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Title: The Patriots

Author: Sana Krasikov

Narrator: Rebecca Crankshaw

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-30-18

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Growing up in 1930s Brooklyn, Florence Fein will do anything to escape the confining values of her family and her city, and create a life of meaning and consequence. When a new job and a love affair lead her to Moscow, she doesn't think twice about abandoning America - only to discover, years later, that America has abandoned her.

Now, as her son Julian travels back to Moscow - entrusted to stitch together a murky transcontinental oil deal - he must dig into Florence's past to discover who his mother really was and what she became. He must also persuade his own son, Lenny, to abandon his risky quest for prosperity in the cutthroat Russian marketplace.

As he traces a thread from Depression-era America, through the collective housing and work camps of Stalin's USSR, to the glittering, oil-rich world of New Russia, Julian finally begins to understand the role he has played - as a father and as a son.

Epic in sweep and intimate in detail, The Patriots is both a compelling portrait of the entangled relationship between America and Russia and a beautifully crafted story of three generations of one family caught between the forces of history and the consequences of past choices.

Members Reviews:

Saga of young Jewish woman --Brooklyn to Moscow--1934-2008

Well done panorama of 20th century American and Russian history. I learned a lot about what it was like to be in Russia during the second world war and living under Stalin. IG

Everything was excellent.

Everything was excellent.

Epic

A brilliant epic that reads like non-fiction. A weak sentimental ending. But overall hard to put down. A great experience

Five Stars

great read

Great!

An epic experience. Great!

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Título: El talmud de Viena [The Talmud of Vienna]

Autor: Gonzalo Hernández Guarch

Narrador: Raul Gutierrez

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 32 hrs and 36 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 01-30-18

Editor: Audible Studios

Categorías: Fiction, Historical

Resumen del editor:

Una novela que nos sumerge en la historia de la Europa Central del siglo XX, la ciudad de Viena y el largo peregrinaje del pueblo judío a través de una saga familiar en pos de un sueño: alcanzar la Tierra Prometida.

Esther, hija de una familia de orígenes judíos, nace el mismo día en que se firma el Tratado de Versalles, que pone fin a la devastadora Primera Guerra Mundial. Su padre, el doctor Paul Dukas, obsesionado con su ascenso personal y profesional, y convertido al cristianismo, descubrirá muy pronto que el pasado judío de un hombre no se perdona fácilmente.

La historia de Esther, así como la de los Goldman - portadores del Talmud de Viena - o la de los mellizos Gessner - que ven en el auge del partido nazi un instrumento idóneo para medrar - , es el hilo conductor de esta apasionante novela que muestra los avatares del pueblo judío en un período crucial del siglo XX: desde la promesa, finalmente frustrada, de los felices años veinte, al ascenso al poder de Adolf Hitler y el posterior conflicto que asoló Europa. Una etapa de continuos cambios políticos y sociales durante la cual los protagonistas de esta épica y al mismo tiempo intimista saga familiar aman, odian, ríen, lloran... y mueren, todo ello en pos de un sueño perenne: el de alcanzar Eretz Israel, la mítica tierra prometida.

G.H. Guarch, el celebrado autor de títulos tan exitosos como El testamento armenio y Shalom Sefarad, brinda al oyente un imponente fresco coral en el que se dan cita las pasiones más intensas con el telón de fondo de una era convulsa y dramática, y en cuya trama comparecen numerosos personajes reales, como Sigmund Freud o el propio Führer nazi. Unos y otros se erigen en símbolos de un periodo histórico que, como un espejo roto, nos permite vislumbrar quiénes fuimos - y somos - realmente.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

Crítica Comentarios:

"El Talmud de Viena es un portento de construcción y definición de personajes y situaciones." (Rosa Regàs)

Opiniones de los miembros:

Do not miss it

T he title is misleading. One would say it has something to do with religion. Actually it doesn't. It depicts with lots o f details the way Austrian citizens- Jews and non Jews alike led a superficial life , based on their fame, their profession, their fortune. As the third decade of the XXth Century comes to an end, more and more of them will understand that their future tends to be very different from what they had expected.Will they be able to cope with such changes? will their friends and families be affected? who will they trust?

I do not give it 5 stars only because of the enourmous amount of names that appear and are not relevant.

El Talmud de Viena de Gonzalo Hernández Guarch.

Un libro que no sólo enmarca la histórica más horrible que sucedió por una ambición desmedida de hombres sin principios, llenos de odio hacia sus semejantes, sino recoge con inmensa tristeza los pesares, humillacionesy vejaciones q ue recibieron millones de personas por un racismo desmedido. Esto no deberá volver a ocurrir.

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Title: The Secret Life of Mrs. London

Author: Rebecca Rosenberg

Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-30-18

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

San Francisco, 1915. As America teeters on the brink of world war, Charmian and her husband, famed novelist Jack London, wrestle with genius and desire, politics and marital competitiveness. Charmian longs to be viewed as an equal partner who put her own career on hold to support her husband, but Jack doesn't see it that way...until Charmian is pulled from the audience during a magic show by escape artist Harry Houdini, a man enmeshed in his own complicated marriage. Suddenly, charmed by the attention Houdini pays her and entranced by his sexual magnetism, Charmian's eyes open to a world of possibilities that could be her escape.

As Charmian grapples with her urge to explore the forbidden, Jack's increasingly reckless behavior threatens her dedication. Now torn between two of history's most mysterious and charismatic figures, she must find the courage to forge her own path, even as she fears the loss of everything she holds dear.

Cover design by PEPE nymi

Members Reviews:

Magical Literary Trio

My Review of âThe Secret Life of Mrs. Londonâ by Rebecca Rosenberg. Lake Union Publishing, January 30, 2018

Rebecca Rosenberg , the Author of âThe Secret Life of Mrs. Londonâ has written an entertaining and captivating novel. I appreciate the way that Rebecca Rosenberg weaves the Genres of Historical Fiction and Fiction into her story. The timeline for this story is approximately 1915 in San Francisco, and takes place in other locations as well. This story takes place on the brink of World War One.

The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. This novel and characters would make a sensational movie. Some of the characters are motivated by power, political agendas, philosophy, self-worth, jealously, competitive natures, intelligence, creativity, artistic and literary achievements, romance and emotions and desires.

Charmaine London is the wife of famous writer Jack London. Charmaine types Jackâs stories and is at times a sounding board for his ideas, and at other times possibly a formidable partner in marriage. In this story, there seems to be the mention of feeling âfreeâ. At times Charmaine seems dependent and held back by Jackâs possessive and jealous nature. Charmaine has also dabbled in writing, and at times wants the independence. Charmaine, her aunt, Jackâs sister seem to exist together in a dysfunctional way. Jack sometimes behaves in a toxic way, and it reflects in his health and the way he invests his finances.

During a magic show, Charmaine is pulled out of the audience by Magician Harry Houdini, to participate in his act. Harry Houdini is charismatic ,creative and motivated in his own way. Harry Houdiniâs marriage is strange to say the least. There is an immediate attraction between Charmaine and Harry. Harry also enjoys risk and danger.

I was fascinated by the historical background, and both menâs lives. I would highly recommend this novel to readers that enjoy, Historical Fiction. I received a copy of this Advanced Reading Copy for my honest review.

This was clearly carefully researched and it's nicely written. Thanks to net galley for the ARC

Fascinating. Charmain London was unknown to me and I suspect that fans of either Jack London (her husband) and or Harry Houdini (her lover) might feel differently about this novel which looks at her relationship with both of them.

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Title: The Joyce Girl

Author: Annabel Abbs

Narrator: Leith McPherson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-30-18

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

James Joyce was her father. Samuel Beckett was her lover. This is her story. A mesmerising fictionalisation of Lucia Joyce's life told for the first time.

Paris, 1928. Avant-garde Paris is buzzing with the latest ideas in art, music and literature from artists such as Ford Madox Ford and Zelda Fitzgerald. Lucia, the talented and ambitious daughter of controversial genius James Joyce, is making her name as a dancer. But when Lucia falls passionately in love with budding writer (and fellow Irish expat) Samuel Beckett, he is banned from the Joyce family home.

1934. Her life in tatters, Lucia is sent to pioneering psychoanalyst Carl Jung. For years she has kept quiet. Now she decides to speak.

Profoundly moving and stunningly written, The Joyce Girl brings to light the untold tale of Lucia Joyce. It will entrance and educate you. You will fall in love with this compelling woman, but she will break your heart, too.

Critic Reviews:

"A hugely impressive debut. Annabel Abbs has brought to life an extraordinary cast of characters - Joyce, Beckett et al. - and painted their rackety, bohemian world in vivid technicolour." (The Observer)

"Here is a powerful portrait of a young woman yearning to be an artist, whose passion for life and rage at being unable to fulfil her talent burns from the pages." (The Guardian)

"Funny, clever, tragic, poignant." (Australian Women's Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Bravo!

A most excellent book! The story of James Joyce's daughter is captured with empathy and heartbreaking sensitivity. The author brings the forgotten girl to life. I cannot say how much I enjoyed and appreciate this novel. Bravo!

Three Stars

A very complex book

Lucia is brought to life

Review

After many years of moving around, the Joyce family, Giorgio, Lucia and their parents James and Nora were now settled in their home in the Square Robiac.

The Twenties in Paris were known as the âAnnées Follesâ - the Crazy Years, a time of massive cultural change encompassing art, literature, music and fashion. The publication of Ulysses had made James Joyce a literary star, everyone wanted to know him. People gave their time freely to read to him or to help in other ways.

Though they appeared to live lavishly at times, Joyce spent his patrons monetary contributions on maintaining this lifestyle, his family were always short of money.

The opening chapter:

It is now 1934 and twenty-seven year old Lucia Joyce is taking the short ferry trip from Zurich to Kusnacht. Three times a week she does this to keep her appointment with Dr. Jung, the eminent Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist. As part of her treatment, Lucia agrees to write a memoir of what has led her to this point in life:

âI know where to start my memoirâ I say. I shall start with the first stirrings of desire and ambition that pushed their way, like the greedy tendrils of a weed, into my young heart. Because that was the beginning. No matter what anyone else says, that was the beginning. (p6)

This then, is how the story is told, moving back in time to Paris 1928 which Lucia deemed to be âthe beginning,â at intervals, moving forward again to 1934 to Kusnacht and another session with Dr. Jung.

The beginning for Lucia was 1928, her father arranged a special dinner to celebrate the fabulous review she received from The Paris Times for her debut dance performance.

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Título: El fuego del flamboyán [The Flamboyant Fire]

Autor: Viruca Yebra

Narrador: Gabriela Ramirez

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 01-30-18

Editor: Audible Studios

Categorías: Fiction, Historical

Resumen del editor:

"Si El tiempo entre costuras descubrió el Protectorado Español de Marruecos, El fuego del flamboyán evoca magistralmente, a través de una fascinante saga familiar, el contraste entre las vidas de la Galicia profunda y su próspera emigración a la sensual Cuba de la primera mitad del siglo xx."

En la Galicia rural y convulsa de la dictadura del general Primo de Rivera, un puñado de personajes tratan de vivir según sus propias convicciones en los días previos al advenimiento de la República. Pero llegado el momento, las circunstancias les obligarán a dejar España con destino a Cuba; los unos porque les persiguen las izquierdas, los otros porque desean darles caza las derechas. La exultante y próspera Habana de entonces supondrá un abierto contraste con la fría tierra de la que proceden. La isla es luz, sensualidad, modernidad, fortuna, ritmo, y abundancia. El árbol del fuego será testigo de que la mezcla de razas y el tórrido ambiente gobiernan los sentidos.

Antonio, abogado liberal y culto, esconde un secreto guardado bajo llave durante años que, de revelarse, supondría un escándalo para la aristocracia de los años treinta. El atractivo y seductor Tino regresa a Galicia para casarse; la vida provinciana choca con su espíritu libre y combativo. Junto a ellos, cuatro mujeres excepcionales: Elisa, que conforme va cumpliendo años cobrará paulatina conciencia de su fortaleza interior; Elvira, la viva esencia de la mujer de antaño, recia, trabajadora, comprometida, capaz de matar por amor; Nélida es la sensualidad cubana, el exotismo más carnal; y Casilda encarna la rebeldía, la ruptura de moldes y ataduras sociales.

Crónica de la emigración gallega a Cuba durante la Segunda República, en El fuego del flamboyán, la pasión, el abandon, y el maltrato están presentes. Pero el honor, los valores, y la lealtad son la esencia de esta novela coral escrita a partir de hechos reales y basada en los testimonios de numerosos hombres y mujeres, unos famosos y otros desconocidos, que vivieron una de las épocas más emocionantes y traumáticas de nuestra historia reciente.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

Opiniones de los miembros:

El libro me enganchó hasta que llego a la parte ...

El libro me enganchó hasta que llego a la parte que se desarrolla en Cuba. Yo al menos me siento frustrada cuando encuentro un libro con potencial y veo que el autor no se documentó bien. La autora usa expresiones "populares" que no son de la época cubana que relata, escribió mal o hay erratas en nombres de Cuba. La población cubana de los años antes del gobierno de Fidel Castro podía ser humilde en una gran mayoría y no tener instrucción, pero no era grosera al hablar y era respetuosa. Menos aún aquellos que eran de una clase social más alta.

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Title: The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock

Author: Imogen Hermes Gowar

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-25-18

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar, read by Juliet Stevenson.

This voyage is special. It will change everything....

One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah's ship for what appears to be a mermaid.

As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock's marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on...and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course - one on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost.

What will be the cost of their ambitions? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?

In this spellbinding story of curiosity and obsession, Imogen Hermes Gowar has created an unforgettable jewel of a novel, filled to the brim with intelligence, heart and wit.

Members Reviews:

A slow-burn atmospheric tale with a touch of magical realism

Itâs the autumn of 1785, England, and we are introduced to quite a few characters. One of them is Mr Hancock, a widower, a lonely merchant. The other is a very wilful courtesan, on the bring of serious trouble. There are more characters, aside from these, but what brings them all together isâ well, you could say, a mermaid. The charactersâ lives intertwine without much logical reason, much as life normally does, and things go on from there. What will become of the mermaid? Or the merchant? What becomes of the courtesan, on her way to ruin?

Keeping in mind the name of the book, this is the rough experience of me reading it:

10% â hm, super curious. No mermaid, no Mrs Hancock. What is to come of this?

20% â yes. The mermaid. Still no Mrs Hancock though. But there are other interesting things going on, so no matter!

50% â oâ.kay. Back to square one. But Iâm attached to the characters by now! Thereâs still half the bookâ WHY is it called that though??

75% â it seems everything is settled! At least weâve got Mrs Hancock now. Never you mind that mermaid. But what could still happen?

85% â err, okay. Well at least the name works out. Kind of wish it didnât thoughâ #feels

91% â ohâ again, did not expect this. Although itâs a nope from me. Y U do dis, characters?? You could just be happy instead, maybe??

100% â right. Alright. I can settle on that.

This book is interesting in the way that you donât really know whether you should interpret some parts of the story as real, and thus itâs magical realism, or if itâs just intended as a symbol for emotional experiences. Which actually makes it very captivating! Itâs both very real and very unreal at the same time, colorfully written and contrasting. I kept wanting to come back to the book even despite the lack of a quick pace or big developments.

As for the plot in The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock â there is one, but itâs definitely not in the foreground, and it doesnât lead anywhere in particular.

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Title: The Kaiser's Last Kiss

Author: Alan Judd

Narrator: Gibson Frazier

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-17

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

A fictionalised account of the Kaiser Wilhelm's last years in Nazi-occupied Holland.

It is 1940, and the exiled Kaiser is living in Holland, at his palace, Huis Doorn. The old German king spends his days chopping logs and musing on what might have been.

When the Nazis invade Holland, the Kaiser's Dutch staff are replaced by SS guards, led by young, eager Untersturmfuhrer Krebbs, and an unlikely relationship develops between the king and his keeper. While they agree on the rightfulness of German expansion and on holding the country's Jewish population accountable for all ills, they disagree on the solutions. Krebbs' growing attraction and love affair with Akki, a Jewish maid in the house, further undermines his belief in Nazism. But as the tides of war roll around them, all three find themselves increasingly compromised and gravely at risk.

This subtle, tender novel borrows heavily from real history and events but remains a work of superlative literary fiction. Through Judd's depiction of the Lear-like Kaiser and the softening of brutal Krebbs, the novel draws unique parallels between Germany at the turn of the 20th century and Hitler's Germany.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a story that shows us how the nastiest regimes are composed of real people. Judd has taken some unlikely ingredients - a bitter, senile old git, a brash young SS officer and Heinrich Himmler - and, brilliantly, fashioned them into a touching, poignant story." (Daily Telegraph)

"A haunting tribute to a near-forgotten figure...and an unusual and intelligent treatment of the Third Reich." (Evening Standard, Books of the Year)

"Judd's engrossing tale, rooted in actuality, teases out the mixed responses that can exist between, and within, people." (Sunday Times, Books of the Year)

Members Reviews:

I did thoroughly enjoy this book

I did thoroughly enjoy this book. Mainly because it made me curious enough to look up so much history. It's not a great book but it an easy read. If you are interested WWII history this might be for you. It is a quick read. I have heard that the movie is better but, I am still glad that I read it.

The Kaiser, the Waffen-SS man, and the maid...

In 1918, after the German loss in WW1, Kaiser Wilhelm lost both his crown by abdication and his home in Germany. He took his wife, Dona, and his household staff to Holland, where he moved first into a house in Amerongen, and then to his final house in Doorn. He lived there - in exile - for the last twenty or so years of his life. He died at Huis Doorn, in June, 1941, at the age of 82. He was survived by his second wife.

In his short book, "The Kaiser's Last Kiss", British author Alan Judd takes some liberties with facts, but writes a story of the old Kaiser's last days. Judd's story includes a young Nazi Waffen-SS officer, Martin Krebbs, who has been ordered by the German government to take over the running of Huis Doorn after the Germans took over the Netherlands. Among the people Krebbs meets at the house is a maid, called Akki. Akki has become close to the Kaiser since her employment - she has beautiful hands - and becomes close to Krebbs after he's assigned to the house duty. These three are Judd's main characters and Judd pays close attention on how the three interact - either with each other or as a group of three.

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Title: - [Four Big Mysteries in the Late Qing Dynasty]

Author: - - Zhang Jun

Narrator: - - Qingwuxian

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-17

Publisher: BOVCM

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Please note: This audiobook is in Mandarin.

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Title: 1 - 1 [Zhang Juzheng 1]

Author: - - Xiong Zhaozheng

Narrator: - - Zhou Jianlong

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-17

Publisher: BOVCM

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Please note: This audiobook is in Mandarin.

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Members Reviews:

Mao Dun Literature Prize!

China's best historical figure novels, if you want to study the history of Ming Dynasty, this audiobook is a masterpiece not to be missed.

50

+

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Title: The Dangerous Land

Subtitle: A Ralph Compton Novel

Author: Ralph Compton, Marcus Galloway

Narrator: Jack Garrett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-18-17

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Time is running out

Frontier life is hard enough without having kids to worry about - especially for a widower like Paul Meakes. Still, he's settled where he is and resolved to stay in the small Colorado town his son and daughter call home.

So when his daughter is hit by a seemingly poisoned arrow during an Indian raid, Paul is determined to track down the Comanche villains who hurt his little girl - and bring them to justice with the help of Indian hunter Hank Adley, a hired gun who's got business of his own with the tribe.

But when the trail leads from a close call with Indian warriors to a deadly intrigue, Paul discovers that the dangers of the West are far greater and more varied than he ever imagined. And to save his family, he has no choice but to take a stand against them all....

Members Reviews:

Worst western ever!

Have read hundreds of western books--Lamour, Johnston, Zane Grey and lot of Comptons. This is really a boring book and more of a lecture on the environmental damage that mining has done. I am reading westerns to escape the every day news. Don't need to read about it when relaxing.

Poor

Book written at elementary level. Will be the last Compton book I buy for a long time. Did not enjoy it at all. Skipped over the last half of book.

Five Stars

Kept me in suspence

Five Stars

great

Five Stars

Good book. Different style character.