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Title: Mary, Queen of Scots

Author: Tim Vicary

Narrator: Claire Wille

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-10

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

England and Scotland in the 1500s. Two famous queens: Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, the Protestant Queen of England. It was an exciting and a dangerous time to be alive - and to be a queen. Mary was Queen of Scotland when she was one week old. At 16, she was also Queen of France. She was tall and beautiful, with red-gold hair. Many men loved her and died for her. But she also had many enemies - men who said: "The death of Mary is the life of Elizabeth."

An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English.

Critic Reviews:

"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of storytelling." (David R. Hill, ELT Journal Review)

Members Reviews:

Z grade narration

Way. To. Stilted. To. Tolerate. Unbearable narration, hard to believe its been made by a professional. I love the life story of Mary Queen of Scots but this book is spoilt by rediculous narration.

Very good

I enjoyed this. Very good. Short but good. Clear reading. Easy to follow. Loved it very much.

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Title: Daniel

Author: Henning Mankell, Steven T. Murray (translator)

Narrator: T. Ryder Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

With more than 35 million copies of his novels in print in over 40 languages worldwide, Henning Mankell is an international phenomenon. In this powerful work, he tells the story of a young African orphan adopted by a Swedish man and whisked away to his new fathers country. There, the boy, dubbed Daniel, finds himself swallowed by a bizarre landscape of snow and mud. Always in his mind are thoughts of his murdered parents, calling him back to Africa. But Daniels path is marked by tragedy, and his homecoming seems an impossible dream.

Critic Reviews:

"Set in the 1870s, this earnest and heartbreaking story opens with the unsolved murder of a mentally retarded Swedish girl, but this isn't a mystery in the mode of Mankell's international bestselling Kurt Wallander novels. Hans Bengler, a Swedish entomologist, travels across southern Africa in search of undiscovered insects. In the desert, he finds an orphaned native boy, whom he adopts on impulse and calls Daniel.... Mankell fully understands Daniel's radically different cultural perspective and indelibly captures the boy's longing to return to his homeland and the tragic consequences of his forced exile." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Gem of a Story - Small Masterpiece

Sometimes we open a book and become totally immersed. We are enthralled. That's how I felt while reading Daniel by Henning Mankell. Traditionally known for his Swedish mysteries in the Wallander series, Mankell travels far afield from his usual writing in Daniel. Here we are given the treasures of writing that examine the internal, the stuff of the heart and mind. It is a small book in size but it is huge in scope and packs a big wallop.

In the Kalahari Desert in 1878 live a group of Bushmen known as the San people. They are being raped and pillaged by the Colonialists who murder every one they can. When 9 year-old Molo's family is killed, he is in hiding and manages to escape the rampage. He is eventually caught, however, by a Swedish man named Anderssen who puts him in a small cage and pulls him to the nearest settlement. There he is seen by Hans Bengler, a Swedish wannabe scientist, who trades something for him. Hans calls Molo `Daniel' and requires that Daniel call him `father'. Neither knows the other's language. Daniel pines for his parents, Be and Kiko.

Bengler has traveled to Africa to collect insects and with the goal of finding an insect never catalogued before. He manages to find a beetle that he thinks has never been seen in Europe. After this finding, he returns to his home in Sweden and brings Daniel with him. Daniel keeps trying to escape in order to get back to his home in the sand so Bengler resorts to tying him up at night.

The first part of the story is in the form of a long letter written by Bengler to a prostitute he used to visit regularly in Sweden. He tells Matilda of his adventures, of finding the beetle and finding Daniel. Bengler teaches Daniel to speak some Swedish and how to open and close doors with the appropriate etiquette. He also teaches him to bow and to say `My name is Daniel and I believe in God'. Naturally Daniel is not aware of what his words mean but he is supposed to say them to everyone he is introduced to.

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Title: This Side of the Sky

Author: Elyse Singleton

Narrator: Myra Taylor, Sharon Washington, Richard Ferrone

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Award-winning journalist Elyse Singleton delivers what Essence calls a gem - the perfect book to curl up with.

Best friends Lilian and Myraleen, two African American women from rural Mississippi, travel to Europe during World War II to act as members of the Womens Army Corps. During this time of segregation and destruction, both women discover love and heartbreak, triumph and defeat.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful; historical, moving and very well done!!

What made the experience of listening to This Side of the Sky the most enjoyable?

The narrators were extremely convincing.

What did you like best about this story?

The realistic nature.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Very entertaining!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The love scene of prisoner and heroine.

Any additional comments?

Would love to see more from author!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Any additional comments?

This is a beautiful story different from most, beautifully written, and beautifully performed. It is the depiction of lives we rarely get a glimpse of. I wholeheartedly recommend this gem of a novel.

I THINK I LIKED IT

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. The story line was pretty good

What other book might you compare This Side of the Sky to and why?

DOLL HOUSE

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrators could have had a more 1930s southern accnt. I had to keep reminding myself the story took place back in the 30s .

Could you see This Side of the Sky being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could. Unknown actors would be good.

Any additional comments?

The chapters speaking from Kellners point of view could have been left out. Unnecessary

Great Coming of Age story

What made the experience of listening to This Side of the Sky the most enjoyable?

This was a good book well narrated

What was one of the most memorable moments of This Side of the Sky?

I cannot think of a particular scene. It was a good book full out.

What about the narratorss performance did you like?

They were good.

If you could rename This Side of the Sky, what would you call it?

I wouldn't

Any additional comments?

no

worthy of your time

If you could sum up This Side of the Sky in three words, what would they be?

love,jealousy,friendship

What other book might you compare This Side of the Sky to and why?

I don't know what to compare it to, just read best friend forever by Jennifer Weiner which shows a similar friendship.tangled with envy and jealousy.but virtuous in the end.

Have you listened to any of the narratorss other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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Title: A Curable Romantic

Author: Joseph Skibell

Narrator: Jeff Woodman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-23-10

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

As far as romance goes, Dr. Jakob Sammelsohn is fairly incurable. Twice married, once divorced, once widowed - all by the tender age of 12 - he finally flees his small village and his pious, vengeful father. A lovelorn Candide, young Dr. Sammelsohn wanders optimistically through history - pursued by the amorous ghost of his dead wife.

Arriving in Vienna in 1890, a chance encounter with Sigmund Freud leads our hero into the arms of Emma Eckstein, one of Freuds most famous patients. Later he romances the beautiful and wealthy Loe Bernfeld, who carries him into the world of Esperanto and the universal-language movement. Finally, Dr. Sammelsohn finds himself in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, only to become a pawn in a battle over the path to heaven.

A Curable Romantic is a novel of personal and historical exile that could spring only from the literary imagination of a virtuoso. Often fantastical yet always grounded in tradition and history, it is that rare literary feat - a truly incomparable tale, ingenuously laid, peopled with characters who live on in the memory.

Editorial Reviews:

A Curable Romantic by Joseph Skibell introduces us to Jakob Sammelsohn, a lovesick oculist in turn-of-the century Vienna who chases romance and his own moral compass through friendships with three historic figures: Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis; L.L. Zamenhoff, the idealist founder of the Esperanto language movement; and Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, who led the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto in prayer and died with them in the camps. But it is Sammelsohns ongoing relationship with Ita, the disabled wife he was compelled to marry but left behind in the shtetl, that propels his journey and thrusts him into a world he thought hed also abandoned: that of Jewish mysticism, with its conspiring angels and dybukks, those haunting and haunted souls of the dead that sometimes possess the living.

The first-person narrative is remarkably performed by Jeff Woodman, who finds detailed nuances of inflection and pacing to bring each of the novels vast range of characters man or woman; sophisticate or rube; human or supernatural to life. His imperious Dr. Freud, befuddled Dr. Zamenhoff, haughtily passionate Frau Bernfeld, and Ita, in her many shocking incarnations, are just a few of his convincing portrayals. Most of all, Woodman captures Sammelsohns painful and humorous propensity to over-think and vacillate, a la Woody Allen, especially about women (thus explaining why it takes him until his third marriage to lose his innocence).

As Sammelsohns journey takes him through several sub-cultures of Jewish life in Europe from before the first World War until the apex of the second he finds he is searching for a larger love, perhaps one of his own people. Skibells bright, soulful, imaginative storytelling is complemented by Woodmans skills, and together they make listening to A Curable Romantic truly enriching.

Critic Reviews:

This is a fascinating, ambitious, and very successful novel about Jewish folklore, the quest for spiritual truth, and the darkest days of the 20th century. It is to Skibells credit that this complex plot comes off as believable, engaging, and often inspiring. Highly recommended for readers of literary fiction.

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Title: Stay a Little Longer

Author: Dorothy Garlock

Narrator: Susan Boyce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-03-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Louise Watkins has her hands full. Her mother had been the town midwife, but after her daughter Alice died under her care, she refused to assist in another childbirth. So Louise has assumed the work. She also takes care of Alice's six-year old, Charlotte, because the child's father was lost in World War I. But Louise's principal job is running the boardinghouse that is the family's main source of income.

One day, Charlotte befriends a stranger ill with influenza, a man who has taken refuge in an old cabin in the woods nearby. Although badly scarred by wounds suffered in the War, he is strong and slowly recovers. When he gradually takes on odd jobs around the house, Louise accepts his help. She is drawn to him despite his disfigurement, and his voice is comforting, yet vaguely familiar....

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable but don't expect great writing

The Publishers Statement is somewhat off. The main characters name is Rachel, not Louise. She learns the strangers identity before he leaves his sickbed, he never does odd jobs around the house and his voice has absolutely no relevance. Other than that, the gist of the plot is there.

This was a nice enough little romance. But the reader was not all that good. And the writing was a little amateurish, with overly trite similes, somewhat unnatural dialogue and characters that did not stay in character.

That being said, I did want to listen to the end and enjoyed it reasonably well. As long as you are not expecting great literature you might enjoy it, too.

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Title: Raiders from the North: Empire of the Moghul

Author: Alex Rutherford

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-30-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 49 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Raiders from the North ushers in a bold, panoramic new historical series that tells the unknown story of the Moghul emperors, chronicling the rise and fall of one of the most powerful, opulent, and glittering dynasties in history.

Descended from the legendary Tamburlaine, the Moghuls rose out of Central Asia in the 16th century. Raiders from the North tells the astounding story of their young king, who led his warriors against rampaging armies and ruthlessly ambitious enemies to found an empire that would dominate the continent. Full of action, drama, and character, with epic battles, incredible journeys, and lives ravaged by treachery, this is the perfect book for fans of fast-paced tales of adventure during some of the most tumultuous eras in history.

Critic Reviews:

"A totally absorbing narrative filled with authentic historical characters and sweeping action set in an age of horrifying but magnificent savagery." (Wilbur Smith,

New York Times best-selling author of

River God)

Members Reviews:

History Lesson

As I listened to this book, I was thinking how would I describe the writing. I thought that it sounded similar to a history text book, that you would have in middle school. Then I read about the author. Alex Rutherford is a pen name for a married couple who have written many non-fiction books.

Non-fiction is what this reads most like. It seems it was based on a real man who wrote the first autobiography in Islamic literature. If you read it like a text book then you will learn about life at this time and place, but for entertainment it is lacking.

May I suggest that you read Conn Iggulden's Genghis series, starting with Genghis: Birth Of An Empire. It is a great book and a great series. You can not go wrong with Iggulden.

Heh

It was okay, I thought the story was a bit stale in many parts. I would not download again best to look elsewhere

THE FIRST MOGHUL...BABUR, THE DAWN OF A DYNASTY.

This is the first book in the 'Empire of the Moghul' series by Alex Rutherford (pen name of Diana Preston and her husband, Michael Preston). The story begins in 1494 when Babur is 12 year old. He is made king of Ferghana as a result of his fathers accidental and sudden death. Babur feels a strong sense of destiny and he knows there is greatness in his future. He is, after all, the crowned ruler of Ferghana. What also reinforces his resolve is the fact that through his veins pumps the blood of great warriors and kings like Genghis Khan and Timur.

The story moves fairly quickly as the events that follow Baburs coronation prove to be nothing less than a storm of trials and tribulations. From being sovereign of a small state to the ruler of Samarkhand, to being a king without a throne, Babur is flung into situations which might have crushed another but in his case they prove to be valuable life lessons. The result of Baburs struggles and often perilous situations mold him into a powerful leader and the founder of the Moghul dynasty, a grand and fabulous destiny even he does not envision.

Overall the author remains true to history but as this is historical fiction, there are a few embellishments as well as fictitious characters, which the author claims were added for the sake of entertainment. We also learn that Rutherford actually traveled to most of the places mentioned in this book.

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Title: The Pregnant Widow

Author: Martin Amis

Narrator: Steven Pacey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-11-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 50 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The year is 1970, and it's a long, hot summer. In a castle on a mountainside in Italy, half a dozen young lives are afloat on a sea of change, trapped inside the history of the sexual revolution. The girls are acting like boys, the boys are going on acting like boys, and Keith Nearing - 20 years old, a literature student all clogged up with the English novel - is struggling to twist feminism and women's ascendency toward his own ends.

The tragicomedy of manners that ensues will have an indelible effect on all its participants, and we witness, too, how it shapes Keiths subsequent love life for decades to come. Bitingly funny, full of wit and pathos, The Pregnant Widow is a trenchant portrait of young lives being carried away on a sea of change.

Critic Reviews:

"Amid droll banter and hilariously raunchy episodes, immensely gifted and piquantly mercurial Amis ponders, in passages of surpassing eloquence, beauty, time, self, deception, 'the winepress of death,' and the abiding light of literature, deepening the valence of this charmingly provocative and philosophical comedy of desire." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Rich, caustic, hilarious

I very much enjoyed my stay with this rich cast of characters as they acted out their "formative" summer in Italy. Raunchy, yes, but also fiercely intelligent and socially astute. And funny as hell. Very well narrated as well.

great book

I "read" it in a day.

A Real Bore

Honestly, how long do you want to listen to a 20-year old guy in the 1960s obsessing about getting into the pants of a girl ridiculously named Scheherazade? Or hear about rich, pampered brats staying in an Italian castle for the summer, spending most of their time ridiculing others and trading beds? I lived through the '60s, and even I was bored by this book. I'm halfway through Part 2 (that's 10.5 hours of good time wasted), and I'm sacking it. I'll check back later, just in case someone who has finished it can convince me to go back to it.

awful

After 15 minutes I turned it off. This is the worst book I have ever listened to. The story line is offensive and the language is repulsive. Dont buy this!!!

Wanted to like this book more; Audible helped.

What did you like best about The Pregnant Widow? What did you like least?

Martin Amis is a super-intelligent writer. He is not just telling a story, but also sharing ideas about how the world spins. The past story within the present story works well for this. The backstory draws the reader into this sexy and mysterious world where you wonder who's going to end up with whom. The downside is the story gets diverted by all the ideas that Amis wants to fit around it. The book is just too long for the story. I was reading it as a book group assignment and running out of time finishing it, so I downloaded the Audible and made it to the end. I was the only one in our group that did. They complained about the length as well as the characters which they found unlikeable. I actually liked the anti-hero aspect of the narrator, but I agree about the length. Having the story read by the male reader doing all the voices gave a sense of the narrator being just that -- a storyteller. It help make the book more like-able and humorous.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I really loved the setting of the past story.

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Title: Enemy of God

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Narrator: Tim Pigott-Smith

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-10

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 99 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

At the end of The Winter King Arthur fought the battle that forces unity on the warring British kingdoms, and now he sets out to face the real enemythe English (it is one of the great ironies of the Arthur stories that he should have become an English hero when, if he existed at all, he was a great war-leader who opposed the invading Sais).

First, though, Merlin leads a perilous expedition into the mysterious west to retrieve a cauldron, one of the treasures of Britain. This cauldron story is almost certainly the root of the holy grail strand in the Arthur tales. The treasures of Britain, Merlin believes, will bring the old Gods onto the side of the British in their struggle against the Saxons (and the Christians, whom Merlin hates). But the treasures will also set Briton against Britonespecially as Guinevere, now Arthurs wife, wants to make a magic of her own.

Chaos was now thick across Britain, for someone had spilt the Cauldrons power and its horror threatened to engulf us all.

Members Reviews:

Enemy of God: powerful retelling of Arthurian tale

What did you love best about Enemy of God?

In this story, protagonist, Derfel Cadarn, provides the moral core to an exciting adventure tale. The familiar mythological story of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot is turned into a wonderfully human exchange. The battle scenes frame the stories, and are so detailed that the reader understands the fearful thrill of shield-wall fighting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Enemy of God?

The quest for the Cauldron in Lleyn, a forbidding and mysterious region, is where Merlin exerts his power through more than seemlingly magical means.

Which character as performed by Tim Pigott-Smith was your favorite?

Tim Pigott-Smith performs each and every character with subtlety and deftness. This is an adventure story and Pigott-Smith conveys that excitement. He manages to provide the women with strength and the men with quandaries without ever straying into caricature. He is particularly poignant in the scenes concerning Derfel's young family.

Who was the most memorable character of Enemy of God and why?

Derfel's story throughout this book is an odyssey of body, mind and spirit. Though he is a warrior, he prefers peace; he is loyal to Arthur, but not blindly. Derfel's dilemmas are always questions of loyalties in opposition to truths. Or in matters of love.

Perfection

This is everything an Epic novel should be, and narrated by an expert in the dramatic fashion

Great listen

Where does Enemy of God rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I have read and listened to all of the Bernard Cornwell books that I can lay my hands on. I wasn't really into the King Arthur/ Camalot thing so I thought that listening to the audio version would be a good experience. It was different and much more entertaining than I expected. Cornwell is fantastic.

What other book might you compare Enemy of God to and why?

Start with the Winter King, read Enemy of God and finish with Excalibur.

Have you listened to any of Tim Pigott-Smiths other performances before? How does this one compare?

All of the Warlord series and Heretic that I know of.

Who was the most memorable character of Enemy of God and why?

Durville

Any additional comments?

Much better that I expected.

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Title: Friends and Heroes

Author: Olivia Manning

Narrator: Harriet Walter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Bucharest has fallen, and Harriet and Guy Pringle have escaped to Athens in the nick of time to find several of their old acquaintances there already. But even Guy's eternal optimism fails him when he realises that his former employees feel no gratitude or loyalty to him. Guy and Harriet both come to realise that with Greece threatened by the Axis Powers, Athens is not the safe harbour they thought.

This is the third and final part of The Balkan Trilogy, which began with The Great Fortune and was followed by The Spoilt City.

Members Reviews:

superb narrator

Harriet Walter is the finest narrator I have yet heard. Her ability to suspend disbelief is perfect. Her knowledge of other languages and accents is also perfect and highly educated.

The Balkan series is complex with many characters and nationalities. She not only balances and simplifies, but does overall service to the author by presenting these excellent books in a way that they are always clear and enjoyable to readers.

I know that she is a distinguished Shakespearean actress, but

Narration is a special art for which awards should be given.

Congratulations to Harriet Walter.

Uneven but still delightful

This trilogy (or sextet if you also add the Levant Trilogy--sadly not available on audiobook) is a little bit uneven and the narrator took some time for me to get used to. But by the end, I was completely engrossed in the lives of these variously petty, frustrating, moving, tragic, and very human characters. I don't think there is a single character you don't want to slap at one point or another.

The disbelief at encroaching disaster and the attempts to keep war at bay through stiff-lipped soldiering on were also very believable.

This is definitely not a stand alone book. You have to read the first two to understand what is going on. You can end here though, and not dive into the next three. There's enough of a sense of closure at the end to satisfy most.

Brilliant novel in the glorious narration!

Brilliant, complex, fully rounded characters. Thls splendid book takes you moment by momentthrough the great turning point in the history of the 20th century. Harriet Walter's uncanny narration realizes fully each rich character.

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Title: The Day the Falls Stood Still

Subtitle: A Novel

Author: Cathy Marie Buchanan

Narrator: Karen White

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 95 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1915 - the dawn of the hydroelectric power era in Niagara Falls. Seventeen-year-old Bess Heath has led a sheltered existence as the youngest daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company. After graduation day at her boarding school, she is impatient to return to her picturesque family home near Niagara Falls. But when she arrives, nothing is as she had left it. Her father has lost his job at the power company, her mother is reduced to taking in sewing from the society ladies she once entertained, and Isabel, her vivacious older sister, is a shadow of her former self. She has shut herself in her bedroom, barely eating---and harboring a secret.

The night of her return, Bess meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform. She finds herself inexplicably drawn to him---against her family's strong objections. He is not from their world. Rough-hewn and fearless, he lives off what the river provides, and he has an uncanny ability to predict the whims of the falls. His daring river rescues render him a local hero and cast him as a threat to the power companies that seek to harness the power of the falls for themselves. As their lives become more fully entwined, Bess is forced to make a painful choice between what she wants and what is best for her family and her future. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of Niagara Falls, at a time when daredevils shot the river rapids in barrels and great industrial fortunes were made and lost as quickly as lives disappeared, The Day the Falls Stood Still is an intoxicating novel.

Editorial Reviews:

This thoroughly wrought work of engaging historical fiction, based in small part on a true story, tells the tale of Bess Heath, a 17-year-old girl whose family has fallen on hard times, and Tom Cole, a so-called "river man" whose life is bound to the fast-rushing waters of Niagara Falls. With World War I ongoing and the hydroelectric age threatening the natural phenomena which has defined both their lives, Bess and Tom find love and trouble in equal measures, even as everything they've ever known is changing....

Voice actor Karen White brings a startling and compelling vulnerability to her performance of this stirring audiobook, embodying Bess with great emotion and apparent ease, and making this a work not to be missed!

Members Reviews:

Loved this book (and even learned something new!)

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - the writing was graceful and narration excellent. I'm not generally a fan of historical fiction, but delighted to make this exception - the ordinary view of an extraordinary life and time was much appreciated, and even spurred a bit of historical and geographical research.

Uniquely written

I loved this book. It is uniquely written with the main character telling the story. It is an excellent look back to life in these times and appreciate how different their lives were.

Beautiful Emotional Writing -- Perfect Narration

Cathy Marie Buchanan really knows how to write an emotional novel. i love the way she weaves her tales around real historical facts...finding all the information about the "real life" characters hers are based on is almost as exciting as the story itself.

Buchanan is so imaginative...and her characters are extremely easy to love with your entire heart. Bess is another poignant narrator with whom i have empathy for and also admire.