Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/564543 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Sheltering Sky: A Novel

Author: Paul Bowles

Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 10 hours 9 minutes

Release date: May 14, 2024

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 2

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Audio edition of the landmark of 20th Century literature, by acclaimed author Paul Bowles “The Sheltering Sky is one of the most original, even visionary, works of fiction to appear in the twentieth century.” —Tobias Wolff ''It stands head and shoulders above most other novels published in English since World War II.” —New Republic In this classic work of psychological terror, Paul Bowles examines the ways in which Americans apprehend other cultures--and the ways in which their incomprehension destroys them. The story of three American travelers adrift in the cities and deserts of North Africa after World War II, The Sheltering Sky is at once merciless and heartbreaking in its compassion. It etches the limits of human reason and intelligence--perhaps even the limits of human life --when they touch the unfathomable emptiness and impassive cruelty of the dessert.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/566833 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Black Shield Maiden

Author: Willow Smith, Jess Hendel

Narrator: Willow Smith

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 14 hours 23 minutes

Release date: May 7, 2024

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4 of Total 2

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From Willow Smith and Jess Hendel comes a powerful and groundbreaking historical saga about an African warrior in the world of the Vikings. “Intimate, tender, and fiercely epic.”—Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone Lore, legend, and history tell us of the Vikings: warrior kings on epic journeys of conquest and plunder. But the stories we know are not the only stories to tell. There is another story, one that has been lost to the mists of time: the saga of the dark queen. This saga begins with Yafeu, a defiant yet fiercely compassionate young warrior who is stolen from her home in the flourishing Ghānaian empire and taken to a distant kingdom in the North. There she is thrust into a strange, cold world of savage shield maidens, tyrannical rulers, and mysterious gods. And there she also finds something unexpected: a kindred spirit. She comes to serve Freydis, a shy princess who couldn’t be more different from the confident and self-possessed Yafeu. But they both want the same thing: to forge their own fate. Yafeu inspires Freydis to dream of a future greater than the one that the king and queen have forced upon her. And with the princess at her side, Yafeu learns to navigate this new world and grows increasingly determined to become one of the legendary shield maidens—to fight not only for her freedom but for the freedom of others. Yafeu may have lost her home, but she still knows who she is, and she’s not afraid to be the flame that burns a city to the ground so a new world can rise from the ashes. She will alter the course of history—and become the revolutionary heroine of her own myth.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/560488 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Wonder of It All

Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford

Narrator: Joan Walker

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 44 minutes

Release date: November 9, 2023

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

James Falconer returns in the third House of Falconer historical novel from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford. The Somme, 1916. James Falconer, once a barrow boy on a London market, stands in the trenches, awaiting the command to go over the top. Away from his business empire in London, he is simply a soldier, war the great leveller. But, unlike his men, and unknown to them, deep down, Falconer doesn’t care if he lives or dies. When a face from the past offers James the chance to repair his fractured relationship with his estranged daughter, Leonie, he must decide if he can hold different things dear – and make space in his life for love. But the war has left terrible scars, both personal and professional, and swept huge changes through the glittering world he once inhabited. James must weather myriad storms as he attempts to right past wrongs and build a new life. 'Bradford’s tale is enriched by dynamic characters, especially James, who heroically persists in his effort to rebuild his life. It’s a satisfying culmination to a richly drawn historical series' Publishers Weekly

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/561779 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Complete Short Stories

Author: Patrick O’brian

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 20 hours 52 minutes

Release date: April 27, 2023

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Complete Short Stories is the most comprehensive collection of O’Brian’s short fiction ever published. An essential volume, certain to enchant O’Brian admirers as well as readers who are fortunate enough to be journeying with him for the very first time. Patrick O’Brian is acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novelists of the twentieth century, celebrated throughout the world for his masterful roman fleuve, the Aubrey‒Maturin series. But he was also a prolific writer of short stories, and it is in this form that he first made his mark. Encompassing stories written in his unvarnished youth to tales told by a seasoned traveller, this is the most comprehensive collection of O’Brian’s short fiction ever published. It is a treasure chest, overflowing with riches, containing more than sixty tales, including rarities, uncollected works, and forgotten jewels that have been out of print for decades. These are stories of friendship, travel, adventure and the wonders of the natural world. Some are enchantingly funny, others exciting, terrifying, passionate. All of them prove Patrick O’Brian to be a true master of the form.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/563789 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Scatterlings: A Novel

Author: Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe

Narrator: Christel Mutombo

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 7 minutes

Release date: December 13, 2022

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 2.75 of Total 8

Ratings of Narrator: 3.5 of Total 2

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A BEST NEW BOOK from *Vanity Fair *The Root *Vulture *People *The Washington Post *Christian Science Monitor *Los Angeles Times *Essence A New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice Pick! A New Yorker Best Book of the Year! A lyrical, moving novel in the spirit of Transcendent Kingdom and A Burning—and the most awarded debut title in South Africa—that tells the story of a multiracial family when the Immorality Act is passed, revealing the story of one family’s scattered souls in the wake of history. In 1927, South Africa passes the Immorality Act, prohibiting sexual intercourse between “Europeans” (white people) and “natives” (Black people). Those who break the draconian new law face imprisonment—for men of up to five years; for women, four years. Abram and his wife Alisa have their share of marital problems, but they also have a comfortable life in South Africa with their two young girls. But then the Act is passed. Alisa is black, and their two children are now evidence of their involvement in a union that has been criminalized by the state. At first, Alisa and Abram question how they’ll be affected by the Act, but then officials start asking questions at the girls’ school, and their estate is catalogued for potential disbursement. Abram is at a loss as to how to protect his young family from the grinding machinery of the law, whose worst discriminations have until now been kept at bay by the family’s economic privilege. And with this, his hesitation, the couple’s bond is tattered. Alisa, who is Jamaican and the descendant of slaves, was adopted by a wealthy white British couple, who raised her as their child. But as she grew older and realized that the prejudices of British society made no allowance for her, she journeyed to South Africa where she met Abram. In the aftermath of the Immorality Act, she comes to a heartbreaking conclusion based on her past and collective history – and she commits her own devastating act, one that will reverberate through their entire family’s lives. Intertwining her storytelling with ritual, myth, and the heart-wrenching question of who stays and who leaves, Scatterlings marks the debut of a gifted storyteller who has become a sensation in her native South Africa—and promises to take the Western literary world by storm as well.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/565939 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Darlings of the Asylum

Author: Noel O’reilly

Narrator: Madeleine Leslay

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 11 hours 51 minutes

Release date: December 8, 2022

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

To marry is madness. To escape is impossible. ‘The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms. When she turns down a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman, her family have had enough of her independent streak. Against her wishes, they lock her away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum. Now at the mercy of the sinister Dr Rastrick, she must keep her wits about her if she has any hope of escaping. This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum. Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum: ‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times ‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest ‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own ‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden ‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/565938 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: A Quality Street Christmas

Series: #4 of Quality Street

Author: Penny Thorpe

Narrator: Sherry Baines

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 21 minutes

Release date: November 24, 2022

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Everything is changing at the Quality Street factory, can the plucky girls in the line make this a Christmas to remember? The Quality Street girls are gearing up for Christmas, but with the factory now making gas masks, as well as the nation’s favourite chocolate sweets, it’s anything but normal. They’re having to make other adjustments too. Reenie is in the doldrums after being demoted at work, while Mary has got her hands full getting used to married life and a ready-made family. New girl, Ada, isn’t sure she fits into factory life at all. Then, just as the Christmas party season gets into full swing, Toffee town gets a shock, and soon it isn’t just Christmas cheer that’s in short supply. Can the Quality Street girls save Christmas once again?

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/565937 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Boy with the Suitcase

Author: Cathy Sharp

Narrator: Hamish Lloyd Barnes

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 14 minutes

Release date: November 24, 2022

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Torn apart by war – a promise will hold them together… As the shadows of the Blitz hang over London, young Davey finds himself the man of the house when his father leaves to fight in the war. Trying his best to support his mum and to protect his sister, Davey’s good intentions find him mixed up with the wrong crowd. To keep him safe, and out of trouble, Davey is sent away from everything he has ever known, to a new life far away in Canada. He has always craved adventure and a place to fit in, though it could mean losing his family forever. Starting on his new journey will take all of Davey’s courage, but he also made a promise to see his precious little sister again, and he’ll need to be fearless if he is to keep it … Reader’s love Cathy Sharp ‘Had me gripped’ 5* Amazon reviewer ‘Absolutely brilliant’ 5* Goodreads reviewer

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/563636 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Kidnapped

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Lois Chimimba

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 58 minutes

Release date: November 24, 2022

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Brought to you by Penguin. Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is at once a rollicking adventure story and an earnest political allegory. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction and historical notes by Donald McFarlan, and a foreword by Alasdair Gray. Orphaned and penniless, David Balfour sets out to find his last living relative, miserly and reclusive Uncle Ebenezer. But Ebenezer is far from welcoming, and David narrowly escapes being murdered before he is kidnapped and imprisoned on a ship bound for the Carolinas. When the ship is wrecked, David, along with the fiery rebel Alan Breck, makes his way back across the treacherous Highland terrain on a quest for justice. Through his powerful depiction of the two very different central characters - the romantic Breck and the rational Whig David - Stevenson dramatized a conflict at the heart of Scottish culture in the aftermath of the Jacobite rebellion, as well as creating an unforgettable adventure story. This new edition includes a foreword by Alasdair Gray discussing Stevenson's life and literary career and how he came to write Kidnapped. In his introduction, Donald McFarlan considers the novel's realism and a depiction of Scotland. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was born in Edinburgh, the son of a prosperous civil engineer. Although he began his career as an essayist and travel writer, the success of Treasure Island (1883) and Kidnapped (1886) established his reputation as a writer of tales of action and adventure. Stevenson's Calvinist upbringing lent him a preoccupation with predestination and a fascination with the presence of evil, themes he explored in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and The Master of Ballantrae (1893). © Penguin Classics 1994 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/558587 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: A Winter Wedding at Bletchley Park

Series: #2 of The Bletchley Park Girls

Author: Molly Green

Narrator: Lucy Scott

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 11 hours 43 minutes

Release date: November 24, 2022

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1

Genres: Historical

Publisher's Summary:

⭐ Don’t miss the latest uplifting historical drama from Molly Green, set in Churchill's war rooms: Courage for the Cabinet Girl – available now! ⭐ ‘Draws you in from the start and doesn’t let you go until the end’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wonderfully written and oozing wartime spirit. Couldn’t ask for more!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ When Rosie Frost was jilted on her wedding day, she didn’t think life could get any worse. But six years later in the throes of the Second World War, she is unceremoniously dismissed from her dream job after they discover her illegitimate child. Thankfully, top secret war office Bletchley Park recognises Rosie’s talent and recruits her to decipher their Italian naval signals. Happy to be doing her bit for the war effort, Rosie settles into her new life. But when she spots a familiar face at the Park, Rosie’s world threatens to come crashing down once more. Can she put her heartbreak behind her? And will wedding bells ring out across Bletchley Park before the year is out? The second in an heartwarming and hopeful wartime series set at Bletchley Park from the queen of saga, Molly Green, perfect for fans of Vicki Beeby Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Readers are LOVING Molly Green’s Bletchley Park series: ‘A journey for the reader…tantalizing…interesting…try this one!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What can I say…I love it! Can’t wait to read more’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Outstandingly fabulous’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely story’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of those can't-put-down books’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A cracking good read!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Moments of being held spellbound…Kept me on the edge of my seat. Couldn't put it down’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fantastic addition to what has been a fantastic series so far’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Great story. Great characters. Wonderfully written and oozing wartime spirit. Couldn’t ask for more!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐