you should skip this one.

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Title: Josiah for President

Author: Martha Bolton

Narrator: Pam Ward

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-12

Publisher: Zondervan

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When former Congressman Mark Stedman throws in the towel on his presidential campaign, his only choice is to return to his home state and decide how to spend the rest of his life...until he meets Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania. Using his old campaign headquarters for a base, Mark Stedman determines to introduce a new candidate to America. He pledges to do everything in his power to make sure Josiah gets elected. But can a plain man of faith turn the tide of politics and become the leader of America? And what will he have to risk to do it?

Members Reviews:

Josiah

I was very disappointed in the way this book ended. I guess I was expecting a "story book" ending and it did not have one. The reader was great and the plot was great until almost the end. I won't spoil it for any other readers but I wish it had ended differently.

Back to a simpler life

Josiah reminds us of how we need to have a simpler life spending time with others.

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Title: By Night Under the Stone Bridge

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Leo Perutz

Narrator: Simon Brooks

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

First published in 1953, this magical historical novel ostensibly describes the series of events which led to Bohemia's defeat by Austria at the Battle of the White Mountain, in the 16th century. But the Czech emigre author was probably inspired by the events of the Holocaust, so expertly does he re-create the uneasy alliances of Prague's Jewish and Catholic communities. While riding in the woods, Emperor Rudolf II, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, comes upon two men counting money destined for a member of the "persecuted race", Mordechai Meisl. The Emperor demands a taler for himself, but the coin causes him only misfortune and, by a series of mysterious coincidences, ends up in Meisl's hands. Thus begins the long, secret, and often tragic association between the two. Rudolf II, corrupt, weak and spendthrift, needs Meisl's money-making talents to finance his extravagances, while Meisl can prosper only under Rudolf's protection. By novel's end it's clear they are in reality enemies. Perutz lets his imagination soar, abandoning the excessive caution he often shows elsewhere. The risks pay off in this finest of his works now in translation.

Editorial Reviews:

Leo Perutz's episodic novel centers around the illicit love between emperor Rudolf II and Esther, the wife of a Jewish financier, in 16th-century Prague. Though structured as a series of stand-alone stories, it builds momentum as the various plots become increasingly connected in a captivating tale of love, money, greed, and political and religious drama. Simon Brooks performs with a moody distinction, perfectly capturing the atmospheric intrigue of this Austrian tale with his elegant, nuanced voice work. By Night Under the Stone Bridge explores the complicated relationship between Jews and Christians in Europe to craft a bold historical fable.

Members Reviews:

Terrible reading - every single name mispronounced

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The stories are beautiful, but I could not continue listening to the audio book. The names are completely mispronounced. These are Yiddish names or Yiddish versions of names and sound horribly butchered in the audiobook.

Mystical, Magical 16th Century Austrian Folk Tale

Taking place in Prague, at that time part of Austria, By Night Under the Stone Bridge, is a rambling, sometimes disjointed, collection of parables telling the story of Emperor Rudolf II and Mordechai, the Jew . . . the narration is mesmerizing, lulling you in, and for me, the very best part . . . as a traveler to Prague, Germany, Austria, and a lover of the old winding cobblestone roads, I could almost see the horse drawn carriages, and imagine the men and women, dressed in worn and shabby clothes, dickering for the best price for goods in the market place.

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Title: Burning Bright

Author: Tracy Chevalier

Narrator: Emilia Fox

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-14

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The wonderful new novel from the much-loved author of Girl with a Pearl Earring and Falling Angels. Flames and funerals, circus feats and seduction, neighbours and nakedness: Tracy Chevalier's new novel Burning Bright sparkles with drama.

London 1792: The Kellaways move from familiar rural Dorset to the tumult of a cramped, unforgiving city. They are leaving behind a terrible loss, a blow that only a completely new life may soften. Against the backdrop of a city jittery over the increasingly bloody French Revolution, a surprising bond forms between Jem, the youngest Kellaway boy, and streetwise Londoner Maggie Butterfield. Their friendship takes a dramatic turn when they become entangled in the life of their neighbour, the printer, poet, and radical, William Blake.

He is a guiding spirit as Jem and Maggie navigate the unpredictable, exhilarating passage from innocence to experience. Their journey inspires one of Blake's most entrancing works. Georgian London is recreated as vividly in Burning Bright as 17th-century Delft was in Tracy Chevalier's best-selling masterpiece, Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Critic Reviews:

"A visual delight. Chevalier's meticulous brushstrokes allow us to hear the 'youthful harlot's curse' and feel 'the damp souls of housemaids'"(The Times"Burning Bright is an ambitious, impressively-researched novelYou can almost smell the smoke and mildewed clothes, see the gaunt, pock-marked faces of people struggling to survive and sense Jem's wonder as he gazes across the murky Thames to a perplexing world" (Daily Express)"A subtle clarity of style, quirky but seldom over-drawn characters, engaging touches of domestic detail and a splendidly vital recreation of Georgian London" (Sunday Times)"Vivid, romantic and pacey" (Daily Mail)"Those who admired Chevalier's atmospheric evocation of 17th-century Delft will find much to enjoy in her vivid reconstruction of late 18th-century London" (Guardian)

Members Reviews:

Not as good as Girl with the Pearl Earring.

I didnât enjoy this novel nearly as much as Girl with the Pearl Earring. The two children, Maggie and Jem, were interesting; the street-smart Maggie is a great character and provides a nice contrast to the maturing Jem. And their familiesâ situations gave some insight into life in England at the time of the French Revolution. However, I didnât feel I learned anything about William Blake, who was a minor character in the book, tangential to the children. The plot doesnât really go anywhere much, and I found the ending disappointing. It left lots of loose ends. Maybe that is realistic, but it is not satisfying.

Interesting view into William Blake

This book is a fictional story that represent family and political life in London during a political crisis and William Blake's body of work which quietly addresses the disparate life of Londoners. It contains an engaging story of two families which occasionally (albeit memorably) cross paths with Blake and his wife.

Exceptional

A bit scattered at first, but comes together very well at the end. An excellent portrait of London and of William Blake.

Three Stars

Much prefer Ms Chevalier's other works dealing with art history. Had a difficult time getting into this one.

I enjoyed reading this novel

I enjoyed reading this novel, but not as much as her previous ones.