Greatest Collection of Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical - No Catch, Easy and Legally

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Title: A Barren Landscape

Subtitle: In Search of an American Culture 1811 - 1861; A Memoir of Eliza Rupp

Author: Geraldine Smith Priest

Narrator: Betsy Beard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-14

Publisher: JoSara MeDia

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

America in the early 1800s was a cultural blank canvas, a barren landscape awaiting texture in the form of learning, literature and the arts. Geraldine Priest creates this fictional historical memoir of Eliza Rupp, the embodiment of the many Americans striving to fill that void. The story of Eliza's family and her study of piano are interwoven with those of the leading literati, artists and educators of the day. Like so many of them, she journeys to Europe to further her studies and make her own cultural contribution to America's Barren Landscape.

Members Reviews:

A Journey Through 19th Century American Culture

Geraldine Priest does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to the cultural landscape of early 19th century America (1811 to 1861), with a story line focused on New York, Boston and Leipzig, Germany. The author uses a historical fiction memoir format, following the developments through the eyes of Eliza Rupp, a promising pianist whose family is engaged with the cultural leaders of the period.

Traveling with Eliza, we have the opportunity to meet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, European musicians, the landscape painter Thomas Cole, the Peabody sisters, the noted educator Horace Mann, and dozens more. One of the striking elements was the close interaction of these icons in New York and Boston, in what were relatively small and tight knit cultural communities, as well as the interaction with the cultural leaders in Europe.

A Barren Landscape is a moving family story and a reminder to readers of the many ways in which literature and the arts began to take root in the United States. It also portrays the role of literature in the national debate that moved to the Civil War.

We strongly recommend this book for any reader. It provides a compelling overview of a unique period in American history, and would be a perfect starting point for students or others wanting to understand the evolution of 19th century American culture. Many of the books referenced in the story are also available to the reader on the Kindle at no charge, since they are all now in the public domain.

Beautifully crafted, a joy to read...

Mrs. Priest is a gifted writer and story-teller, but also an historian of the arts as they intersect with other areas of our lives and with the general history of our country. I enjoyed every page of the book.

Mrs. Priest's book reminds me of a genre perhaps best typified by the works of E. L. Doctorow, and particularly two of his books which I enjoyed perhaps as much as any fiction I have read - Ragtime and The Waterworks. Doctorow was a writer of fiction, but he wove into his stories actual historical characters, events, and places. This is what Mrs. Priest does. The main characters of her book, including the protagonist whose story is told in the first person, are fictional. However, their stories are inextricably interwoven with those of some of the literary giants of the 19th century - Hawthorne, Longfellow, Melville, etc. - as well as great composers, musical performers, and architects of the time.

This little book is only 160 pages long. You can read it in just a few sittings. You will be very glad that you did.

MEMORIES

Ms Priest has written a wonderful, well researched tale of the maturing of America just prior to the Civil War.

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Title: The Passionate Enemies

Author: Jean Plaidy

Narrator: Jilly Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-14

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The death of the Kings son aboard the doomed White Ship, left the ageing Henry I again without an heir. Henrys daughter, the Empress Matilda, could not succeed her father while her own German husband still lived but she could hope. Henrys nephew, the affable, charming Stephen was also looking towards the English throne.

When the crown fell from the cold brow of the dead king, the twilight of the Norman dynasty became a dark night of struggle between Stephen and Matilda, locked in love and hatred, each obsessed with the other the passionate enemies.

Members Reviews:

Passionate enemies - fascinating history

Loved it. A gripping story read with passion and feeling. Such a fascinating period in England's history. Can't wait for the next one!

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Title: Almost Gone

Author: James Edwin Moore

Narrator: James Edwin Moore

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-30-14

Publisher: Two Dog Studio

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A humorous and poignant story told through letters from a displaced mill worker to his friend, depicting the changing landscape of rural American life in the 1980s.

James E. Moore grew up in western Pennsylvania. A graduate of West Virginia University, he served in the U.S. Navy in the 1960s. Now retired, he lives with his wife, two dogs, and a cat in Connecticut.

Members Reviews:

Review of Almost Gone

This book is funny and touching. Its narrative structure is simple: a chronological series of letters written by one person, a former mill worker named Lother. Although Lotherâs letters range in tone and subject matter, they center on important themes that unify the book. Lother can repair tractors and other broken things, but he cannot fix his townâs deteriorating economy or his fatherâs failing health. I wish Lother had learned more about himself than he seems to do, but perhaps he learns as much as he can in the timeframe of these letters. This book is humorous but also elegiacâmuch of Lotherâs world is almost gone.

Reader Review of Almost Gone

Mr. Moore has written a heartfelt book which describes the life of a struggling family in the early 80's. He is able to capture many issues prevalent during that period through humorous, thoughtful anecdotes. It's a well written, quick and extremely enjoyable read. I highly recommend Almost Gone and am looking forward to the possibility of a sequel. Dan Stepanek

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Title: Restoration

Author: Guy Adams

Narrator: Paul Boehmer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

They sought the box for many years, because held inside that arcane magical artefact was, miraculously, a house. But now its real purpose has become clear - it was a prison, and the infinitely evil being it was built to imprison has been let loose. Now the real quest begins in earnest. This direct sequel to the critically acclaimed The World House is an extraordinary modern fantasy, like an episode of Doctor Who imagined by the twisted mind of Clive Barker.

Guy Adams trained and worked as an actor for twelve years before becoming a full-time writer.

Members Reviews:

An absolute treasure of a story.

I bought this book as I like to learn a little history the easy way via novels. I didn't learn too much history but I did have the most amazing read. The story of Robert Merivale and his relationship with King Charles ii - and quite a few others - was quite extraordinary. I cannot imagine how an author can so completely conjure up such incredibly real characters. The character of Merivale is not just bits of dialogue and some descriptions - he lives and breathes out of those pages. I loved this novel, I loved the way every person in it was so three dimensional (for want of a better description) and I loved the way the world of the 17th century came across as such an integral part of the story. If you are wondering whether or not to read this - then do. I certainly will be looking for more of Rose Tremain.

This was an unexpected delight to read and I was thrilled to see that ...

This was an unexpected delight to read and I was thrilled to see that a sequel had been written which I bought immediately (there are benefits for finding a good book much later after publication). It was difficult not to like Merivel despite all his flaws and by the end of the book (with its unexpected twist) you are behind him all the way. A man of his time but a time that I am myself happy not to have lived in. Rose Tremain writes as though she personally had lived through those dark days. Beautifully written.

Bewitching and mysterious...

I had never heard of John ed Bradley when I picked up this book but I was absolutely delighted with every page. It is a haunting and lushly romantic story about an artist whose abundant talents and extraordinary charm couldn't compensate for the fact that he lived in an era with a dichotomous attitude about people of other races. Bradley writes with a deft hand about art and his story is rich with the scents and sounds of New Orleans, a city I love, but there is a haunting mournfulness in this tale that is both sad and seductive.

I especially appreciated his passages about the WPA murals, a particular interest of my own.

Bradley's characters are likeable and fully human and his prose is rich. The scene toward the end of the book where the paintings are found reminded me of the scene in A.S. Byatt's "Possession" when Christobel's letters are discovered in the doll's cradle. This is a very rich book and Bradley is a writer of considerable skill.

Our kind of buffoon

Rose Tremain does her research. Her novels are rich in period detail and earn credibility as first-rate historical fiction. If the reader knows the period he/she is surprised by what Ms.

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Title: Manitoulin Memories

Author: W. J. Reeves

Narrator: Wyntner Woody

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-14

Publisher: brooklyns best prose

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Manitoulin Memories is a collection of coming-of-age stories set in Canada in the 1950s. They are about a man who's recalling his father and take place in Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada, which is now dead, consumed by civilization. After WW II, tourists came to the island from the States for a summer getaway. Manitoulin Memories deals with those who came and what they found and how they ended up; it makes use of a middle-aged man who returns to the Manitoulin to see how it is and to learn who he was when he lived there. Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world which, as a fact, shrinks in significance the more you think about it. On a map, the Manitoulin is a blob of land dividing the southern half of Lake Huron from its North Channel.

Members Reviews:

Mixing Past and Present

In Manitoulin Memories is the story of a man going back to his boyhood home, reliving the memories and finding them in the present in the guise of the people he encounters and the places he sees changed. It's a story of learning what it means not to have to look back. This book will 'take you warmly by the hand' and walk you along, unmindful at times at your confusion, encouraging your confusion at other times so that you might lose yourself in its story. But the writer leaves in all sorts of nuggets of delight in the form of wit, sarcasm and smarm. All in a way that coaxes the reader through page after page with darn good writing.

We have acts of vengeance, acts of heroism, and acts of morality - some of these in the past, some in the present. We have a case full of snakes unleashed on an unsuspecting restaurant. We have a cow's bathroom habits being mistaken for a prolonged case of carsickness. And the cover up of the effects of said cow's habits through the powers of orange juice. We have characters ingratiating themselves, and the author's clear amusement in them, a circumspect 'ho ho' in rich, arch tone as the gluttons gorge and the ignorant blunder. And it's the blunders which act as reflections of the protagonist's discontent with the past: in the past, careless errors and misfortunes were painful realities, and in the future they are harmless mistakes, at times corrected at the cost of nature's demise.

This is a story in the true sense of the word. Its characters are readily understood, and their story is readily accepted. The narrator is both serious and playful, presenting us with a view into the world of Manitoulin as it once was and as it is now, for the reader to feast on.

You Can't Go Home Again

"Manitoulin Memories" traces the slow steady decline of a family from Indiana that moves to Manitoulin Island in search of peace and authenticity, but finds mostly hardship and dissipation. The son Jimmy, now a professor in Brooklyn, returns after thirty years searching for his past, the story unfolding in a series of parallels between the present and the past that reveal a man hungry for human companionship, but pushing it away with sarcasm and indifference borne of growing up too soon. Robbed of his childhood by a mother with multiple sclerosis and a father (whom he obviously adored) that drank, Jimmy does not blame them, but the locals who snubbed his family and the tourists that have overrun Manitoulin Island.

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Title: Wish Me Luck

Author: Margaret Dickinson

Narrator: Anne Dover

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-14

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Fleur Bosley didn't believe in love at first sight, at least not until she bumped into Robbie Rodwell on a railway station in the blackout of wartime Britain. Posted to a newly built Lincolnshire airfield, Robbie as a wireless operator on bombers and Fleur as an R/T operator in the watch office, their only escape is to the little cottage in the nearby village where Fleur is billeted with another WAAF, Ruth.

The two girls become good friends, but Ruth, already hurt by the loss of one of the pilots, does not approve of wartime romances. And Ruth is not the only one to disapprove. When Fleur's mother hears Robbie's name she becomes hysterical and bans him from her home.

The young couple are determined to grab their happiness where they can, but is it a kind fate or a cruel one that has brought them together when secrets from the past threaten their future? Away from their families, there is fun and laughter, the aircrews determined to make the most of every day, every minute, but whenever they fly off into the night on a bombing raid, Fleur must keep watch until the early hours praying that Robbie's plane comes back....

Members Reviews:

Lovely story

What a wonderful reader Anne Dover is. She brings every character to life. Very enjoyable listen

A good read

loved it! great story well written and well read. recommend it to all my friends.

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Title: After the Bombing

Author: Clare Morrall

Narrator: Charlotte Strevens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-27-14

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

On May 3rd, 1942, fifteen-year-old Alma Braithwaite and her fellow boarders at Goldwyn's school huddle in an air-raid shelter as bombs rain down on Exeter. When the girls emerge, the school is in ruins. Twenty-one years on, Alma lives alone and teaches music at her old school. The arrival of a new student takes Alma back to that summer and the long shadow it cast on her life.

Members Reviews:

Not what I had expected....

Very well narrated, a good story with an ending I was surprised at.

Good all round. Not gripping, just a good book to listen to.

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Title: The Crimson Ribbon

Author: Katherine Clements

Narrator: Katie Scarfe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-27-14

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Beauty and brutality: with the vibrancy of Sarah Dunant and a gothic touch, Katherine Clements conjures the extraordinary women you never knew about in the turbulent years of the English Civil War. Based on the real figure of the fascinating Elizabeth Poole, The Crimson Ribbon is the mesmerising story of two women's obsession, superstition, and hope.

May Day 1646: The Civil War is raging and what should be a rare moment of blessing for the town of Ely takes a brutal turn. Ruth Flowers is left with little choice but to flee the household of Oliver Cromwell, the only home she has ever known. On the road to London, Ruth sparks an uneasy alliance with a soldier, the battle-scarred and troubled Joseph. But when she reaches the city, it's in the Poole household that she finds refuge. Lizzie Poole, beautiful and charismatic, enthrals the vulnerable Ruth, who binds herself inextricably to Lizzie's world. But in these troubled times, Ruth is haunted by fears of her past catching up with her. And as Lizzie's radical ideas escalate, Ruth finds herself carried to the heart of the country's conflict, to the trial of a king.

Members Reviews:

Crimson Ribbon

I'm really torn rating this... 3.5-4 stars

The Crimson Ribbon is not what I thought it was going to be, but I found it intensely readable. There's tragedy, friendship, passion, secrets, and misplaced loyalties (among other things) that add up to a very well written book. It is uniquely written, and kept my attention. Ruth Flowers is our main storyteller and is a creation of fiction. Many of the characters including Lizzie Poole and Oliver Cromwell are real people from the 17th century British civil war era. I didn't like some of the things Ruth did or allowed to happen but her story was very interesting! I wonder if we will get a sequel? I could see it happening and would definitely read it. There is an informative author's note & historical note at the end of the book that I found very helpful. This is a side of the King Charles-Cromwell saga that I'd never heard of and found intriguing.

I will look out for more works by Katherine Clements in the future!!

Not worth the time!

I started reading this book with enthusiasm and was expecting a good historical novel with some love twist but halfway through the book I couldn't wait for it to be finished!

Elizabeth Poole is a real character but Ruth Flowers was added to the plot by the writer to put some perspective into Elizabeth's personality and possibly to personalize the story. Unfortunately Ruth is completely unrelatable character for me. She is prejudice, short sighted and unreasonable. She is definitely not what you expect of a so called witch of the 17th century (wise and in touch with the wisdom of the nature).

Also dialogues and self thoughts sound repetitive after a while.

In short, I don't recommend this book.

Four Stars

great story

The Crimson Ribbon

This novel is set during the turbulent times of the English Civil War and begins on May Day, 1646, when the mother of Ruth Flowers is hung as a witch. Like many other women of that time, Ruthâs mother was a healer. She worked in the house of Oliver Cromwell, but the master was away and there was no protection to be found when a mob forms after a birth goes wrong.

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Title: The May Bride

Author: Suzannah Dunn

Narrator: Lucy Scott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-13-14

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

I didn't stand a chance: looking back over 13 years, that's what I see. In the very first instant, I was won over, and of course I was: I was 15 and had been nowhere and done nothing, whereas Katherine was 21 and yellow-silk-clad and just married to the golden boy....

Jane Seymour is a shy, dutiful 15-year-old when her eldest brother, Edward, brings his bride home to Wolf Hall.

Katherine Filliol is the perfect match for Edward, as well as being a breath of fresh air for the Seymour family, and Jane is captivated by the older girl. Over the course of a long, hot country summer, the two become close friends and allies, while Edward is busy building alliances at court and advancing his career. However, only two years later, the family is torn apart by a dreadful allegation made by Edward against his wife.

The repercussions for all the Seymours are incalculable, not least for Katherine herself. When Jane is sent away, to serve Katharine of Aragon, she is forced to witness another wife being put aside, with terrible consequences. Changed forever by what happened to Katherine Filliol, Jane comes to understand that in a world where power is held entirely by men, there is a way in which she can still hold true to herself.

Members Reviews:

One of worst books I have ever read

I don't find house/castle keeping of much interest. 200 or so pages of mostly that. A bit of sex and a few moves for the next half!

One of worst books I have ever read!

This book is very repetitive. It is subtle and ...

This book is very repetitive. It is subtle and uses a lot of innuendo which may or may not be helpful. It presupposes a knowledge of the kings and queens of England, the whole story. It might engender a follow-up story.

Detailed and enjoyable

Despite reading the negative reviews, I chose this book and thoroughly enjoyed every page. It is a change from the usual historical fiction which often focuses on political intrigue and war. This book focuses on a family and the vast levels within each characters' personality. I loved the descriptive details of daily life. Well done.

We enjoyed it. Thanks for sending it so quickly because ...

The book club had a lively discussion. It's revealing of the lifestyle of the period and castle living. We enjoyed it. Thanks for sending it so quickly because it was first on the list.

Good Read

Excellent! Riveting historical fiction. Good characterization and plot development.

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Title: One Last Dance

Author: Judith Lennox

Narrator: Emily Pennant-Rea

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-14

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For fans of Downton Abbey and Kate Morton...

Times change, and sometimes for the better.... As the 20th century draws to a close, Esme Reddaway knows that she must uncover the truth.

A truth that began during the First World War when Devlin Reddaway fell passionately in love with Esme's elder sister, Camilla, and promised to rebuild his ancestral home, Rosindell, for her. But the war changes everything and Devlin returns to England to find that Camilla is engaged to someone else.

Angry and vengeful, he marries Esme, who has been secretly in love with him for years. Esme tries to win Devlin's heart by reviving the annual summer dance. But as the years pass she fears that Rosindell has a malign influence on those who live there, and the revelation of a shocking secret on the night of the dance at Rosindell tears her life apart.

Decades later, it is she who must lay the ghosts of Rosindell to rest. Spanning the last century, Esme's story of sibling rivalry, heartbreak, betrayal, and forgiveness is sure to appeal to fans of Kate Morton, Rachel Hore, and Downton Abbey.

Members Reviews:

ONE LAST DANCE...JUDITH LENNOX...HITS IT OUT OF THE PARK AGAIN!

Another wonderful read by Judith Lennox and I never get tired of her books. Current day looking back to the 1900's during WWI, centered around the once lovely estate of Roseindell where Devlin Reddaway inherits his ancestral home which is in his blood despite the home is in ruins with no money to repair. He falls in love with one of the sisters, Camilla who live in a neighboring town and they commit to marry after he returns from the war. Upon return he shows up at Camilla's home only to walk in on her engagement party. Shocked and saddened, he dances with her sweet and not as beautiful sister, Esme who has been in love with Devlin since she was in her teens. Devlin needs money and a wife so he marries Esme but he still pines for the evil sister, Camilla who wants what she wants when she wants and gets it. Esme is enchanted with Roseindell but realizes soon after her marriage, Devlin doesn't reciprocate her love but she is happy but she is unaware of the secret romance between her husband and sister. Their daughter Zoe is born at the enchanting estate of Roseindell. Until the secret is divulged by Camilla to Esme about her and Devlin's prior engagement and Esme leaves Devlin. While Esme is at her parent's home, Camilla makes a visit to Devlin and seduces him for one reason only to have what she wants! It took this encounter for Devlin to finally open his eyes and realize that he loves Esme and no longer loves Camilla...he sees her for what she is! Esme returns but doesn't know about the one night between her husband and her sister. Their son, Matthew is born. Around the same time, Esme and Devlin hear that Camilla has had a daughter, Melissa. Devlin talks with Camilla and she denies that the child is his. So life goes on...Camilla has many lovers and marries paying little attention to her daughter. The cousins see each other once as children. In their late teens, the meet again at Roseindell and guess who falls in love with one another, Melissa and Matthew. Camilla then tells everyone that they are brother and sister which is the final nail in the coffin for Esme's marriage to Devlin. They go on to marry others but in their heart of hearts, they still love one another.