Get Popular Authors Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Best Sellers

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Title: The Lady and the Unicorn

Author: Tracy Chevalier

Narrator: Cornelius Garrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-21-05

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Jean Le Viste, a 15th-century nobleman close to the King, hires an ambitious artist to design six tapestries celebrating his rising status at Court. A talented miniaturist, Nicolas des Innocents overcomes his surprise at being offered this commission when he catches sight of his patron's sumptuous daughter, Claude. His pursuit of her pulls him unwittingly into the web of fragile relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, lovers and servants.

Critic Reviews:

"The story she weaves is as lush as the tapestries she describes, and her colorful characters leap off the page. A romantic, beautiful book. (Booklist)

"The genuine drama Chevalier orchestrates as the weavers race to complete the tapestries, and the deft way she herself weaves together each separate story strand, results in a work of genuine power and beauty." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

well researched - I'm a tapestry weaver myself!

What did you like most about The Lady and the Unicorn?

I have been meaning to read this book for quite some time - I am a tapestry weaver myself and at the moment I am part of a team of weavers weaving 'The hunt of the Unicorn' at Stirling Castle Scotland - We are weaving an interpretation of the medieval set of tapestries that are in New York.

We are weaving the last tapestry to be woven which is 'Mystic' and that portrays the lady and the unicorn - so it seemed the perfect time to read / listen to the book 'Lady and the Unicorn'! - even though this story is based around the red set 'The Lady and the Unicorn ' in Paris France.

I found it to be very well researched and the story certainly fitted nicely around the history of the tapestries

What did you like best about this story?

I particularly loved the descriptions of the tapestry studio - the looms and the way they wove - I took notes of several of the parts I found particularly interesting about the way they wove and using herbs such as Rosemary to keep moths at bay!

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

I fwelt that the varying accents used very good and often bought amusement and great intonation to the story.

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

Yes the describing how the blind girl did her sewing work

Any additional comments?

I would thoroughly reccommend this book to everyone and particularly anyone with an interest in tapestries! I would also reccommend that if you want to see a medieval tapestry being woven - hurry along to Stirling Castle in Scotland and come and watch us weave! We'll be finished in December 2014 !

Absorbing

In truth I was not expecting greatness from this novel but I was pleasantly surprised. I discovered that very quickly the storey entwined itself delicately; I had finished listening in two days.

The narration is excellent, the storey is told from each character's perspective and it's very easy to discern which character we are listening to, we are gently drawn in to the goings on around the making of the tapestry.

It is a 'light' listen set in France, I thoroughly recomend.

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Title: Havana Heat

Author: Darryl Brock

Narrator: Tom Parker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-22-04

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In Cuba, Taylor faces off against the tough Havana teams and meets a deaf Cuban boy with a spectacular pitching arm. In young Luis, Taylor sees his chance for redemption, and a way to win them both Giants uniforms. But baseball's changing politics and the growing unrest in Cuba threaten his plans and force him to confront the choices that have brought him to this crossroads in his life.

Critic Reviews:

"Brock is one of the finest baseball fiction writers around, lucidly rendering the passions, disappointments, and excitement of the sport while capturing the defining details of the era he depicts." (Publishers Weekly)

"A rewarding slice of baseball and American history." (Library Journal)

"Fast-paced, savvy, and sensitive....Baseball fiction at a level all baseball fiction should reach." (Seattle Times)

Members Reviews:

An absolute GEM!!!

If you love baseball, this book captures the real game. If you love History, this book transports you back. If you like travel, this books sweeps you away. If you sympathize with people that overcome struggles, this book warms your heart. If you love all four.... you will absolutely fall in love with this book. The author brings charcters to life in a believable and exciting way. The reader takes a little getting used to, but once you do (after about 1/2 hour) you will get his style and enjoy it. It is one of the best of the over 100 books I have listened to from Audible. I can't believe it hasn't found a larger following, but I predict, word of mouth will send it soaring. Don't pass this one up.

fun listen I recommend it,

Brock is an exceptional baseball writer and I really enjoyed it. I full recommend it

Fantastic story, plenty of good baseball adventure

Loved this story about "Dummy" Taylor. You can look him up on Wikipedia, real ballplayer. The story is captivating and the characters are well developed. It takes you back in history with accurate descriptions of the first decade of the 20th century. The baseball is covered well, there is bonus baseball as well (that's all I can say so as not to spoil it for you). Tom Parker is awesome, just remember these words: "Momma, Momma" and you will know what I mean!

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Title: Grant Comes East

Author: Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen

Narrator: Boyd Gaines

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-27-04

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Once again, Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen have created a brilliant story of how the Civil War could have unfolded. In Grant Comes East, they use their years of research and expertise to take their legions of fans on another remarkable journey.

Members Reviews:

Brings Alive our Past

Wonderful story! Puts you right there in our history. After reading many books on our nation's early founding and wars I found its enjoyable as well as emotional to read a book taking the perspective of a story. The history and biographical data was well adhered to concerning the main events and players, so it simply brought it all to life. Speaker Gingrich is a terrific writer; I have enjoyed his books and recommend this one.

Grant Comes East

Very well written. Believable. Authors intertwine actually events with calculated fiction to bring the drama of the moment in time to life. A fast, interesting read.

Extremely Impressive

Does anyone know how much of the work here Newt Gingrich did? Did William Fortschein (or however it's spelled) do all the writing after talking things over with Gingrich. I am NOT a Newt Gingrich fan, but I LOVE this series. I'm glad I only have to wait a month to receive the next volume. Other people have written about the story. I want to mention the plotting. This is NOT simply a book where Lee gets the breaks and the South wins the war. Reading this book (actually, I heard the unabridged tapes) is sort of like the pleasure very good chess players get from watching a world championship chess match. As I listened to this book, I felt that the authors were having the South make its best move, then the North made its best move. Back and forth. It was very exciting. If it were just Lee and Grant pulling the strings, that would be great, but there are also lots of wild cards (to mix the metaphor). Lee has a wonderful battle plan, but will Pickett follow the plan in the heat of battle? Grant has a wonderful plan, but will Sickles' ambition ruin it? I kept gasping with surprise and awe at the plot twists, yet they were always well motivated, given what we know of these people. Even the weather, the time of year, the supplies, the cooperation of civilians have their effects on "the best laid plans." While this is the center novel of a trilogy, I liked it even better than "Gettysburg." "Gettysburg" was also excellent, but it made me uncomfortable to have an actual battle changed (yes, I know that's my problem, not the books). Here, the battles are all made up, so that wasn't a problem. Read this, but do read the first volume first. By the way, the tapes are also excellent--very well read. However, two tapes had the sides reversed (side 13 was actually side 14, and vice versa). I appreciate it when someone tells me "Grant Moves East, tape 8, side B." If that had happened on this tape, then I wouldn't have listened to all of side 13, then come to side 14 only to find that it is in fact BEFORE side 13, so-called.

Historical Fiction As Exciting as Real History

"Grant Comes East" is the riveting second volume in Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen's historical trilogy that addresses the question, "What if the South had won at Gettysburg?" As a lover of Civil War history and of the Gettysburg campaign in particular, I have to admit that I was skeptical when I read Volume I.

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Title: The Border Legion

Author: Zane Grey

Narrator: John Bolen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-03

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Meanwhile, Joan realizes the danger that she has put Jim in and rushes off to save him. However, when she stumbles across the ruthless desperado gang leader, Jack Kells, it is soon Joan who is in need of rescue. When Kells tries to rape her, Joan grabs his gun and shoots him. But something keeps Joan from leaving him to die. In the face of Joan's loving spirit, Kells experiences his own change of heart. But it is too late. Kells' outlaw gang arrives and keeps Joan hostage.

So begins the border legion adventures of roving bandits, lust and greed. With Jim's search for a new identity, Jack's moral dilemma and the fight for Joan's freedom, this thrilling story portrays the epic theme of man's continual struggle between good and evil.

Members Reviews:

Grey is a better writer than this.

It pains me to be critical of my favorite western writer, but The Border Legion had a sandpaper effect on me, due largely to the fact that I know Grey is a better writer than this. It was the girl, Joan--portraying women being Grey's Achilles heel anyway--and her idiotic inability to make a sensible decision, had me frustrated. Having any emotional connection towards an outlaw who had murdered an old man trying to save her in the book's early going set the stage for her daffiness.

Zane Grey's development of the killer, Jack Kelles, was the most masterful part of the story; his up and down madness over the girl. But it is not enough to carry the story. Best to stick with Black Mesa; Raiders of Spanish Peaks; The Arizona Clan, and The Shepherd of Guadeloupe, where Grey shines, without a silly girl dominating the scene. There will ever only be one Jane Withersteen and one Lassiter.

Damsel in Distress

After having recently finished "30,000 on the Hoof," this one was a little bit of a disappointment. Still 3 stars because it is Zane Grey, and the writing is terrific (for the period.)

Here we have the "damsel-in-distress" who is taken in by a bandit. But he's not so bad. Or is he? Oh, he's really bad, and I'm scared. Yes, but today he seems pretty clean; he didn't take advantage of me, like he wanted to. But the other guy over there is REALLY bad. My captor? Not so much. All right, today he's mean and I want to escape. Oh look! Here's my hometown sweetheart! It is he whom I followed in the first place; and this brilliant idea got me into this mess. All right, I'll hide out for a while, then we'll get married and we can escape. Except the bad guys are really kind of nice in a way and my sweetheart is in with them, so we have to be careful....

One does not get gratuitous blood and violence with Zane Grey. Although the later scenes are a little intense, I think this is one of those books where he could have skimped a little on the hostage theme and ended it with a bit more hot lead and cordite. But it does not take away from the fact that this was a very good story, well told, and a decent read.

Just not my favorite.

An unusual adventure

An adventure that is captivating. I'd have made different choices than the captured gal in the story, but then the story would have been way shorter. This had twists and turns that added to the dilemma. I found this book to be to my liking. Thank you so much.

A Typical Zane Grey tome

This is a typical Zane Grey story.

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Title: Legacies

Author: Janet Dailey

Narrator: Pamela Hensley Vincent

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Set in the rugged frontier of the West, this unforgettable sequel to Janet Dailey's best selling novel The Proud and the Free begins when Lije Stuart, the handsome son of Temple and The Blade Stuart, returns to the Cherokee Nation after 4 years at Harvard. As the American Civil War rages across the country, the Stuarts, too, are torn apart by an old family feud. Driven by a fierce loyalty and love for his father, Lije sacrifices his passionate romance with the beautiful Diane Parmalee in order to protect The Blade from his murderous uncle and cousin. Meanwhile, the Nation is drawn into the Civil War and must choose sides in the struggle. Inevitably, the mounting political disagreements and long-simmering divisions within the Nation threaten its delicate threads of unity.

Copyright ©1995 by Janet Dailey; Copyright (P)1995 by Dove Audio, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Before , War,After

I have aways enjoyed Janet Daily books way back . This book was very good. But with war family VA family it was thrilling and sad .

Very Good Read

This was a very good book. I liked the mystery and, the history. Even though it is a novel I still learned more of the civil war history I am always hungry for

Five Stars

it was a good book

Awesome Book

Great read !!

Five Stars

Great book!

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Title: Black Eagles

Author: Larry Collins

Narrator: Burt Reynolds

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 1.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

DEA agent Kevin Grady discovers that the CIA is turning a blind eye to its allies' drug smuggling in order to further its own ends - and CIA officer Jack Lind is at the center of this conspiracy. Lind allows Panamanian policeman Manuel Noriega to become the country's dictator, ignoring his ties to the Medellin cocaine cartel in order to use Panama as a base for an anti-Communist crusade. Grady and Lind become enemies in a war they should have been fighting together - and beautiful Panamanian Juanita Boyd, Lind's lover, is caught in the 2 men's struggle. From the glitter of Washington's power parlors to the dark heart of an international criminal organization, this suspenseful novel grips the listener with an irresistible tide of storytelling power.

Copyright ©1995 by Larry Collins; Copyright (P)1995 Dove Audio, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Ho Hum

This is an interesting and well-written, if predictable, book about the CIA and the DEA, and the war in Central America that was fought against the contras. The theme of the book is that the CIA, in their zeal to support their cause in Central America, helped cause the crack cocaine epidemic in the United States. While many (mostly on the left, though some conservatives have suggested this, too) seem to think that the CIA did this, the actual evidence for it is pretty thin, and mainly consists of testimony from convicted drug runners who are desperate to receive reduced sentences in return for "telling all they know" about their involvement with the CIA.

The story works as a giant flashback, with the start of the story showing the one character committing suicide when confronted with the possibility of arrest at the hands of the other, the DEA guy. We then go back to the end of the Viet Nam war, and the two characters meet, fighting over whether the CIA should be helping heroin smugglers in Southeast Asia. Then the book shifts gears, and the focus shifts to Central America, which is the main part of the book. The CIA guy, Lind, goes to Panama and winds up cultivating Manuel Noriega as an asset for the agency, using his country to smuggle arms to the Contras, launder money, and help spy on other nations hostile to the U.S. Noriega cooperates most of the time, and for a while the relationship is profitable for both sides.

But at some point Noriega gets greedy, and starts having the smugglers who are moving guns into Nicaragua also move cocaine into the United States. Lind eventually figures out that Noriega's doing this, but he and his superiors don't care: all they're interested in is the CIA's secret war in Central America. Meanwhile, Lind has gotten himself a girlfriend, a Panamanian woman who's naturally an opponent of Noriega's. The whole thing gets pretty predictable, plot-wise.

The story sort of sags in the middle. It takes it forever to get anywhere for some time, and the DEA character, Kevin Grady, doesn't appear for 100 pages or so, except once or twice briefly. The book is really more about Lind, and how's he's corrupted into aiding and abetting the drug trade in Central America.

Of course most of the stuff about the CIA's involvement in Central America is fictional, at least as far as anyone knows. The author acts like he knows all of this *did* happen, and he constantly drops names to try and make the story seem believable...everyone from George Bush to Oliver North makes at least a cameo appearance.

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Title: Secessia

Author: Kent Wascom

Narrator: Kevin Free

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-07-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

New Orleans, May 1862. The largest city in the ill-starred Confederacy has fallen to Union troops under the soon-to-be-infamous General Benjamin "the Beast" Butler. The city is rife with madness and rage. When 12-year-old Joseph Woolsack disappears from his home, he draws into the unrest his mother, Elise, a mixed-race woman passing for white, and his father, Angel, whose long and wicked life is drawing to a close. What follows forces mother and son into a dark, new world: Joseph must come to grips with his father's legacy of violence and his growing sentiment for Cuban exile Marina Fandal, the only survivor of a shipwreck that claimed the lives of her parents. Elise must struggle to maintain a hold on her sanity, her son, and her own precarious station but is threatened by the resurgence of a troubling figure from her past, Dr. Emile Sabatier, a fanatical physician who adores disease and is deeply mired in the conspiracy and intrigue surrounding the occupation of the city. Their paths all intersect with General Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts, a man history will call a beast but whose avarice and brutal acumen are ideally suited to the task of governing an "ungovernable city". Alternating between the perspectives of the five characters of Elise, Dr. Sabatier, Joseph, Marina, and Butler, Secessia weaves a tapestry of ravenous greed and malformed love, of slavery and desperation, set within the baroque melting pot that is New Orleans. A Gothic tableau vivant of epic scope and intimate horror, Secessia is the netherworld reflection of the conflict between North and South.

Members Reviews:

Did not like this book

Did not like this book. I didn't finish it. Too hard to follow and had to look up words to see what they meant.

Absolutely Fantastic

This novel is much better than the first that leads to this book.

As long as you are aware that the time is the end of the Civil War I think that you will enjoy this story

Remarkable the way the author is able to reach into the mind of the Confederates.

Two Stars

I still haven't determined what I was supposed to learn from reading that book. Quite dreadful!

More

I loved blood of heaven and this was every bit as good. A tad tough to start and follow at times, it's all worth it in the end.

Raw and mesmerizing- I can't wait for his next book.

I really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book.It was gritty and fluff life. I enjoyed the history of it and how it could have been in New Orleans in the beginning.

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Title: Sparrowhawk, Book Four: Empire

Author: Edward Cline

Narrator: Gregg Rizzo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-15

Publisher: Edward Cline

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

British friends of colonial rights fight to defeat the Stamp Act in Parliament in 1765, led by Dogmael Jones. In the meantime Patrick Henry takes the floor, advocates the rights of the colonies to self-governance without interference from the Crown, and denounces the Stamp Act. Hugh Kenrick, now a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, helps Henry voice the opposition.

©2004/2011 Edward Cline (P)2015 Edward Cline

Members Reviews:

"Mr. Kenrick Goes to Wilmington".

I am starting to get an 'even - odd' feeling from these books. The odd books are terrific; the even ones.... not so much. There is a great deal that transpires in this story on both sides of the ocean. It is a lot of building; not a great deal is completed.

I have commented before on the apparent challenges of the transitional books in a series.

These were ably handled in No.III Caxton but not so well here. I did enjoy the tying together of additional characters; this added diversity and greater complexity to the world of colonial Virginia. Pilfering a Jimmy Stuart reference I can sum up the core of the story "Mr. Kenrick Goes to Wilmington".

I jumped into this series the very day it was recommended, by a friend

Always a fan of historical novels, I jumped into this series the very day it was recommended, by a friend. Aside from the gripping story, tied to real life history in a way never taught in school, I fell for the fictional characters quite fully. One of the most satisfying themes in the story was the way the fictional and the real-life characters were woven together in a believable way. I shall hungrily continue this series to its end, and still want more!

PhD Thesis or Novel? Great Education.

I wish I coukd give 5 stars but the series is a little well (dull) in the action side for a novel. Incredible research however.

Will remind you of Pp

The style of writing moves smoothly, yet quickly. You can care about the characters and always have hope and desire they'll be okay. I have ordered all of the series.

Four Stars

An interesting series on the background of birth of our nation and especially the divergent views.

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Title: Queenmaker

Subtitle: A Novel of King David's Queen

Author: India Edghill

Narrator: Suzanne Toren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Michal, a wise and loving woman who refuses to compromise her soul, thrives in her own ways under the rule of her greedy and ambitious husband, David.

For over 40 years, Michal lived and reigned in David's court. She was the beautiful and proud daughter of King Saul and the prize David would risk his kingdom to win. Behind the palace doors, beneath the burning sun of the desert, or fleeing from Absalom's warriors, Michal was at the center of court intrigues.

Queenmaker introduces in unforgettable detail the characters of one of the greatest periods in Biblical history - their public deeds and private thoughts - and gives us the court of the kings as only a woman could see it.

Critic Reviews:

"A riveting debut tale in the tradition of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent - and as good." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Liked it and didn't like it

I liked the beginning, but it gets more and more bitter and WAY far off the actual bible events.

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Title: The Diamond

Author: Julie Baumgold

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-22-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Ambitiously conceived, rich with historical detail and nonstop drama, The Diamond is a towering work of imagination all the more fascinating for being based in fact.

Critic Reviews:

"[A] regal, multi-faceted feat of historical fiction" (Kirkus Reviews)

"The story is deftly told." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

An exquisite gift for language

Julie Baumgold manages to make an inanimate object (the "Regent" diamond) very much a character of its own in this fascinating story. The diamond, not unlike a devastating femme fatale, is provocative and compelling, demanding all from those who come under her spell. Lust, crime, and tragedy follow her discovery. And when all else falls away, she remains, indomitable.

The author has a poet's gift for exquisite turns of phrase which bring the sensuality of the story to life. Sometimes her description is so realistic as to be revolting, such as her scenes from the French Revolution. At other times, her writing is redolent of the olfactory delights and physical pleasures of a sybarite. Simon Vance's narration makes it all the more delectable.

With its elements of history, romance, drama, and tragedy, "The Diamond" is a thoroughly engaging listen on so many levels. I recommend it, and look forward to reading more from Ms Baumgold.