Get Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Best Sellers

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Title: Lady of the Butterflies

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Fiona Mountain

Narrator: Josephine Bailey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-15-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Eleanor is the daughter of a strict puritan and Roundhead major, and lives in a medieval manor on the bleak wetlands of Somerset. Her longing for color and brightness leads to an obsession with butterflies as well as to an illicit passion for charismatic but troubled Richard Glanville. Richard, the son of an exiled Cavalier, embodies all that Eleanor had been taught to despise and distrust, but he also holds for her all the allure of the forbidden.

Her first husband dies, seemingly poisoned, freeing Eleanor and Richard to marry. But can their love survive suspicion and prejudice, a bloody rebellion that makes them bitter enemies, and a superstitious community that stirs up hatred toward her for her love of butterflies?

It seems the only peace she can find is in her long-lasting friendship with renowned naturalist James Petiver, a clever young London apothecary who is considered the father of British entomology. But when Eleanor and Richard's son becomes apprenticed to James, tragedy strikes, and Eleanor is forced to embark on a dangerous search for her son that is entwined with a personal quest for truth, freedom, and love.

Critic Reviews:

"A lady lepidopterist may seem an unlikely real-life subject for historical romance, but Mountain makes it work in this first-person account of the life of Eleanor Glanville, the late 17th-century naturalist accused of madness because of her devotion to studying butterflies." (Publishers Weekly

Members Reviews:

Lady of the Butterflies

The idea was interesting, a woman stepping outside the boundaries of convention and dealing with the consequences. In my humble opinion, the story did not ring true to the times in regards to the freedoms of the primary character. Also, for me, the narrators voice was far too emotional for various parts of the content.

Enjoyable

Credible story line.

As an Anglofile, and lover of Somerset, I found the attention to location detail delightful from the lowland reams to the Mindip Hills. The detail of Puritan beliefs an eye opener.

Will seek out more from this author and narrator.

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Title: Net of Jewels

Author: Ellen Gilchrist

Narrator: Mary Peiffer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-13-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Rhoda Manning is home for the summer in Dunleith, Alabama. In an age of conformity and innocence, the 19-year-old is tired of conventional virtue. Resisting her easy life, she yearns for meaning and beauty, profundity and mystery. Impulsive and adventurous, she attends a midnight meeting of the Klan, and then repelled, hurls herself into the civil-rights movement.

Half-conscious of her unmet needs and desires, she vacillates between the world of her family and that of her dreams, flirting with danger, pressing against the edge - with disturbing and tragic consequences.

Critic Reviews:

"[A] mix of devil-may-care confession and emotional anarchy full of moving nostalgia for a lost world." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Net of rocks

It was rambling, not like a collection of stories. It was more like stream of consciousness that didn't hit the mark.

I've never found a dull moment in any of her books

Ellen is a master story teller. I've never found a dull moment in any of her books. She paints a great perspective of progressive characters evolving from conservative Old Money backgrounds.

Five Stars

I love this extraordinary book. And recommend for an excellent read.

Five Stars

Great book.

Good voice, no story, no plot, only one character, and not even likable

I was swept in by the voice in the first hundred pages or so. (the 2 stars are because the voice is good). I got to know the main character, and was given all sorts of hints as to the other characters. But, development of other characters never materialized, they were always just beyond the reach of the reader...almost as though the author wanted to make the reader "feel" how it feels to be a self-absorbed, self-agrandizing alcoholic who never really "sees" anyone else. It doesn't feel good. The book never goes anywhere...the story never goes anywhere...it is just perpetual repeat of the same theme in different settings. You always feel like you are just about to turn the page and the plot will gel or you'll get to see another character...but it never happens. The last 200 pages are just like listening to a broken record and the book just ends, with no ending. I could imagine all sorts of meanings...but they weren't there, never explored.

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Title: The Slater Creed

Subtitle: Creed Series, Book 1

Author: Larry Names

Narrator: Maynard Villers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-12-10

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Union nearly killed him in the Civil War. Then the bluecoats and carpetbaggers stole his Texas plantation and turned what was left of his family against him. His Texas home-town became an armed camp, full of corrupt, greedy Yankees anxious to wipe out any veteran that showed up in tattered Confederate gray. Any other man would have just drifted on, but not Confederate Captain Clete Slater.

Based on actual records, this epic series captures the postwar West and the explosive story of a town held hostage by Northern corruption...and the one man who dared to fight back.

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Title: History Revisited: The Great Battles

Subtitle: Eminent Historians Take On the Great Works of Alternative History

Author: J. David Markham, Mike Resnick

Narrator: Stephen Hoye, Don Leslie, Stefan Rudnicki, J. David Markham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-15-10

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Combining short fiction with speculative history, this entertaining book invites listeners to look at what didn't happen to gain a richer understanding of what did. What if Napoleon had become emperor of the United States? Could one faulty screw have altered America's atomic-bomb policy? If Lincoln had been assassinated during the Gettysburg Address, would the Confederate States have remained a separate country?

Commentary from leading historians following each story is as fascinating as the stories themselves.

Members Reviews:

Mediocre Read, implausible situations

Disappointing read as a lover of all things historical. Stories were too big a stretch and were focused on individuals rather than broader global impacts of historical changes. Bummer since I enjoy these kinds of historical excercises and this one didnt stand up.

A little too much imagination...

Any additional comments?

The one good thing about long drives... You can plow through audio books. This fictional "what if" alternative history contains some interesting ideas for its scenarios, but as the historian written critiques that follow each story point out, they are a little far fetched. What if Napoleon, rather than going to France to set up his empire, had come to North America and established instead in the Louisiana territory with Davey Crockett, Sam Houston, and Andrew Jackson as his top General. Instead of Waterloo, Wellington fights him at New Orleans. Anyway, while not boring, there's better alternative history out there.

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Title: In the Shadow of the Cypress

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Thomas Steinbeck

Narrator: Jeff Harding

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 04-06-10

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1906, the Chinese in California lived in the shadows. Their alien customs, traditions, and language hid what they valued from their neighbors . . . and left them open to scorn and prejudice. Their communities were ruled and divided by the necessity of survival among the many would-be masters surrounding them, by struggles between powerful tongs, and by duty to their ancestors.

Then, in the wake of natural disaster, fate brought to light artifacts of incredible value along the Monterey coast: an ancient Chinese jade seal and a plaque inscribed in a trio of languages lost to all but scholars of antiquity. The path to the truth, however, would prove to be as tangled as the roots of the ancient cypress that had guarded these treasures for so long, for there are some secrets the Chinese were not ready to share.

Nearly a century would pass before an unconventional young American scientist unearths evidence of this great discovery and its mysterious disappearance. He begins to assemble a new generation of explorers to resume the perilous search into the oceans depth . . . and the shadows of history.

This striking debut novel by a masterful writer weaves together two fascinating eras into one remarkable tale. In the Shadow of the Cypress depicts California in all its multicultural variety, with a suspense that draws the reader inexorably on until the very last word.

Members Reviews:

You can't tell this book by its cover--or the blurbs!

'Really disappointing, although I have not read anything previously by this author... I had heard an interview, given (obviously) prior to his death, and became interested in the subject matter covered in this book... but, the story takes off in the "middle" of his Dad's book about Cannery Row, so that was a let-down. That, followed by some really stomach-turning Sinophilia (maybe the author could be forgiven, since this was written some years ago, but now? Get real !). Also, the author repeats /creates some really sappy theories/old-wives' tales (?), such as , for example, that the Monterey Cypress trees were all planted by Chinese sailors... okay, it's a supposed fiction novel, but that's the sort of stuff you hear on "Ancient Aliens." The "new" characters created by the author are interesting, but the plot outcome? Not so much. Finally, the last part of the book basically takes the reader into the author's hopes for a screenplay, and those characters are just not credible, unless you like supermarket fiction.

Five Stars

great read

Like father, like son!!

Thomas Steinbeck's brilliance is evident in this novel which is IMPOSSIBLE to put down!! Having read every John Steinbeck novel, short story & play I have been able to obtain, I certainly plan on doing the same for his son, Thomas!! For those who have enjoyed John Steinbeck's works, I can assure you, this lives up to the Steinbeck name, which I can't believe I'm saying, because I have always felt that John is the greatest American novelist that I have read. I can not wait to start my next Thomas Steinbeck novel!!

An artistic success but an irritating beginning.

Although the concept of the story is a good one, I found the first third of the book very hard to read because his choice of language, which was intended to create another era, failed.

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Title: Runaway Heart

Subtitle: Westward Dreams

Author: Jane Peart

Narrator: Christine Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-10

Publisher: Zondervan

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

"End of the line!" The stagecoach driver's shout sent a chill down Holly Lambeth's spine. What an ominous sound! Was Riverbend, Oregon, to be the end of the line for her? She had come West to escape the swirling gossip about her broken engagement. She had come to escape the humiliation of being jilted. She came here to find a welcome new life, but her cousin's chilly reception tells her she has made a terrible mistake.

Here in Riverbend, 2,000 miles from Kentucky, in a town barely more than a mining camp, Holly faces the fact that she is unwanted and unwelcome. Knowing this unhappy truth, Holly reaches another conclusion. Only she can change her situation. Both the sophisticated editor of the local newspaper, as well as the town's dedicated doctor, are attracted to the pretty newcomer. But Holly has more than romance on her mind. An unforeseen opportunity presents a challenge that brings Holly to a decision that will not only change her, but alter her own vision of her future.

Members Reviews:

very enjoyable

I had a hard time stopping listening. I wanted to keep listening. I listened when I was in the car, when I went to bed.

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Title: Australia Street

Author: Ann Whitehead

Narrator: Julie Nihill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-10

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Wonderful writing with all the hallmarks of a Ruth Park novel. Australia Street, with its cast of endearing and memorable characters, makes for a superb listening experience.

Friday the 13th of February 1948 is Hannah Gordon's 36th birthday. Her daughter, Allie, turns 16 on the very same day. What's more, it's a full moon. Hannah doesn't need Grandma Ade's warning that bad luck is coming to realise the odds are against them.

Hannah Gordon has always wanted to be someone important, yet she's stuck in an inner-city back street, fighting to keep hold of her children, her home, and her sense of self. Then a devastating accident sets off a chain of events that will rock the family foundations to the core and change lives forever.

Editorial Reviews:

Friday the 13th is an unlucky day for Hannah Gordon, even as she celebrates her birthday, as well as her daughter's, under a full moon, in February 1948. A tragic accident commences a tumultuous year for Hannah, struggling to take care of her children after her husband leaves her and she loses her job due to a change in Australian law following World War II. Ann Whitehead peppers Australia Street with rich details of inner-city Sydney, and Julie Nihill's hardscrabble style perfectly suits the working-class setting while also giving Hannah a hardy strength even as her life turns upside down.

Members Reviews:

I enjoyed reading this book This was my time

I enjoyed reading this book This was my time, my memories It was a simple storyline but you really felt part of the family experience I thought it was well worth reading

`Bad luck's coming, I can feel it in me water, ...'

This novel commences on Friday the 13th of February 1948 and chronicles a year in the life of the Gordon family who live in Australia Street in inner city Sydney. This particular day is Hannah Gordon's thirty-sixth birthday, and her daughter Allie's sixteenth. It's a full moon as well, and Hannah doesn't need Grandma Ade's warning about bad luck.

Hannah Gordon has two teenage daughters, Janet and Allie, and a younger foster son Hal. She loses her job when the government passes a law forbidding women to drive taxis. Around the same time, her husband Tom leaves her and moves in with the widow of his old friend. Tom, suffering after his involvement in the Second World War, thinks that his friend's widow needs his help more than Hannah does.

The next year is fairly eventful for the Gordons, their extended family and friends. There's a wealth of detail about life in Australia Street, and the portrayal of war veterans who experienced the bombing in Darwin acts as a reminder of this aspect of World War Two. The changed roles of women as a consequence of World War Two becomes as issue after the war when ex-servicemen need jobs as Hannah discovers when she loses her job.

I enjoyed this novel: the people depicted are mainly the `battlers' and if occasionally it all became too melodramatic well, I didn't really mind. I was happy to read about their lives and grateful that I wasn't living them. Some of the dialogue jerked me out of the flow at times - and then I'd remember having heard speech just like it.

`We got on with it. That's what we had to do.'

`Australia Street' is Ann Whitehead's second novel. Her first, `Blackwattle Road' was written under the name of Ann Charlton.

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Title: Spanish Fly

Author: Will Ferguson

Narrator: David Aaron Baker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Times are tough for young Jack McGreary in the American dust bowl. Living with his father, Jack is only getting by thanks to a solid repertoire of cons and scams. Everything gets shaken up, though, when shysters Virgil Ray and Miss Rose roll into town. Recognizing them as first-class scam artists, Jack gleefully joins their criminal band. Soon a budding romance between Jack and Miss Rose begins to bloom, but is it on the up-and-up?

Will Ferguson's Spanish Fly

Members Reviews:

A real piece of life

Well written. All the stories is very well performed. Easy to lose your self in. The end does suck. But has a fell of truth to it as life very where rarely ends happy. A real picture of America history. Not the most upbeat story. But it has its funny moments. This is my second time listening and enjoyed it both times

This is not a funny book....

If your are getting this book to laugh please don't bother...its actually sort of sad. It was really hard for me to continue listening to this title because I didn't see the point of it all and the ending was the saddest of all...a complete waste. Please save your credit!!!

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Title: A Flickering Light

Subtitle: Portraits of the Heart, Book 1

Author: Jane Kirkpatrick

Narrator: Ann Marie Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-09

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

She took exquisite photographs,but her heart was the true image exposed. Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.

With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man's profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.

This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing - and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.

Critic Reviews:

"The period detail - dangerous chemicals used in photography, debilitating and frequent illnesses, the routine constraints on women's choices - offers a compelling portrait of the time. Kirkpatrick deserves a wide audience for this coming-of-age tale that is aching and hopeful." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Historical: Love of photography

Jane Kirkpatrick weaves an intricately beautiful tale about a young girls heart and a gentleman's desire. She pulls you into the story and leaves you with that warm, cozy feeling. I look forward to the next book in the series!

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Title: Clisson and Eugenie

Subtitle: A Love Story

Author: Napoleon Bonaparte

Narrator: Tom Price

Format: Unabridged

Length: 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-01-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Triumphant on the field of battle, Clisson turns his back on worldly success, falls in love, and marries Eugénie. But how long will their love survive?

The tragic story of Clisson and Eugénie, written in an eloquently romantic style true to its period, offers the reader a fascinating insight into how the young Napoleon viewed love, women, and military life.

Members Reviews:

Napoleon and Desiree

Bernard Cornwell need not worry that a newly-discovered library of Napoleonic novels will swamp the historical fiction market.

As noted by previous reviewers, this piece is a short story rather than a novel, with Napoleon's final draft lost in the sands of time. This edition is compiled from various fragments of several drafts, patched together and rather liberally translated from the French. Must be rather like trying to make something from a clay jar full of Dead Sea Scroll.

I'm afraid as a "novel" this work can only impress an authority in French literature, who can recognize and appreciate styles and nuances which mean little to the rest of us. Even in English literature, writing styles have changed drastically over the centuries; today I don't expect this work would earn high marks in a sophomore literature class.

Nevertheless, I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this edition: it's not about the writing, it's about the writer.

A work of fiction opens a window into the soul of the author, a glimpse of his heart, as much as what is on his mind. My own fictional hero is not a stranger, but my Walter-Mittyesque alter-ego, the man I imagine I want to be, should be, might have been.

Who can doubt that Clisson is Napoleon as he saw himself in 1795? "victory was his constant companion. But envy and all the petty jealousies that growing reputations attract, which ruin so many able men and so often stifle genius, brought false accusations against him." Later recalled from his happy state of family life to command armies, "he alone was the reason for the army's successes". We see the image of a man with unique military skills, far beyond his peers, essential to his fatherland - egotistical or accurate, believed-in or wished-for? At the end, dissappointed in love, he dies gloriously in battle, leading his men to victory. Does this not reveal a streak of Romanticism in the young Napoleon, rivalled only by his self-confidence? Not the cynic of later years who could say "by such baubles are men led" when referring to the Legion of Honor.

Cabasson's afterword raises the intriguing suggestion that Napoleon shortly after writing this yarn had the opportunity to follow his own plot, leading his army in a desperate charge across the bridge at Arcole, perhaps expecting a heroic death to bring a glorius victory. Instead, a fellow soldier took a bullet for him, and Napoleon survived, imbued with a sense of destiny yet to be fulfilled. Was this a turning point in his life?

If you're seriously interested in Napoleon, read the story and the afterword and consider yourself what they reveal of the man.