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Cariola

Cariola Chambersburg, PA USA Member Since 2005

malfi

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  • "Attention: Tudor Junkies!"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    We may all know the fate of Lady Jane Grey, the nine-days queen, but I, for one, knew nothing about her younger sisters, Katherine and Mary. Despite de Lisle's title, none of the three "would be queen" of her own accord. Their claims were promoted by others because their mother, Frances, was the only surviving child of Mary Tudor's second marriage to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. That made Frances, as Henry VIII's niece, a viable heir to the throne, since Henry had specifically excluded the heirs of his elder sister Margaret. When Edward VI died, many still considered his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, to be bastards. Frances gave up her place in line in favor of her daughter Jane (most likely as part of the deal to marry her into the prominent and ambitious Dudley family). And so began the fate of "the sisters who would be queen." Katherine Grey, a court beauty, was denied Queen Elizabeth's permission to marry the man she loved. They married in secret but were discovered when Katherine's first pregnancy began to show. She spent the rest of her life in the Tower--where her two sons were born. Mary Grey, the youngest sister, a tiny, unattractive, and possibly hunchbacked woman, suffered a similar fate by falling in love with and secretly marrying a man of inferior status.

    De Lisle provides fascinating insights into power, intrigue, jealousy, and the conflicts between public and private lives in the Tudor era. What I appreciated most about the book was the way that it brought together many pieces of Tudor history that had been floating in my brain, fitting them together like a jigsaw puzzle. I hadn't realized, for instance, that the Grey family were descended from the first marriage of Elizabeth Wodeville, wife of Edward IV. And somehow it had escaped me that Guildford Dudley was the brother of Elizabeth's favorite, Lord Robert Dudley--strange indeed that she developed such an affection for one whose father and brother were executed for trying to shift the throne away from her sister Mary and herself.

    The Sisters Who Would Be Queen is a must-read for any afficiando of Tudor England. It's filled with facts, but De Lisle's expert hand makes it an entertaining story as well.

    More

    The Sisters Who Would be Queen: Mary, Katherine, and Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Tragedy

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 54 mins)
    • By Leanda de Lisle
    • Narrated By Wanda McCaddon
    Overall
    (81)
    Performance
    (33)
    Story
    (34)

    Mary, Katherine, and Jane Grey---sisters whose mere existence nearly toppled a dynasty and altered a nation's destiny---are the captivating subjects of Leanda de Lisle's new book. The Sisters Who Would Be Queen breathes fresh life into these three young women, who were players and victims in the violent and vicious world of Tudor power politics and whose heirs could otherwise be ruling England today.

    Linda Lou says: "WELL-RESEARCHED & ENTERTAINING"
  • "Sad but Fascinating Lives"

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    Julia Fox came up with a fascinating idea in writing a dual biography of the most renowned of Ferdinand and Isabella???s daughters: Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII???s beleaguered queen, and Juana of Castile. The last work of non-fiction that I read (Alison Weir???s bio of Mary Boleyn) was tediously repetitious and digressive, a problem I???ve found with many historical biographies. Fox, however, has avoided that pitfall, creating an engaging and highly readable narrative.

    Katherine and Juana have been reduced over time almost to caricatures, Katherine as the stubbornly Catholic wife who refused to let Henry go, and Juana as a wife so obsessed with her husband that his affairs and early death drove her to madness. But Fox shows that there was much more to each woman, and that, to a great extent, the restrictions of gender and the machinations of the men around them caused their downfalls. She details Katherine???s role as an ambassador concerned with the interests of both Spain and England, as well as her diplomacy and finesse in dealing with Henry. Fox does an admirable job of presenting fairly the events with which most readers will be familiar: her penurious widowhood following the death of Prince Arthur; the dispensation to marry Henry; the many miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths; her displacement by Anne Boleyn. In the case of Juana, Fox???s research demonstrates that existing letters and reports from those permitted to see her following her confinement for madness demonstrate that she behaved sanely and graciously. Fox contends that her husband and father schemed to keep her from exercising sovereignty over Castile, Ferdinand in particular unwilling to give up what he had jointly ruled with Isabella after she died and left the crown to Juana, her eldest daughter.

    Through no fault of the author???s, the space devoted to the sisters is not balanced 50/50, simply because there is less documentation of Juana???s life. Near the end, Fox poses a fascinating question: What would have happened if the sisters??? roles had been reversed???if Katherine, so good at diplomacy, had been Queen of Castile, and if Juana, who produced six children (two emperors and four queens) had been Henry???s wife?

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    Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By Julia Fox
    • Narrated By Rosalyn Landor
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (53)
    Performance
    (47)
    Story
    (43)

    Looking through the lens of their Spanish origins, Fox reveals these queens as flesh-and-blood women—equipped with character, intelligence, and conviction—who are worthy historical figures in their own right. Sister Queens is a gripping tale of love, duty, and sacrifice—a remarkable reflection on the conflict between ambition and loyalty during an age when the greatest sin, it seems, was to have been born a woman.

    Cariola says: "Sad but Fascinating Lives"
  • "Fascinating Story--Victoriana"

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    Effie Gray was only twelve when she met the celebrated young art critic John Ruskin in 1841. A friendship developed, and within a few years, he proposed; the two married when Effie was nineteen, Ruskin 29. Effie imagined the two of them as the perfect couple, her social charm as asset to his brilliance. But on their wedding night, something went terribly wrong. Despite her innocence, Effie knew that there had to be more to marriage than taking walks along the riverbank: Ruskin either would not or could not consummate their union. In a letter to her parents, she wrote:

    "He alleged various reasons, hatred to children, religious motives, a desire to preserve my beauty, and finally this last year he told me his true reason... that he had imagined women were quite different to what he saw I was, and that the reason he did not make me his Wife was because he was disgusted with my person the first evening 10th April 1848."

    Ashamed, Effie remained in the marriage for six years before formally filing for an annulment. She was subjected to a physical examination to verify her chastity and humiliated by Ruskin's testimony that "though her face was beautiful, her person was not formed to excite passion. On the contrary, there were certain circumstances in her person which completely checked it." The doctor who examined her declared that she was normal in every way; it has been speculated that Ruskin might have been repelled by his wife's pubic hair, or that she was menstruating. As one would expect, the case created a scandal in Victorian England.

    Fortunately, a happier future was in store. Effie had posed for Ruskin's friend, the artist John Everett Millais, who accompanied the couple on a trip to Scotland. The two fell in love and were married a year after the annulment was granted. Fagence devotes the first half of her biography to the scandal, but the second details Effie's 42-year marriage, which, despite some losses and difficulties, was a happy one. Effie continued to model for Millais (as did her siblings, her eight children, and later their grandchildren), and "Everett," as she called him, eventually earned great success as a painter, as well as a baronetcy. But her one disappointment was that the queen would not receive "a divorced person" at court. It seemed she would never quite shake the scandal of NOT being a wife to Ruskin. And Ruskin, who apparently never learned when not to speak, publicly blamed Effie for 'ruining' Millais's potential as an artist, the necessity of feeding a family turning him to a more lucrative style.

    Cooper does an admirable job of presenting this slice of Victorian scandal and a peek into the world of art. We learn not only about the three persons mentioned in her lengthy title, but also about her travels in Italy, the elder Ruskins, Effie's family in Scotland, the Millais children, and the friends who stood by her. I did find the second half a bit confusing at times, partly because of the profusion of Johns, Georges, Sophias and Effies, but also because of the author's tendency to jump back and forth through time.

    More

    Effie: The Passionate Lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin and John Everett Millais

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 29 mins)
    • By Suzanne Fagence Cooper
    • Narrated By Sophie Ward
    Overall
    (7)
    Performance
    (7)
    Story
    (7)

    Effie Gray, a beautiful and intelligent young socialite, rattled the foundations of England's Victorian age. Married at 19 to John Ruskin, the leading art critic of the time, she found herself trapped in a loveless, union after Ruskin rejected her on their wedding night. She met John Everett Millais, Ruskin's protege, and fell passionately in love with him. Suzanne Fagence Cooper has gained exclusive access to Effie's previously unseen letters and diaries to tell the complete story of this scandalous love triangle.

    Cariola says: "Fascinating Story--Victoriana"
  1. The Sisters Who Would be ...
  2. Sister Queens: The Noble,...
  3. Effie: The Passionate Liv...
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A Peek at connie's Bookshelf

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Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada 385 REVIEWS / 1289 ratings 891 Followers / Following 110
 
connie's greatest hits:
  • Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

    "detailed but engrossing"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is a great listen for the social history detail of the period and also for following the development of a courageous man's thinking about moral issues: To arrive at nonviolence as a personal philosphy, and yet face circumstances where involvement in a violent plot is the "last resort" solution to a desperate situation becomes a moral choice! For me, Bonhoeffer is the great the icon of the 20th century, with all its moral dilemmas, and this bio does him justice. It also helps in understanding how otherwise good people -- so many of Bonhoeffer's fellow citizens -- slide into and rationalize immoral choices.

    I hesistated to download this because I had found Metaxas' Amazing Grace to be a bit rambling and the tone a bit odd, but Bonhoeffer is both a stronger bio and is better narrated.

    I'm an adult high school history teacher, and I am always amazed that most students (even those who know great detail of WWII battles etc.) have NEVER heard of Bonhoeffer. I hope this book and the deserved publicity it is getting change that. Nevermind Valhalla - Bonhoeffer's story deserves a Hollywood film all its own.

  • Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

    "the lowdown on Downton times"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is not exactly Downton Abbey fan fiction -- it has more substance than that. But in the intro the author rightly states that she's not writing history, biography or a novel --it's sort of a combo of all those genres - and as much about the estate as the Countess. It wouldn't succeed as strictly bio, novel or history, but take the listen for what it is-- splendid background to late Victoriana transitioning to Edwardian and beyond. I think it would be really useful listening for fans of historical fiction or period novels who might not "get" some of the references to the times when they made obliquely. I enjoyed the social history portrait for itself, understanding that it's not a critical look at the people or times depicted.

    McCaddon delivers this with all the formal Brit-ness the listen deserves, and since she (or any of her audio alter egos) seems to be the kind narrator that reviewers either love or hate, listen carefully to the sample if you are unfamiliar with her.

  • The Duchess

    "accessible, entertaining and good history"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    In the intro, Foreman claims to have written this book alongside her doctoral thesis on the Duchess. The book contains all the history of a dissertation meticuloulsy researched through what seems like kilotons of correspondence and records, but reads like a novel. 5 stars to Foreman for weaving such a tale from letters copiously quoted. The excellent narration contributed to the seemless flow of the story.

    And what a story! Don't come to this because the Duchess is a distant ancestor of Lady Di, read it for the adventure of the women herself.

    I think this can be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, from those with a serious interest in 18th century history or lit to fans of Geogette Heyer novels (though I suspect many with a "serious" interest in history and lit do enjoy Heyer's novels -- and, after learning about some of the larger-than-life charactrs in this autobiography, I have more respect for Heyer's farces.)

    Foreman is deliberately exploring the life of the political/economic upper, upper class, so this is of course a very partial picture of life in England at the time, when so much misery and physical brutality defined the life of the poor.

  • The Jesuit and the Skull: Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man

    "More skull than Jesuit"

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    Story

    For some time, I’ve wanted to read a spiritual biography of Teilhard – This is definitely not it. It is a good review of the "descent of man" etc, and it brings to life many of Teilhard’s colleagues, but is a very dry, skeletal account of the man himself. After reading it, I have much less interest in reading a spiritual bio of Teilhard (who apparently could be friends with a drug dealing,arms trading fascist and spend decades in China without ever learning local language). Did Teilhard ever come into contact with ideas of some of his French contemporaries like Simon Weil or Peter Maurin or Jacques Maritain? Did he have ANY social philosophy? You won’t find out in this book.

    Although a good read, I think those who enjoy reading “science” might find this a bit scanty on documentation?

    I think Teilhard’s time has arrived – both in world thought and more specifically in Catholic/Christian mysticism – but Teilhard’s influence on and/or parallels with today’s cosmology is not really explored in this work.

Wolfpacker

Wolfpacker Memphis, TN 08-12-05 Member Since 2005

Curtis

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  • "Enjoyable Throughout, Education Wit..."

    7 of 7 helpful votes

    When I bought this title, I was thinking, "This will be good for me to learn; it might even be interesting at times." I was surprised to find the book never had any dull spots. I did learn so many interesting things that helped set a great backdrop for the roots of France and Germany, feudalism, the history of education, the Vikings, the Ottoman Empire's rise, and even the Norman invasion of England in subsequent centuries. That I was able to become so much more knowledgable about a time and person we only hear little about while enjoying a biography that was so readable was wonderful!

    More

    Charlemagne

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Richard Winston
    • Narrated By Charlton Griffin
    Overall
    (597)
    Performance
    (211)
    Story
    (212)

    Charlemagne was easily one of the most fascinating figures in Western civilization, as well as the most heroic and romantic. The 47 years of his reign marked some of the most significant and far reaching events of the Middle Ages. Undoubtedly, it was his enlightened vision for Europe that resulted in the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of cultural flowering that never really ceased to develop, and which led in a straight line directly to that period of astonishing achievement we now call the High Gothic.

    Frank says: "A wonderful biography"

What's Trending in European:

  • 4.8 (63 ratings)
    The Hiding Place
    Play The Hiding Place

    The Hiding Place

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 14 mins)
    • By Corrie ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill
    • Narrated By Wanda McCaddon
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (63)
    Performance
    (54)
    Story
    (56)

    At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell. For the first 50 years of her life, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to her. She was a spinster watchmaker living contentedly with her sister and their elderly father in the tiny house over their shop in Haarlem. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. But with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, everything changed....

    Sandra says: "The Hiding Place"
  • 4.5 (2354 ratings)
    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
    Play The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    • UNABRIDGED (57 hrs and 13 mins)
    • By William L. Shirer
    • Narrated By Grover Gardner
    Overall
    (2354)
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    (1483)
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    (1487)

    Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the 20th century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.

    Jonnie says: "Held my interest for 57 hours and 13 minutes"
  • 4.3 (1122 ratings)
    Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich
    Play Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

    Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 31 mins)
    • By Eric Metaxas
    • Narrated By Malcolm Hillgartner
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1122)
    Performance
    (627)
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    (645)

    A definitive, deeply moving narrative, Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism. After discovering the fire of true faith in a Harlem church, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany and became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Führer and was hanged in Flossenbürg concentration camp at age thirty-nine. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the twentieth century.

    Alan says: "Very Moving"
  • 4.3 (439 ratings)
    Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
    Play Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour

    Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By Lynne Olson
    • Narrated By Arthur Morey
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
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    (195)
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    Here is the behind-the-scenes story of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain, told from the perspective of three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman, and John Gilbert Winant. Drawing from a variety of primary sources, Olson skillfully depicts the dramatic personal journeys of these men who, determined to save Britain from Hitler, helped convince a cautious Franklin Roosevelt and a reluctant American public to support the British at a critical time.

    Susan says: "If we are together nothing is impossible"
  •  
  • 4.4 (394 ratings)
    The Modern Scholar: The Anglo-Saxon World
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    The Modern Scholar: The Anglo-Saxon World

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 50 mins)
    • By Michael D. C. Drout
    Overall
    (394)
    Performance
    (167)
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    (157)

    Had the Angles and Saxons not purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language, Angelina Jolie may never have appeared in the movie Beowulf. Professor Michael D.C. Drout is at his best when lecturing on the fascinating history, language, and societal adaptations of the Anglo-Saxons.

    Julie says: "Perfect Intro to the Anglo-Saxon Period"
  • 4.3 (298 ratings)
    The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
    Play The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

    The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 45 mins)
    • By Ian Mortimer
    • Narrated By Jonathan Keeble
    Overall
    (298)
    Performance
    (201)
    Story
    (200)

    Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat? Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages. The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail.

    Marc-Andr? says: "Detailed, Interesting and Entertaining"
  • 4.5 (267 ratings)
    The Third Reich in Power
    Play The Third Reich in Power

    The Third Reich in Power

    • UNABRIDGED (31 hrs and 57 mins)
    • By Richard J. Evans
    • Narrated By Sean Pratt
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (267)
    Performance
    (141)
    Story
    (141)

    The definitive account of Germany's malign transformation under Hitler's total rule and the implacable march to war. This magnificent second volume of Richard J. Evans's three-volume history of Nazi Germany was hailed by Benjamin Schwartz of The Atlantic Monthly as "the definitive English-language account... gripping and precise." It chronicles the incredible story of Germany's radical reshaping under Nazi rule.

    Mike From Mesa says: "A catalog of horrors"
  • 4.3 (257 ratings)
    At Home: A Short History of Private Life
    Play At Home: A Short History of Private Life

    At Home: A Short History of Private Life

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 38 mins)
    • By Bill Bryson
    • Narrated By Bill Bryson
    Overall
    (257)
    Performance
    (96)
    Story
    (93)

    Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business. This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, considering how the ordinary things in life came to be.

    Andrew says: "New Speaker Needed acquire within!"
  •  
  • 4.3 (234 ratings)
    Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin
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    Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 15 mins)
    • By Timothy Snyder
    • Narrated By Ralph Cosham
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (234)
    Performance
    (129)
    Story
    (128)

    Americans think of World War II as “The Good War”, a moment when the forces of good resoundingly triumphed over evil. Yet the war was not decided by D-day. It was decided in the East, by the Red Army and Joseph Stalin. While conventional wisdom locates the horrors of World War II in the six million Jews killed in German concentration camps, the reality is even grimmer. In 13 years, the Nazi and Soviet regimes killed 13 million people in the lands between Germany and Russia.

    Joseph says: "Stuck between mad men"
  • 4.4 (226 ratings)
    The New World: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume II
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    The New World: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume II

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 32 mins)
    • By Winston Churchill
    • Narrated By Christian Rodska
    Overall
    (226)
    Performance
    (88)
    Story
    (90)

    Between 1485 and 1688, England became a Protestant country under Henry VIII. His daughter, Elizabeth I, battled for succession and supremacy at home, and the discovery of 'the round world' enabled a vast continent across the Atlantic to be explored. While this new era was spawning the beginnings of modern America, England was engaged in a bloody civil war and sustained a Republican experiment under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell.

    Weingarten says: "Churchill series"
  • 4.4 (191 ratings)
    The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965
    Play The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

    The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

    • UNABRIDGED (53 hrs and 27 mins)
    • By William Manchester, Paul Reid
    • Narrated By Clive Chafer, Paul Reid
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (191)
    Performance
    (152)
    Story
    (153)

    Spanning the years 1940 to 1965, Defender of the Realm, the third volume of William Manchester’s The Last Lion, picks up shortly after Winston Churchill became prime minister - when his tiny island nation stood alone against the overwhelming might of Nazi Germany. The Churchill portrayed by Manchester and Reid is a man of indomitable courage, lightning-fast intellect, and an irresistible will to action.

    Mike From Mesa says: "A worthy final volume in a great biography"
  • 4.4 (172 ratings)
    The Age of Revolution: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume III
    Play The Age of Revolution: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume III

    The Age of Revolution: A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume III

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 42 mins)
    • By Winston Churchill
    • Narrated By Christian Rodska
    Overall
    (172)
    Performance
    (62)
    Story
    (65)

    This is the third volume in Churchill's famous account. During the long period of 1688 to 1815, three revolutions took place, and all led to war between the British and the French.

    Lois says: "Historical Overview of Britain"
  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany
    Play The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    • UNABRIDGED (57 hrs and 13 mins)
    • By William L. Shirer
    • Narrated By Grover Gardner
    Overall
    (2354)
    Performance
    (1483)
    Story
    (1487)

    Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the 20th century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.

    Jonnie says: "Held my interest for 57 hours and 13 minutes"
  • Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich
    Play Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

    Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 31 mins)
    • By Eric Metaxas
    • Narrated By Malcolm Hillgartner
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1122)
    Performance
    (627)
    Story
    (645)

    A definitive, deeply moving narrative, Bonhoeffer is a story of moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism. After discovering the fire of true faith in a Harlem church, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany and became one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a double agent, he joined the plot to assassinate the Führer and was hanged in Flossenbürg concentration camp at age thirty-nine. Since his death, Bonhoeffer has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the twentieth century.

    Alan says: "Very Moving"
  • The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
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    The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 49 mins)
    • By Dan Jones
    • Narrated By Clive Chafer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (22)
    Performance
    (20)
    Story
    (19)

    The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights.

    Benoibe says: "A rare and amazing look at the Plantagenets."
  • The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
    Play The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

    The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 44 mins)
    • By Stephen Greenblatt
    • Narrated By Edoardo Ballerini
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (491)
    Performance
    (415)
    Story
    (412)

    Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late 30s took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic by Lucretius—a beautiful poem containing the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles.

    Ethan M. says: "Very compelling history, a less compelling thesis"
  •  
  • In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
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    In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 55 mins)
    • By Erik Larson
    • Narrated By Stephen Hoye
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1757)
    Performance
    (1190)
    Story
    (1190)

    The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another....

    Patrick says: "compelling father-daughter story"
  • The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965
    Play The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

    The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

    • UNABRIDGED (53 hrs and 27 mins)
    • By William Manchester, Paul Reid
    • Narrated By Clive Chafer, Paul Reid
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (191)
    Performance
    (152)
    Story
    (153)

    Spanning the years 1940 to 1965, Defender of the Realm, the third volume of William Manchester’s The Last Lion, picks up shortly after Winston Churchill became prime minister - when his tiny island nation stood alone against the overwhelming might of Nazi Germany. The Churchill portrayed by Manchester and Reid is a man of indomitable courage, lightning-fast intellect, and an irresistible will to action.

    Mike From Mesa says: "A worthy final volume in a great biography"
  • The Hiding Place
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    The Hiding Place

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 14 mins)
    • By Corrie ten Boom, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill
    • Narrated By Wanda McCaddon
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (63)
    Performance
    (54)
    Story
    (56)

    At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell. For the first 50 years of her life, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to her. She was a spinster watchmaker living contentedly with her sister and their elderly father in the tiny house over their shop in Haarlem. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. But with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, everything changed....

    Sandra says: "The Hiding Place"
  • A History of the Middle Ages
    Play A History of the Middle Ages

    A History of the Middle Ages

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 6 mins)
    • By Crane Brinton, John Christopher, Robert Wolff
    • Narrated By Charlton Griffin
    Overall
    (518)
    Performance
    (132)
    Story
    (121)

    A History of the Middle Ages is the amazing story of European man in transition. It is a dramatic chronicle of 1,000 years of political, social, and economic transformation beginning with the dissolution of the classical Mediterranean civilization and ending with the first flowering of the Renaissance. It is also the story of two new religions, Christianity and Islam, both of which were destined to dominate the mind of every person in those new civilizations arising in their wake.

    Theresa says: "A Stunning Achievement"
  •  
  • The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
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    The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 45 mins)
    • By Ian Mortimer
    • Narrated By Jonathan Keeble
    Overall
    (298)
    Performance
    (201)
    Story
    (200)

    Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat? Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages. The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail.

    Marc-Andr? says: "Detailed, Interesting and Entertaining"
  • Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956
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    Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956

    • UNABRIDGED (26 hrs and 39 mins)
    • By Anne Applebaum
    • Narrated By Cassandra Campbell
    Overall
    (69)
    Performance
    (54)
    Story
    (57)

    At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union to its surprise and delight found itself in control of a huge swath of territory in Eastern Europe. Stalin and his secret police set out to convert a dozen radically different countries to Communism, a completely new political and moral system. In Iron Curtain, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum describes how the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe were created and what daily life was like once they were complete.

    John says: "the tragedy of Eastern Europe"
  • Charlemagne
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    Charlemagne

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Richard Winston
    • Narrated By Charlton Griffin
    Overall
    (597)
    Performance
    (211)
    Story
    (212)

    Charlemagne was easily one of the most fascinating figures in Western civilization, as well as the most heroic and romantic. The 47 years of his reign marked some of the most significant and far reaching events of the Middle Ages. Undoubtedly, it was his enlightened vision for Europe that resulted in the Carolingian Renaissance, a period of cultural flowering that never really ceased to develop, and which led in a straight line directly to that period of astonishing achievement we now call the High Gothic.

    Frank says: "A wonderful biography"
  • The Storm of Steel
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    The Storm of Steel

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 46 mins)
    • By Ernst Jünger
    • Narrated By Charlton Griffin
    Overall
    (83)
    Performance
    (47)
    Story
    (46)

    This classic war memoir, first published in 1920, is based on the author's extensive diaries describing hard combat experienced on the Western Front during World War I. It has been greatly admired by people as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Andre Gide, and from every part of the political spectrum. Hypnotic, thrilling, and magnificent, The Storm of Steel is perhaps the most fascinating description of modern warfare ever written.

    Charles Fred Smith says: "World War I from a German Viewpoint"
  • The Dancing Goddesses
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    The Dancing Goddesses

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By Elizabeth Wayland Barber
    • Narrated By Julia Farhat
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    (0)
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    From southern Greece to northern Russia, people have long believed in female spirits, bringers of fertility, who spend their nights and days dancing in the fields and forests. So appealing were these spirit-maidens that they also took up residence in 19th-century Romantic literature. Archaeologist and linguist by profession, folk dancer by avocation, Elizabeth Wayland Barber has sleuthed through ethnographic lore and archaeological reports of east and southeast Europe, translating enchanting folktales about these "dancing goddesses" as well as eyewitness accounts of traditional rituals - texts that offer new perspectives on dance in agrarian society.

  • Portrait of Cambridge
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    Portrait of Cambridge

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 45 mins)
    • By C. R. Benstead
    • Narrated By Eric Brooks
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    The story of Cambridge is one of curious conflict: an unrelenting struggle for independence by a squalid fenland settlement, which entirely changed its purpose as, down the centuries, a great University grew in its midst. Yet it was this unwelcome intruder, seen today as an island of ancient glory in a surge of modern expansion, that makes the City of Cambridge known to the world.

  • Gateway to the Vikings: L'Anse aux Meadows
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    Gateway to the Vikings: L'Anse aux Meadows

    • UNABRIDGED (16 mins)
    • By Randall Morris
    • Narrated By Ronald Clarkson
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    This audio-article explores the idea that L'Anse aux Meadows could be the gateway to the Viking Vinland settlement mentioned in the Scandinavian sagas and possibly founded by Leif Ericson. L'Anse aux Meadows is still the only widely accepted evidence of pre-Columbian contact with North America.

  • A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies
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    A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies

    • UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Bartolome de las Casas
    • Narrated By Jason McCoy
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    Though sometimes exaggerated, Las Casas' account sheds valuable light on the "Spanish Black Legend." A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies includes chapters covering Spanish treatment of Native Americans in Cuba, Nicaragua, Hispaniola, Guatemala, Venezuela, Florida, and many other areas conquered by the Spaniards. Though short (as the name implies), A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies reveals a dark but important episode in the history of Spain and America.

  •  
  • The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
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    The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

    • ABRIDGED (11 hrs and 26 mins)
    • By Rick Atkinson
    • Narrated By Rick Atkinson
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    It is the 20th century’s unrivaled epic: At a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his best-selling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted the history of how the American-led coalition fought its way from North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the war’s final campaign, and Atkinson’s astonishingly fresh account of that enormous gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows.

  • Victoria of England
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    Victoria of England

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By Edith Sitwell
    • Narrated By Bean Downes
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    The Victorian era has been one of the most influential in shaping modern British society, and Victoria herself is a powerful symbol of the age. This is a fascinating portrait of the queen, both before and during her reign, by one of the 20th century's most influential women writers. Making extensive use of Victoria's Letters and journal, Edith Sitwell brings alive the queen's relationships with her family and those surrounding the court. She also provides a vivid record of social conditions in Victoria's England.

  • Bath
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    Bath

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 5 mins)
    • By Edith Sitwell
    • Narrated By Helen Lloyd
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    In eighteenth century Bath, where Beau Nash ruled as uncrowned king for so many years, the fashionable members of English society found a splendid justification for improving their health and enjoying themselves at the same time. They took the waters assiduously, gambled excessively, danced away the evenings at cotillion balls, and spent the mornings strolling along the Parades in their elegant finery, and exchanging gossip in the coffee houses.

  • Fanfare for Elizabeth
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    Fanfare for Elizabeth

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By Edith Sitwell
    • Narrated By Emerald O'Hanrahan
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    Sitwell's Fanfare for Elizabeth is a striking account of love, betrayal, and religion as it unfolds in the court of King Henry VIII. Sitwell navigates elegantly through the capricious nature both of Henry's court, and his love life. The youthful hardships of little Elizabeth are played out against the backdrop of the great drama of Henry's struggles with the Pope, and his six wives. Charming in style, Fanfare for Elizabeth ends on a vignette of Elizabeth in her early teens, still oblivious to the grandeur she will ultimately inherit.

  •  
  • Culture and Anarchy
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    Culture and Anarchy

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 31 mins)
    • By Matthew Arnold
    • Narrated By Michael Maloney
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    Culture and Anarchy is a series of periodical essays by Matthew Arnold, first published in Cornhill Magazine 1867-68 and collected as a book in 1869. Arnold's famous piece of writing on culture established his High Victorian cultural agenda which remained dominant in debate from the 1860s until the 1950s. According to his view advanced in the book, ‘Culture [...] is a study of perfection’.

  • The Queens and the Hive
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    The Queens and the Hive

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 38 mins)
    • By Edith Sitwell
    • Narrated By Helen Lloyd
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    No hive can tolerate two Queens. In the fatal clash between the Protestant Queen of England and the Catholic Queen of Scots, many were determined that 'The death of Mary is the life of Elizabeth'. In this moving chronicle a modern poet magnificently recaptures the splendid colour and sordid intrigue of the most spectacular period of history in Britain.

  • A Notebook on William Shakespeare
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    A Notebook on William Shakespeare

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 49 mins)
    • By Edith Sitwell
    • Narrated By Jane McDowell
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    This book may be described as Dame Edith Sitwell's personal notebook. It consists of essays on the subject of the general aspect of the plays-those great hymns to the principle and the glory of life, in which there are the same differences in nature, in matter, in light, in darkness, in movement, that we find in the universe, and in which the characters are so vast they seem each an element (Water, Hamlet; Air, Romeo and Juliet; Fire, King Lear) and which yet bear the stamp of our common humanity...

  • Edward the Rake
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    Edward the Rake

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 19 mins)
    • By John Pearson
    • Narrated By Matthew Brenher
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    These chapters in the life of Edward the Rake are dealt with frankly and light-heartedly. It is the story of a man who enjoyed himself and his indelicate advantages to the full, a penetrating and yet not unsympathetic portrait of the monarch and of the discreetly swinging social world that he created around him.

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