Get Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Best Sellers

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Title: Stand the Storm

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Breena Clarke

Narrator: Richard Allen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-20-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The remarkable emotional energy with which the Coatses wage their daily battles - as they negotiate with their former owner, as they assist escaped slaves en route to freedom, as they prepare for the encroaching war, and as they strive to love each other enough - is what propels Stand the Storm and makes the novel's tragic denouement so devastating.

Members Reviews:

Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke (Audiobook)

I find very few audiobook reviews on amazon, so I thought I'd try my hand at writing one. For audiobook lovers, this is one to pick up. The story is a lushly detailed, and (I have to believe) thoroughly researched, historical fictional account of an African American family that purchased its way to freedom just before the Civil War, read and interpreted by the talented Mr. Richard Allen.

Thanks to Breena Clarke for giving us some insight into what family life may have been like during a time when the freedom to live as a famly eluded most African Americans. The suffering endured by the Coats family, both as bondsmen and as freedmen, is painful to witness, but I am grateful to authors like Ms. Clarke who describe it in such vivid detail that we can never forget what life was like for African Americans during the 19th century and before. Clarke does a good job of weaving into her story issues of race, color and class (among both races), abolitionism, religion, economic instability, gender roles, family relationships and maternal protectiveness. I can think of no facet of daily life that was omitted. This was my first experience with Breena Clarke and she is a true griot! I look forward to reading/listening to "River Cross My Heart."

Richard Allen's wonderfully deep and sonorous voice is perfect for narrating this tale! His baritone singing voice is an additional treat when called upon to interpret the story's few songs. I have heard him read before ("The Slave's War" by Andrew Ward) and his expressiveness, sensitivity and intonation always capture perfectly the tenor of the work. My one quibble is that he mispronounces so many words that it is distracting and does the underlying story a disservice. I found myself cringing at some of his vocalic gaffes and fervently wishing for a vocabulary and diction coach for him. I hope he takes note of this criticism (I am not the first to make it) and works on this--he is otherwise a phenomenal reader. While this small annoyance kept me from giving the audiobook a full 5 stars, it does not keep me from recommending highly this richly woven tale, in printed as well as in audiobook formats.

A Good Story

A lot is packed into the story so the characters are only somewhat developed. Stories about Black Americans during the times of slavery and post-war times will always be difficult to read and 'enjoy'. However, the story offers lots of hope, insight and thought into the lives of the Coats family. I personally enjoyed this book better than Ms. Clarke's first book and would recommend it. We read it for a book club selection and many of the women in book club were very unfamiliar with the life of Black Americans during that time, and were appreciative of the many nuisances that the book shared.

their journey was amazing! When you finally start to relax and feel ...

This was the second time that I've read "Stand the Storm" and this time the story really stayed with me.

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Title: A Quiet Belief in Angels

Author: R J Ellory

Narrator: Vincent Marzello

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-25-08

Publisher: Audible Studios.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Compelled by fear and duty, Joseph and his friends are determined to protect the people of Augusta Falls.

Members Reviews:

Best listen in a long time

From the moment I started to listen to this book I was captivated. It was my first time listening to any book by R J Ellory.It is an emotionally draining but rewarding book and excellently narrated.It very much surprised me to later discover that the author is not American, as I had imagined, so brillantly does he write of Georgia in the US.I was so taken with the book that I emailed the author directly and to my surprise had a reply by return!!! Would recommend this book highly.

A grim and unrelenting book, poorly narrated

My goodness, but this is not a cheerful book; definitely not for those looking for a spiritual pick-me-up or if you are feeling downhearted. To be fair, the book does have some positive press - it is a "Richard & Judy" recommended book - and there is some powerful and insightful writing. But to me it works neither as a genuine novel nor as a detective thriller - on the latter there are just too many holes in the plot and the denouement is deeply implausible and unconvincing.

Matters are not helped by a desperately slow-paced narration, almost funereal in places; coupled with the narrator's heavy Southern accent, it makes the lead character sound at times half-witted. And the characters are not really drawn very well either. If you are going to buy this book, I would recommend that you listed to the sample first to make sure you like it (I wish I had).

I dont think I shall be reading any more of R J Ellory's books in a hurry.

Pretentious title

Long slow book but evokes the time well. Central character is good. Not so convinced with the story which feels shoe-horned into the rest. For matters of probity: I am not the author

Good intro to R.J.Ellory

If you could sum up A Quiet Belief in Angels in three words, what would they be?

Don't give up. When first started I wasn't too sure if the story was for me, but as it developed, just had to keep listening. Things in the story don't always turn out as expected.

What does Vincent Marzello bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

Really brings the characters to life. Good ol' reader!

Hauntingly written slowburner

A fantastic achievment to wrap a multi-year serial killer spree against the protagonist's life story and US pre and post war history. The prose is beautifully written and brought to life by the narrator.

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Title: The Sad Shepherd

Subtitle: A Christmas Story

Author: Henry Van Dyke

Narrator: Ken Eaken

Format: Unabridged

Length: 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-13-08

Publisher: Listener's Digest Inc.

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A story set in Bethlehem during the time of the first Christmas. A lonely, sad shepherd, asleep when the angels sang their triumphant song, missed his chance of seeing the new baby. In time and through hardships, the memory of the baby's mother led him to the child.

©2007 Listener's Digest Inc; (P)2007 Listener's Digest Inc

Members Reviews:

A Christmas Story from a new perspective

A new way of looking at The Christmas Story from a shepherd's perspective.

Fair, but definitely not scintillating

This is readable, but is definitely not the best of Henry Van Dyke's work. The shepherd is a sad character, and one is taken down, down, down in reading of his pitiful existence until, finally, the tunnel brightens.

BORING

its so confusing and boring and stupid its just about a shepherd and animals following it look up WORLDS MOST BORING BOOKS AND YOU WILL FIND IT HERE

Hey, look, Jesus AU

Eh. Eh. Maybe this means more to you if you are actually a Christian. Though, really, this basically amounts to Bible fanfic, which seems like it should be a sacrilege to most Christians.

After the initial run of shepherds visit Mary, an extra shows up. And, lo, he is changed, cause that's what happens. There's a brief talk about motherly love, which is about all that keeps this from being a total Jesus-fest.

There's better Christmas stories out there. There's a reason you've probably never seen this adapted to a modern work. It's just not good in the least.

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Title: Sunshine and Shadows

Author: Katie Flynn

Narrator: Anne Dover

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-16-08

Publisher: ISIS Audio Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In Ireland, she was seldom in school but often in trouble. Now she tells herself that she must conform. She begins to work hard in school and life in Liverpool gradually becomes easier to bear. Although Daisy means to follow her friend Jake to university, war intervenes and she starts work at a munitions factory, falling in love for the very first time...

Members Reviews:

super katie flynn

another super book by katie flynn and well read by anne dover but a big thank you for making it available & avordable. my wife who is blind thanks you

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Title: Raveled Ends of Sky

Subtitle: A Women of the West Novel

Author: Linda Sandifer

Narrator: Stephanie Brush

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Following her heart, she locates a group traveling west and quickly learns that even on the frontier women do not have the rights or equalities of men. And even more shocking to her is that the women of the group don't trust her independence, and the men are threatened by it.

With insurmountable integrity, stamina, and willfulness, Nancy travels across the wild frontier on her feisty mare and with a wagon full of goods. She is accompanied by Hart, a love she never expected to find, and Lottie, an irreplaceable friend. On the way she faces starvation, Indian warfare, and thieves, but slowly discovers the true meaning of independence.

Critic Reviews:

"[The author's] use of diaries and historical facts results in a gritty, realistic drama of early trailblazers crossing the Sierras to settle in California." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Accurate History...and Romance to Boot

While Romance is not my cup of tea, history - accurately researched history - emphatically is. This novel is not only well researched, it comes with a bibliography. I felt that Ms. Sandifer custom fit her characters into historical fact, even to the extent of enrolling her two women protagonists on the Chiles wagon train to California, an actual party westward bound in 1843. While her emphasis on strong adventurous women in history must draw many readers, it was not central to my interest (OK, I'm a guy) but in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story. The author relates the day to day experience of traveling in a wagon train in terms of experiencing the personalities so closely thrust together. If I were to look for a complaint, I might suggest that the chronological extent of a novel encompassing Nancy Maguire's life from Independence, Missouri to just before the gold strike on a ranch in California is somewhat ambitious for the detail required to present the history accurately and at the same time maintain an intriguing plot.

Great book for those who like fictional history stories

I have been reading fictional history stories about the settling of our great country lately. It gives me a new respect for those people who were so brave and daring. This book was great because it is about women and not just men. I think many times the women are forgotten about. The women in this book are not all alike but they all have the same strength and courage.

Realistic and riveting

It was hard to put this book down. From what I have read of the great migration west, the details of the journey seemed right on. It was a great historical book and a great romance. I enjoyed the length of the book as it allowed the continuation of the story beyond what is usual for an e-book.

Interesting incite on the Mexican American War

I enjoyed the visions of the women on this wagon train and what they faced in Mexican California. The passage of the wagon train era left a time of discovery and adventure.

The story was Great!

I really enjoyed the story. I love the original perspective of single women making the trip west. 5 stars for the book! The narration? Oh My... I really don't know how to describe it. I was using my home stereo on a Saturday while getting my home back in order. I was so embarrassed each time my husband came in from his projects outside to cool off. It was absolutely comical. From the corny voices to the slaughter of the Spanish vocabulary.

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Title: Fall of Frost

Author: Brian Hall

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Frost, as both a man and an artist, was toughened by a hard life. His own father died when Frost was 11; his only sibling, a sister, had to be institutionalized; and of his five children, one died before the age of four, one committed suicide, one went insane, and one died in childbirth.

Told in short chapters, each of which presents an emblematic incident with intensity and immediacy, Hall's novel deftly weaves together the earlier parts of Frost's life with his final year, 1962, when, at age 88 and under the looming threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he made a visit to Russia and met with Nikita Khrushchev.

As Hall shows, Frost determined early on that he would not succumb to the tragedies life threw at him. The deaths of his children were forms of his own death from which he resurrected himself through poetry - for him, the preeminent symbol of man's form-giving power.

A searing, exquisitely constructed portrait of one man's rages, guilt, paranoia, and sheer, defiant persistence, as well as an exploration of why good people suffer unjustly and how art is born from that unanswerable question, Fall of Frost is a magnificent work that further confirms Hall's status as one of the most talented novelists at work today.

Editorial Reviews:

Robert Frost's difficult life greatly informed his writing, and Fall of Frost offers much insight into the legendary poet's backstory. In this meticulously rendered fictional biography that faithfully adheres to documents of Frost's activities and communications, Frost himself is voiced by award-winning voice performer Dick Hill, who easily channels Frost's stoicism into lyrical, moving storytelling. From Frost's early years and the death of his father through to his visit to Russia at age 88 to meet Nikita Khrushchev, Fall of Frost is an intimate and touching portrait of one of America's greatest artists.

Critic Reviews:

"Brilliant....[Hall] captures the interior life of a public man in a remarkably credible way." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

"Hall gets deep into Frost's head, an approach that brings a startling immediacy to a complex figure many know only as the author of classics like 'The Road Not Taken'." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Universal Appeal

This is a fascinating piece of work by Brian Hall that is magnifcently narrated by Dick Hill.

I knew little of Robert Frost before listening to "Fall of Frost".

This is a magnificent audio presentation of a beautifully written story about a great American poet.

"Fall of Frost" reports some facts of a poet's life but Brian Hall's writing reveals universal consequences and feelings of any life that is lived.

Wonderful listening experience.

Dick Hill perfectly gives voice to this swirl of Robert Frost facts and Brian Hall imagination, making the novel more believable and moving than any linear biography could. After all, "knowing" real people always involves a mixture of time, place, information and imagination.

Better read

This would be a better book to read than listen to. I thought the narrator did a very good job, but in the end the story skips around too much to be a listening book.

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Título: La Corte de los Ilusos (Texto Completo)[The Court of the Delusionals ]

Autor: Rosa Beltran

Narrador: Angel Pineda

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 11-27-07

Editor: Recorded Books

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 4 votos

Categorías: Fiction, Historical

Resumen del editor:

Mexican author Rosa Beltrán recreates the atmosphere that surrounded Mexico during the brief reign of its only native emperor, Don Agustín de Iturbide. Surrounded by rumors, enemies, and a family of misunderstood women, the emperor was a victim of a nation loaded with prejudices. The author recreates this scene with humor and subtlety.

Note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

© Rosa Beltran; (P)2007 Recorded Books, LLC

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Title: In the Company of the Courtesan

Author: Sarah Dunant

Narrator: Daniel Philpott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-23-07

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 1527. While the Papal city of Rome burns, two of her most interesting and wily citizens slip away. Though almost as damaged as their beloved city, Fiammetta Bianchini and Bucino Teodoldi, a fabulous courtesan and her dwarf companion, are already planning their future. They head for the shimmering beauty of Venice, a honey pot of wealth and trade where they start to rebuild their business. As a partnership they are invincible: Bucino, clever with a sharp eye and a wicked tongue, and Fiammetta, beautiful and shrewd, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Venice, however, is a city that holds its own temptations.

©2006 Sarah Dunant; (P)2007 W F Howes Ltd.

Members Reviews:

Very enjoyable plunge into 16th C Venice

This is a very enjoyable listen. The characters and places come to life as if you were there with them. My only complaint is that the story dragged a bit towards the middle but then it picked up again. I enjoyed Sacred Hearts more, as the convent environment and the insights into the roles of women in convents vs the outside world was fascinating. This one is still an enjoyable historical tale but since it is a more intimate story about one courtesan and her close friend/business partner, you don't get quite the same feeling of insight into society.

Dunant writes well and intelligently, and with obvious authority regarding the historical details. The reading is excellent too.

I have also bought Blood and Beauty and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Enchanting page turner

Anyone who loves Venice will recognise the bridges, canals, churches and dark dark corners they love - albeit this is set nearly 500 years ago. This is a delightful story of our courtesan and her dwarf who flee to Venice after the sacking of Rome to try and rebuild their lives and fortune. This is not a saccharine tale but nevertheless one of companionship and determination. I have read a couple of other books by Sarah Dunant - one of which was tremendous one of which was mediocre. This is one of the great ones and the reading by Daniel Philpott is excellent. I was genuinely sad when it ended.

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Title: Refining Emma

Author: Delia Parr

Narrator: Barbara Caruso

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-23-07

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When tragedy strikes, Emma graciously welcomes the needy to her boarding house. But when two of these guests prove cantankerous, Emma wonders how she and the others will manage. Compounding the turmoil are legal problems that threaten her future. And after her lawyer makes a troubling announcement, Emma must rediscover the true source of her strength.

Members Reviews:

An enjoyable return visit to Candlewood

Now that I've been introduced to Emma and her little community of Candlewood in book one, I really enjoyed the return visit. Since all the ground work of characterization was laid so well, more time could be devoted to the story moving forward. This installment seemed to have a bit deeper meaning, as well. From learning to love the unloveable, facing fears and finding new purpose all in the midst of tragedy, Refining Emma shared poignant moments and gentle, thought-provoking lessons. Although Jan Karon's Mitford series still holds first place in my favorite book list, Delia Parr will now join this illustrious group of favorite authors. I don't want to give away a spoiler, but it was a relief and surprise to finally learn who the legal owner of Hill House was in this book. Also look for a new twist in Widow Garrett's relationship with her lawyer, Mr. Breckenwith. All in all, Refining Emma is a sweet story.

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Title: Deus Lo Volt!

Subtitle: Chronicle of the Crusades

Author: Evan S. Connell

Narrator: Michael McConnohie

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-15-07

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

God wills it! The year is 1095. Thousands of men, including many of the leaders of the Christian world, have assembled in a meadow in France near Clermont. Pope Urban appeals for the liberation of Jerusalem and the people shout, Deus lo volt! The cry is taken up, echoes forth, is carried on. The crusades have begun.

Wave upon wave of Christian pilgrims assault the growing power of the Muslims in the Holy Land, and will do so for the next 200 years. Most able men become Soldiers of the Cross, and many of their women fight alongside them. It is a time of great adventure, of great exploration, and cultural change. Uniting Christian Europe in a common cause, the crusades defined forever the spirit of the West.

Critic Reviews:

"The account is written in the style of a medieval chronicler and maintains interest throughout. A very good story indeed." (Library Journal)

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