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Title: Belle Vue

Subtitle: Sigmund Freud, Minna Bernays, and the Meaning of Dreams

Author: Barry G. Gale

Narrator: Thomas B. Hackett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-08-13

Publisher: Barry G. Gale

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is July 24, 1895. Sigmund Freud and his family are staying for the summer at the Belle Vue resort in the Alpine foothills overlooking Vienna. His marriage to his wife Martha is swiftly deteriorating, he is in the midst of a love affair with his brilliant but unpredictable sister-in-law, Minna, his mother-in-law, Mrs. Bernays, despises him, and he has just that morning completed his first full interpretation of a dream, marking a revolution in our understanding of the human mind.

Belle Vue is a novel of that day. It is the story of four people desperately pursuing their own special dreams. Mrs. Bernays is seeking a happy denouement to a life of struggle and hardship and is looking to her son-in-law, Sigmund Freud, to help her achieve that goal, yet he seems more interested in pursuing research on what she considers wild-eyed ideas which have only resulted in ridicule from his medical colleagues. Martha Freud is pregnant with their sixth child.

Unable to appreciate her husband's pioneering research and lacking self-confidence, she is desperate to save her marriage. Sigmund Freud, gifted but prickly and emotionally inaccessible, is hell bent on achieving success. His ideas, however, are rejected by his peers, primarily because of their revolutionary nature, which includes a conviction that dreams have meaning and can serve as a window into the unconscious mind.

Freud finds refuge for his battered self-esteem in the arms of his alluring and intellectually talented sister-in-law, Minna Bernays, a 20th Century "New Woman" who is as different from his Victorian wife as day is from night. Yet Freud has a dilemma. He is caught between two powerful desires - his love for Minna and his quest for fame, and he does not know if he can have both.

Members Reviews:

Review of Belle Vue: Sigmund Freud, Minna Bernays, and the Meaning of Dreams

Definitely a good read. The story narrates the events in one day in the lives of Sigmund Freud, his sister-in-law, his wife, and his mother in-law, with flashbacks to past events, the crescendo building as the day progresses. I loved the book. It was hard to put it down even though I was squirming a lot of the time, anticipating the train wreck in these peoples' lives. The author did a good job taking us back in time to another century, another way of life, with detailed descriptions of customs, dress, household décor. Well done the way the author conveyed the limited opportunities for women to break away from convention, the rigidity of the characters (men and women), Freud's struggle to gain recognition for his theories. The dream analysis that the author weaves into the story is very entertaining. The character development is beautifully done. In all, a very good read. Review by Hélène Déramond Totman

Not recommended

The writing was sophomoric with improbable dialogue and characterizations. I struggled, but had to but it down after about 80 pages.

Review of Belle Vue

Belle Vue is a novel that would be of interest to those who are interested in the history of psychoanalysis, the biography of Freud, life in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, and especially to those who enjoy intense family dramas.

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Title: Unfashioned Creatures

Author: Lesley McDowell

Narrator: Helen Cuinn, Nick Cheales

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-13

Publisher: Saraband

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

London, 1823. Mary Shelley's real-life friend Isabella Baxter Booth is 'disturbed in her reason' - seeing ghosts and dependent on narcotics to escape a hellish life with an increasingly violent, deranged husband.

Fearful of her own murderous impulses towards him, Isabella flees for her childhood home in Scotland, where she meets an ambitious young doctor, Alexander Balfour. He will stop at nothing to establish a reputation as a genius with the cure for madness, and he believes that Isabella could be the key to his greatness.

But as his own torments threaten to overwhelm Alexander, is he really the best judge of which way madness lies?

Audio recording and editing by Sophie Franklin.

Critic Reviews:

"A meticulously researched gothic novel full of madness, ghosts and murderous desires. Lesley McDowell brilliantly evokes the tension between the scientific imagination and creative longings. Monstrously good." (Louise Welsh, author of The Cutting Room)

More praise for Lesley McDowell:

"McDowells confident writing boasts smart dialogue and subtle lyrical style throughout." (Scottish Review of Books)

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Title: The Spanish Marriage

Author: Madeleine Robins

Narrator: Siobhan Flynn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-22-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

"You saved my life, Miss Cannowen. I will be pleased to take you to England with me."

To Dorothea Cannowen, these are the words that could save her life. An 18-year-old orphan, she is in the difficult position of being a penniless, unenthusiastic guest at a Spanish convent. Now Sir Douglas Matlin, whom she discovered wounded in the convent garden and nursed back to health, has offered to escort her back to London, where his aunt will happily launch her into society. But what will society think of a girl who traveled so far alone with a man? The resourceful Matlin suggests to the nuns that he marry Dorothea in Spain and have the marriage annulled upon their arrival in England. It's the perfect plan to keep the Londoners' tongues from wagging. Perfect except for one thing. It doesn't take love into account. And love has a way of complicating matters.

Editorial Reviews:

Good fortune befalls those who help strangers in need. In The Spanish Marriage, narrated in a richly elegant British lilt by Siobhan Flynn, a resourceful and poor teenage orphan, Dorothea Cannowen, is miserably living in a Spanish convent. Her luck greatly changes when she nurses a wealthy gentleman, Sir Douglas Matlin, back to health. As repayment and to express his gratitude for her kind and selfless service, Matlin offers to bring Dorothea back to England introduce her to the delicate extravagance and fine whims of high society. Of course, the pair fall desperately in love along the way. An entertaining tale for listeners who appreciate society romances and light escapism.

Members Reviews:

Starts out like The Wedding Journey

This story was similar to The Wedding Journey. They end differently. This story has a bit more intrigue and misunderstanding. The story is good but I would get caught up in the phrasing and unknown terms. Perhaps the author was using a more precise writing style for the time but it left me confused from time to time. I tried the sample first as there had been no reviews.

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Title: The Final Testament

Author: Peter Blauner

Narrator: Robert Blumenfeld

Format: Unabridged

Length: 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is autumn of 1938 in London. The Nazis have invaded Austria and are seizing Jewish assets, rumors of the Dachau concentration camp are clouding the air and, despite the cancer ravaging his body, an exiled Dr. Sigmund Freud spends his days anxiously clutching a Cuban cigar between his jaw and a large dental prosthesis he calls The Monster.

He is doing just this when his daughter interrupts his forbidden indulgence with a scolding and news of a foreboding visit from SS Officer Anton Sauerwald. Rather than dragging the doctor into an interrogation room or confiscating the few luxuries Freud was able to secretly take away from Vienna, Sauerwald brings something far more dangerous into the household: a book more deadly than any weapon.

Peter Blauners The Final Testament reminds us of the power of the written word and weighs the importance of intellectual pursuit against the question of moral responsibility in a time of panic and decay.

Editorial Reviews:

Peter Blauner's The Final Testament is set in 1938 London, where Sigmund Freud is slowly succumbing to cancer while rushing to finish his final, most controversial work on the origins of Judaism. When a Nazi named Surewald visits Freud and pressures him for assistance in publishing a vitriolic anti-Semitic manuscript, Freud attempts to extricate himself the only way he knows how: through the power of psychoanalysis.

Robert Blumenfeld ratchets up the tension between Freud and Surewald with his confident and urgent delivery of Blauner's wildly imaginative, strange-but-true novella in this mesmerizing listen.

Members Reviews:

Even a Freud Follower Has Limits

Having visited Freud's offices in Vienna and in London I was interested in the descriptions and even of the great man as he lived in agony with his cancerous jaw. I can only say that a little goes a long way even though I admire Blauners skills in framing and wording his short story. I thought it should have been more. I should have read what others wrote.

Four Stars

Enjoyed

An interesting read

The Final Testament is an interesting story of a point in history before World War I I. It is will written and based upon facts. Enjoy reading

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Title: Fireweed

Author: Nellie Buxton Picken

Narrator: Gene Engene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-17-13

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The brilliant spires of blue fireweed that spring up after a range fire symbolize natures cycle of renewal, a cycle which governs Ed McLarens life. He comes west in 1897 as a rebellious teenager and winds up playing an active role in the development of the Okanogan Valley in north central Washington. Drawn west by the lure of gold, he finds a better life as a rancher, living from the interaction of sun, soil and the sweat of his labor. Ed fights to build the Lazy Ear ranch with hard work, determination and an appreciation of the natural forces that shape every ranchers decisions...and to hide his deep and abiding love for Analix the half-breed mother of Eds unacknowledged son.

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Title: The Astrologer

Author: Scott G.F. Bailey

Narrator: David Coatney

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-11-13

Publisher: Rhemalda Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

"As long as Denmark looks backward, there will be bloodshed."

It is December of 1601. Soren Andersmann, the Danish royal astrologer, has smuggled a trunk full of poisons, daggers, and a venomous snake into the royal castle at Elsinore. Though Soren knows nothing of the assassin's trade, he has sworn to be the instrument of justice. King Christian IV has murdered Soren's mentor and spiritual father, Tycho Brahe, the most famous astronomer the world has seen. Soren will have his revenge.

The Astrologer takes us into the world of Europe on the edge of the Renaissance. It is a world ruled by the sword, where civilization is held in place by violence and blind loyalty. The birth of science is still overshadowed by medieval religion, but men are learning to think for themselves. In 1601, a man who thinks for himself is a dangerous man. Soren Andersmann, the astrologer, is becoming a dangerous man.

Members Reviews:

More fun if you know who Tycho Brahe is.

This is a lively piece of historical fiction that is probably more fiction than history. Its nominally about the court astrologer for King Christian IV of Denmark and his quest to murder the king for what he believes was the unlawful execution of Tycho Brahe, the famous astronomer. Along the way the astrologer must deal with the kings conflicted son, traitorous knights, adulterous ladies in waiting, and a few ghosts for good measure. Sounds pretty exciting right? Well not exactly.

The story bogs down when it comes to the astrologer. Exciting things seem to be happening all around him but his own story is pretty weak. As a result the middle section drags but the beginning and ending are both pretty good. Indeed, the novels focus on the science of the day seemed like a new spin for a story occurring in the middle ages.

I would have given it higher marks if it werent for the performance. It was really pretty bad. The reader ignored most punctuation and did not voice his characters very well. As a result the story as read was hard to follow especially at the beginning.

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Title: The Adventures of Heron

Author: Thomas K. Carpenter

Narrator: Tim Elliott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-28-13

Publisher: Black Moon Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District calls on Heron of Alexandria - the greatest inventor the city has ever known - to help him solve a series of crimes, he learns the unexpected value of the inventor's unique knowledge.

While the "Alexandrian Saga" books detail the clash of empires over technologies unleashed from the Temples never-ending pursuit of coin, these five tales are from a quieter - and earlier - time when Heron helped her friend, the Magistrate of the Rhakotis District, solve strange and varied crimes.

Come along and learn how numerologists court disaster, or how the value of gold can be a fickle thing, or that the ichor of the gods can bring danger and love, or that madness is a perfectly sane business venture, or in the end that curses can bring blessings to those patient enough to wait.

Come along and witness how strange a place the world is, and in that same breath, how very not...

Members Reviews:

great afternoon listen

loved the balance of time period and mystery solving. was a great listen while doing my housework.

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Title: Someday Soon

Author: David Crookes

Narrator: Alexandra Haag

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-20-13

Publisher: Big Indian

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in 1942 was Australia's Pearl Harbor. Faith and her brother Joe escape the devastation and chaos aboard Joe's island trading ketch, Faraway, along with Joe's lifelong friend Koko, an Australian born Japanese, fleeing internment.

They are soon separated by the fortunes of war and face their own personal battles against espionage and injustice. Joe in a special Army unit in the wilds of the Northern Territory against a covert brutal enemy, Koko in a POW camp against a society which seems to have deserted him and Faith against the machinations of a racist American officer intent on keeping the man she loves, Captain Dan Rivers, a Navaho Indian commissioned as a U.S. Army Air Force pilot.

Critic Reviews:

"Crookes' strength is his storytelling" (The Sunday Mail)

"A bold, sweeping narrative follows the war in the Pacific from the bombing of Darwin to Japan's defeat" (The Australian)

Members Reviews:

This is a VERY good book

And does not warrant the previous reviwers slamming on edit problems. He should have commented problems with other books on THOSE books.

Yes, the author has a bit of trouble with your and you're...but I noticed no problems with there and their (But if the author is reading comment on this review and I will give you some quick tips to straighten those issues out.)

At any rate, it amounted to 2 words in the entire book, and I noted one other typo...certainly not enough to worry about. Perhaps the previous commenter does not realize this person writes in "real English" not American English, which means many words are spelled differently.

This was a good story about the Japanese war on Australia back in 1942. It is a novel, so the reading is interesting, yet wound around what I assume are factual accounts of the war. It is the ONLY way to read about history in my opinion, as it is not dry and boring as history books are.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the portrayal of the characters and the devastation brought upon Australia as well as the ending. For those who like their history in the form of a novel, I highly recommend this book. I had no idea Australia was even attacked by Japan, let alone how much they hurt that country. My American History books when I was in grammar school never went into that much detail about any of the wars our country has had.

Either way, I find history in a history book dry and bland, so this novel was a perfect way to acquaint myself with this history outside of the US.

Great historical fiction, and a whole lot more!

This book is a look at a part of WWII that we rarely, if ever, hear about in this part of the world...the war in the Pacific, specifically as it affected Australia. The historical aspects of it alone were fascinating and detailed.

More than that, this is just a very good tale. Lots of human interest, high drama, and romance, with last half-dozen pages of the exciting and surprising conclusion wrapping up the last of the story line's loose ends.

I've read quite a bit of historical fiction over the years. This one is one of the better ones.

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Title: The Skull and the Nightingale

Author: Michael Irwin

Narrator: Steve West

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-30-13

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A man eager to make his fortune...

A godfather who initiates a dangerous psychological game...

An extraordinary proposition, one of discovery, pleasure - and pain.

When Richard Fenwick, a young man without family or means, returns to London from a Grand Tour of Europe in 1761, his godfather, James Gilbert, has an unexpected proposition. Gilbert has led a sedate life in the country, but now, in his advancing years, he feels the urge to experience, if vicariously, the extremes of human feeling - love and passion, in particular - along with something much more sinister. He asks Richard to serve as his proxy and to write to him of his city adventures, and his ward believes he has no option but to accept.

It quickly becomes clear that Gilbert desires correspondence of a titillating nature - tales of carousal, seduction, and excess - and so Richard begins to write of London's more salacious side. For here is an invitation to hedonism and Richard, eager to taste all that a privileged life has to offer, rises to the challenge.

But Gilbert's elaborate and manipulative "experiments" into the most intimate workings of human behavior soon drag Richard into a vortex of betrayal, where lives may be ruined and tragedy is only a step away. And when Richard does the unthinkable and falls in love, the stakes are raised and he must make a defining choice. But what sort of man has he by now become?

A chilling and deliciously dark tale of manipulation, sex, and seduction, The Skull and the Nightingale combines the intoxication of Perfume, the sensuality of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and the exquisite detail of The Crimson Petal and the White. This entrancing novel seduces the senses, bringing vividly to life the heady swirl of eighteenth-century London while exploring the darkest passions and instincts that animate us all.

Members Reviews:

Incredibly tedious

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I had to bail--something I have done only once before in the hundreds of titles I have listened to. I only could stand it for about 90 minutes. I don't think anything can save this.

What was most disappointing about Michael Irwins story?

It's the story. Tedious, boring, goes absolutely nowhere and I cringed at the thought that we would eventually get pornographic.

What three words best describe Steve Wests voice?

Exciting, enticing and sardonic.

Any additional comments?

Jsut a terrible novel

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Title: A Flowering in Palestine

Author: Andrew Reilly

Narrator: Andrew Reilly

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-30-13

Publisher: Create Space, Amazon LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A hero's journey of a Jewish-American growing up in the last half of the 20th century who learns to see things from a Palestinian perspective and flowers into becoming a citizen of the world.

Members Reviews:

Brilliant, Evocative, Moving

I'm an American who has also traveled to Palestine. Now, I want to visit Brooklyn and pay respects to David Brown. This is his story...and it is a great one.