Listen to Best Full Audiobooks in Fiction, Historical Popular Authors

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Title: The Heritage of the Desert (Annotated)

Subtitle: Classic Western Library, Book 7

Author: Zane Grey

Narrator: Bob Rundell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-15

Publisher: Flanagan-Wale Publishing

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the pen of best-selling western author Zane Grey comes The Heritage of the Desert. It is the story of John Hare, who has arrived in the West to recover after a health scare and finds himself a hunted man. His crime? He is "Dene's Spy". From dealing with Mormons and Indians to riding with rustlers, dealing with land thieves, and discovering the canyons of Utah, he lives the life of a true pioneer trying to find his way in a brand new world. Forget Buffalo Bill and Wyatt Earp - John Hare is the name of a true American legend.

In this deluxe edition of the book, you will take part in a journey through the American West. This is an action-packed novel that will give you a true look at the American West.

Members Reviews:

How could you not enjoy another Zane Grey book

Zane Grey is prolific. He has the ability to put you there with his vivid descriptions. I have not been to the north rim of the Grand Canyon until I read this book. The characters, mainly Mormons, who save the life of a young lunger. The family also has a half Navajo woman they raised. a worthless son who goes against his family and and assortment of rustlers with a couple of these guys who still have some morals. It is the usual story of greed. There is a wild stallion, a part wolf dog and a droopy eared burro who contribute to the story.. The Navajos are portrayed in a positive way and good since I have enjoyed interacting with them in the past. Overall it is a good read.

another rich desert classic

Yes, Zane Gray had a formula that many of his books follow. But his love of the west and understanding of it's essence shines through. The intelligence insight and beauty of his descriptions alone are worth the reading. Just as the same sun and moon can always provide new inspiration his novels always bring me back to the desert west and it's vastness. Recommended.

As expected from Zane

Nothing but the best of western tales could come from the pen of Zane Grey. He was a master of the western genre and his glory days of western life is told here. If you're a fan of the western genre have a look at anthonydunphyfineart.com and you can see them all in their element.

Not exactly up to modern standards as a good book. I'm skipping over a lot of descriptions ...

Reading this because I'm reading the biography of Zane Grey. Not exactly up to modern standards as a good book. I'm skipping over a lot of descriptions and boggling over the "period" cultural depictions.

I've always loved Zane Gray

I read this book the first time 60 yrs ago. This is probably the third or fourth time and I still love Zane Gray's way of describing my Arizona.

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Title: 1961

Author: Robert P. Fitton

Narrator: Robert P. Fitton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-23-15

Publisher: Fitton Book

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1986, led by terrorist Carlos Sanchez, nuclear devices are planted in American cities. As New York and other cities are swallowed up in fireballs, Patch Kincaid is sent back in time to prevent the destruction. He lands in 1961, where he chases Sanchez into the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Captured by Castro, Patch and his mentor, Meinkewitz track Carlos into rural Cuba.

Patch's actions result in President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

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Title: The Thornbearer

Subtitle: Penned in Time, Book 1

Author: Pepper Basham

Narrator: Rachael Beresford

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-23-15

Publisher: Vinspire Publishing, LLC

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the decks of the ill-fated Lusitania to the smoke-filled trenches of France, Ashleigh must choose between the forgiveness of her past, life in the present, and a Savior who can rescue her from them all.

When her fiancé leaves her eight months before their wedding, the unexpected blow ignites a battalion of insecurities stemming from her father's intimate betrayal. Her worst fears are confirmed. Who could ever love a soiled woman?

In an attempt to escape the shame and disappointment of her past, Ashleigh boards the ill-fated Lusitania to cross the war-torn waters of Europe. Much to her dismay, she isn't traveling alone.

Sam Miller is always making up for his best friend's mistakes. Determined to help Ashleigh, he offers his compassion and protection as she ventures across a perilous sea. With the faint hope of renewing his lost love for Ashleigh's sister, Sam never expects to find the woman of his dreams in his best friend's former fiancé and his own childhood companion.

As they travel across the Atlantic, neither is prepared for the life-altering and heart-breaking journey of their friendship.

When the truth of Ashleigh's past explodes in the middle of war and Sam rejects her, Ashleigh must decide if God is enough or if the double weight of her betrayal and past will crush her life forever.

Members Reviews:

Authentic Characters and Wonderful Romance

Would you listen to The Thornbearer again? Why?

Yes. I thought it was very well read and I found the characters enchanting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ashley. She was a woman full of courage and conviction even during times of personal conflict and wartime chaos.

What about Rachael Beresfords performance did you like?

Her voice was very well suited to a romance happening during this time period.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was a bit hesitant to listen to a story that stated out on the Lusitania, but I had hopes that not all the wonderful characters would go down with the ship, and I was not disappointed. Great story with a wonderful ending.

Any additional comments?

This story is a wonderful example of how faith, courage, forgiveness and hope makes our lives beautiful even in times of turmoil.

Boring

The narrator put me to sleep every time I listened, story so very predictable . I think narration ruined the whole book.

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Title: Shoes for Anthony

Author: Emma Kennedy

Narrator: Emma Kennedy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-15

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

"Theyre running wild. Feral! If I had a shilling for every time a Scott Street boy said he was doing something when he was doing something else entirely Id be living in Cardiff in a house made of Lardy cake. What did I say? Bad things will happen!"

The idea of the war coming to their small, impoverished Welsh mining village always seemed remote, but with one explosive event and the arrival of the Americans preparing for the invasion of France, the people of Treherbert find their world turned upside down.

But war brings distrust, lies, and danger. And as the villagers find themselves hopelessly divided, Anthony, an 11-year-old who hasnt had a pair of shoes in years, is going to have to choose between what is popular and what is right.

Joyous, thrilling and nostalgic, Emma Kennedys Shoes For Anthony will have you wiping your eyes one moment and beaming from ear to ear the next.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful!

So very good! A must listen audiobook. Wonderful characters, story and narration by Emma Kennedy!

Great feel good story.

Great story with nicely developed characters. I was caught up with the main characters almost immediately.

The narrator did a remarkable job portraying each character.

Definitely a thumbs up from me.

loved it

I've listened to hundreds of books and never reviewed until now. Heartwarming funny sad perfect

Lovely heartfelt story

I really enjoyed this book. It's a lovely story and I had tears rolling down my face at the end. Emma Kennedy is a fantastic writer and narrator and I would recommend this book. It will make you laugh out loud and cry.

Beautiful book

Emma Kennedy is fantastic

I was addicted to this book and didn't want it to end. I've listened to and loved all her books but this is my favourite!

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Title: The Silversmith's Wife

Author: Sophia Tobin

Narrator: Christine Mackie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 04-23-15

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Stunning historical fiction, perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.

The year is 1792 and it's winter in Berkeley Square. As the city sleeps, the night-watchman keeps a cautious eye over the streets and another eye in the back doors of the great and the good. Then one fateful night he comes across the body of Pierre Renard, the eponymous silversmith, lying dead, his throat cut and his valuables missing. It could be common theft, committed by one of the many villains who stalk the square, but as news of the murder spreads, it soon becomes clear that Renard had more than a few enemies, all with their own secrets to hide.

At the center of this web is Mary, the silversmith's wife. Ostensibly theirs was an excellent pairing, but behind closed doors, their relationship was a dark and at times sadistic one. And when we meet her, Mary is withdrawn and weak, haunted by her past and near-mad with guilt. Will she attain the redemption she seeks and what, exactly, does she need redemption for...?

Rich, intricate, and beautifully told, this is a story of murder, love, and buried secrets.

Members Reviews:

A satisfying mystery set in moody, atmospheric 18th century London

This book would be a 4.5 star rating for me, if that were possible. I think I enjoyed this moody, atmospheric look at 18th century London, and the life of its aspiring but class-bound tradespersons, artisans, and servants, as much as the mystery itself (which properly remained a mystery, at least to me, until the end). There are some really interesting, fairly well-fleshed out characters populating the narrative as well--none are entirely sympathetic, which is surely intentional, though it left me with a slightly melancholic tone despite the resolution of the mystery. A really pleasurable read for this lover of historical fiction/mystery, and I look forward to more from Ms. Tobin.

The exposure of the murderer remains pretty well until the final pages

Interesting account of the period in English history, reflecting the marked inequity of status between the genders and social classes. The exposure of the murderer remains pretty well until the final pages

easy Read

Not a complex book. Light and easy read. Fairly predictable but I always like a happy ending which this one has

the silent women

A brilliant book.Ms.Tobin throws a new light on life in fashionable London. She suggests that it is the men who are the gossips either by chatter in coffee houses or taverns or writing diaries.

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Title: The House of Medici: Inheritance of Power

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Edward Charles

Narrator: Susannah Tyrrell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Ever-loyal Maddalena, a diminutive, blue-eyed, black slave, has borne Cosimo de' Medici a son and seen him rise to the position of cardinal. Now, late in life, she finds herself committed to a convent, as part of a scheme to protect the Medici bank from ruin by Cosimo's sons, by hiding a fortune in gold for Cosimo's grandson Lorenzo to inherit. But as the months go by, and the gold does not appear, her faith in Cosimo begins to wane, and with it, her confidence in her own worth. Has she been duped?

Approaching old age, she finds in the abbess a confessor, which enables her to share her true story and perhaps, at the same time, convince herself that her life has been worthwhile. But the abbess, too, has objectives of her own, and the two of them may not be on the same side.

Edward Charles presents us here with the intrigue, glamour, wealth, and deception of 15th-century Florence. One woman's devotion forms the foundation upon which the famed Medici bank was built. The largest and most respected financial institution in Europe in it's prime, it came to represent the might of the influential Medici clan, a family of great power, borne of Italy's gold; a family who scaled the very heights of human grandeur but was to suffer through one of the most catastrophic financial crashes of early banking.

Members Reviews:

excellent tale

A well written and thought provoking story of love, poet and a the question of whether a life matters and why.

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Title: A Place Called Winter

Author: Patrick Gale

Narrator: Patrick Gale

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-15

Publisher: Headline Digital

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of the best-selling Notes From an Exhibition comes an irresistible, searching and poignant historical novel of love, relationships, secrets and escape to find yourself, sometimes you must lose everything .

A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything.

Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before.

In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. It is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.

Members Reviews:

A story too poignant not to be based on truth

I am a huge fan of Patrick gale and have loved all his books. His was perhaps not the best narrator although I did get used to him after a few chapters. The character of Harry Gale will stay with me. I feel sure that this story must be based on truth however fragile. Read it and love it as I did. Petra, Paul and Harry will surely get under your skin.

Outstanding.

Patrick Gale has long been my favourite author. His work is always excellent, but this book is really outstanding. The way he drew upon his family history to write it is fascinating, and I would love to have access to a list of the facts to see what he had to work with.

The story of a gay man in Edwardian society, and the raw emotionality of his relationships was harrowing at times, and sad at others, with a bit of murder mystery thrown in.

The only criticism that I would make is that I was often confused about the period. Sometimes I thought it was Victorian, then Edwardian, and then during WWI. It was all of those, I suppose, but moving between past and present was a tad confusing for me. It wasn't until towards the end that I had a firm grip on what period we had been in at various times. Gale has a lovely voice, but his narration was a bit lacking in that he doesn't really do accents or different voices for different characters very well, which would have helped. Still it is nice to hear him.

Definitely worth a download, and will probably be the first audio book that I ever listen to a second (and maybe third) time.

Sectrets, love and loss with an epic backdrop

Patrick Gale has spun a wonderful tale about a misfit in Edwardian England who tries to re-build his life as a Canadian homesteader. It is an evocative story of secrets, love and loss. I am keen to avoid spoilers, so will avoid mentioning other themes that might detract from your enjoyment. It is a little slow to start, but this gave me time to get used to the authors slightly nasal narration. However, the story is so personal, being inspired by his own family history, that his heart-felt reading conveys a depth of feeling that might elude many accomplished actors.

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Title: The Empire of the Senses

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Alexis Landau

Narrator: Christopher Lane

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-17-15

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A sweeping, gorgeously written debut novel of duty to family and country, passion, and blood ties unraveling in the charged political climate of Berlin between the wars.

"Empire of the Senses is lush, smart, sexy, affecting, interesting, beautifully researched and well made. Spending time in the world of this novel is an absolute pleasure" (Aimee Bender).

Lev Perlmutter, an assimilated, cultured German Jew, enlists to fight in World War I, leaving behind his gentile wife, Josephine, and their children, Franz and Vicki. Moving between Lev's and Josephine's viewpoints, part one of the novel focuses on Lev's experiences on the Eastern Front - both in war and in love - which render his life at home a pale aftermath by comparison. Part two picks up in Berlin in 1927-1928: the Perlmutter children, now young adults, grapple with their own questions - Franz drawn into the brown shirt movement, struggling with his unexpressed homosexuality; Vicki seduced by jazz, bobbed hair, and falling in love with a young man who wants to take her to Palestine.

Unlike most historical novels of this kind, The Empire of the Senses is not about the Holocaust but rather about the brew that led to it and about why it was unimaginable to ordinary people like Lev and his wife. Plotted with meticulous precision and populated by characters who feel and dream to the fullest, it holds us rapt as the tides of cultural loss and ethnic hatred come to coexist with those of love, passion, and the power of the human spirit.

Members Reviews:

exploration of love, fate and war

Landau's debut depicts a family's journey through the background of the two world wars. While we typically focus on the big picture, Landau enlarges into the personal/family lives of those involved in the making of history. She displays exemplar attention to details, making even the smallest actions descriptively surreal. The political events seem as a backdrop of the novel, as Landau describes more personal rather than political. Lev, the protagonist, is experiences a series of self exploration and discovery as he experiences the atrocities of war, returns to a belonging family and regrets over a fatality of a relationship. In the latter part of the novel attention is paid to Lev and Josephine's children; the homosexual son and jazz loving daughter are sharp, dynamic characters who seem to represent that particular era.

A combination of love, war and fate, the Empire of the Senses is a thoughtful work worthy of praise. I look forward to Landau's next novels!

Sensational story

Alexis Landau's novel is a gift. She is a talented writer with an ability to write beautifully and creAte characters that you can see, feel, understand and bleed for, page by page. This is a brilliant novel that explores the complexities of pre and post world wars. It is not a holocaust novel. It provides the underlying foundation of what is to come.

Central issues touch upon war, marriage, love, loyalty, pArenting and loss.

This is the best book I have read this year. I would highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading anything written by Landau. You can't put the book down because you care about love and truth of the characters.

Well-drawn characters

While the first half dragged, I became involved with the well-drawn characters and we,l-developed plot. This was an excellent depiction of the years between the wars in Europe.

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Title: She Weeps Each Time You're Born

Author: Quan Barry

Narrator: Lulu Lam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Quan Barry's luminous fiction debut brings us the tumultuous history of modern Vietnam as experienced by a young girl born under mysterious circumstances a few years before the country's reunification, a child gifted with the otherworldly ability to hear the voices of the dead.

At the peak of the war in Vietnam, a baby girl is born along the Song Ma River on the night of the full moon. This is Rabbit, who will journey away from her destroyed village with a makeshift family thrown together by war. Here is a Vietnam we've never encountered before: Through Rabbit's inexplicable but radiant intuition, we are privy to an intimate version of history, from the days of French Indochina and the World War II rubber plantations through the chaos of postwar reunification.

With its use of magical realism - Rabbit's ability to "hear" the dead - the novel reconstructs a turbulent historical period through a painterly human lens. This is the moving story of one woman's struggle to unearth the true history of Vietnam while simultaneously carving out a place for herself within it.

Members Reviews:

Applaud Audible for hiring Vietnamese Reader.

Would you listen to She Weeps Each Time You're Born again? Why?

Yes, parts of it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story was perfect.

What three words best describe Lulu Lams performance?

Good, her voice is very soothing. Authentic, she actually pronounced some Vietnamese words correctly.

Any additional comments?

I applaud audible for hiring someone capable of pronouncing Vietnamese words for this very important ground-breaking book. I just wish the narrator was consistent with pronouncing ALL of the Vietnamese words correctly. I'm not sure why she choose to pronounce some correctly and then others not - in particular the characters names...Why not pronounce those correctly? And names of important places. But it wasn't just the Vietnamese characters but American people that are famous in history whose correct pronunciation of their name should be common - ie Robert McNamara. For a listener - especially Vietnamese ones - it bugged me when Vietnamese names, titles, cities, etc. were mispronounced. Otherwise the Narrator was very good and I believe she can become excellent if she put just a bit more effort into getting the correct pronunciations for Vietnamese words when narrating a Vietnamese book.

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Title: The Traitor's Mark

Author: D. K. Wilson

Narrator: David Thorpe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-12-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The Real Crime

Hans Holbein, King Henry VIII's portrait painter, died in the autumn of 1543. A century later a chronicler reported that the artist had succumbed to plague, yet there is no contemporary evidence to support this. Suspicions have been raised over the centuries, but the mystery of what actually happened remains unsolved to this day.

Our Story

Young London goldsmith Thomas Treviot is awaiting a design for a very important jewellery commission from Hans Holbein. When the design fails to turn up, Thomas sends a servant to track Holbein down, only to discover that the painter has disappeared. In his hunt for Holbein and the lost design, Thomas is led into a morass of dangerous political intrigue, French spies, and courtiers that is more treacherous than he could ever have anticipated....

Members Reviews:

Wonderful story but read a bit like an essay...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'd like a bit more detail on the smells and sounds of being in Tudor England

What did you like best about this story?

Fascinating idea with reference to real characters which made it seem much more real

Who might you have cast as narrator instead of David Thorpe?

Dear old Benedict I'd have thought. David was very professional and does an excellent range of regional and character accents but his delivery of the action is very much like someone reading a script, or a children's book - I just zoned out when the book was playing and hours in I'd realise that I'd taken nothing in. A shame, I had to keep listening to parts over and over again. Frustrating for me, not a bad performance but not at all engaging. Just too "flat" if that makes sense.

Gripping Story1

What made the experience of listening to The Traitor's Mark the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the first but this was even better. Good story for an audio book.

What did you like best about this story?

plot

Have you listened to any of David Thorpes other performances? How does this one compare?

Very well

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but I could have if I had the time

Any additional comments?

none

Great storyline, feels like it could really have happened!

Looking forward to the next Thomas Treviot story. Fun to listen to and well read as well as a good story with plenty of fact alongside the fiction.