E. Simond

I just can't get past the narrator in this story. I've tried to listen over and over, but just can't get that far before I switch to another book. The story isn't that great, hard to follow at times, for me, and I've been generous in giving it four stars. I just can't get into this one. This isn't my favorite genre to begin with, but it's the narration vs the story that keeps me hitting the switch the book button even though I want to stick with it to find out why all of these club members are having the same dreams. so even though I'm eager to move on, I just can't.

I couldn't stop listening. The narration was excellent. The story heart wrenching. Even though it's painful to listen to what people who were victims of slavery went through in the USA, I think it's part of our American history that should never be forgotten. Especially during this last election where Afro Americans in particular, in some states, were given a hard time casting their vote, all should read/listen to this book to see just how cruel slavery was to our Black fellow Americans ancestors, and how tactics like making it hard to vote is truely racist, even though voting wasn't an issue in this book, just that current voting event pulls us back to the mindset of some in those days.It shows how slow some are to change for the better.This book points out both the good and bad people of that era in our nation's history. It provides a clear picture of to what extent people in bondage had to suffer and what hell they had to rise out of to be free Americans.
It was very balanced in portraying the types of people there were in those days, and truely how all men/women are equal. I will defintely be telling people about this book and listening to it again and again. The narrator should get 10 stars. All of my grandkids will be getting this book from me. They should make it a movie like they did "The Help".
People in mixed race relationships will definetly be able to identify with the main character and why she felt like she belonged, like she were family, which she truely was. Being able to indentify with that myself, all I can say is that in a lot of areas we still have a long way to go. Promoting reading/listening to this book is a way to enlighten those that are open to it and hopefully some who aren't yet. Buy this one with your next available credit, you won't be disappointed.

This was another book that was hard to stop listening to. It reminded of novels written by Stephen King. So if you enjoy King's long books, you'll love this one. It's not your typical American apocalyptic story like some out there, it has a mild sci-fi twist to it that weighs good vs.evil throughout.
The characters were stong, and I felt like I was right there with them. When bored with the rest I'd definetly give this one a second listen. It was a credit well spent.

This book is full of new information and quite different from others I've read. It deals with a more scientific basis for entrapping liars, like how just how the brain/speech/body language work together when telling a lie and it teaches you what you need to know to spot when lies are being told. You have to utilize their technique for it to work for you.
Every parent, especially of a teenagers, significant others of a cheating partner, employers, teachers, probation and parole officers, well heck, everyone needs to listen to this informative and well written book with good narration if they want to be one up on those who lie.

As with other Phillipa Gregory's books, I couldn't stop listening, and when bored, her books will be the first I choose for a second or perhaps a third listen. Between the accurate research and strong character development by Gregory and fantastic narration of Jill Tanner, I felt like I was a fly on the wall throughout the book.
To me, Catherine lead a lonely, but not boring life, as she was sent to England to wed the short-lived Prince Arthur, and later married King Henry VIII. For years she was used as a political pawn and learned to be a real manipulator herself. Even though I felt, through Gregory's writing, that Henry really loved her, but wanting a male heir, something she couldn't give him, so like a lot of guys, his eyes wondered to Anne Boleyn, after having a couple other affairs. Here the plot gets deeper when Henry VIII splits from the Catholic church in order to divorce Catherine to marry the bewitching Anne. Here Catherine shows her real strength, and she was lucky to keep her head intact in the end.
I learned so much historical information from this book, and it had me researching for days to learn more. I find this with all of Gregory's books, and love the persoanl slant she adds to the characters which differs between authors of this genre. I just wish she would write about ten more books for I can never get enough.

I love books centered around medieval royals especially from the Angevin to the Tudor periods. Surfing for more books after devouring all one credit books by Philllipa Gregory and several by Elizabeth Chadwick, and looking for books read by John Lee, I discovered S.J Parris. You don't have to, but, I recommend you listen to Heresy first so you can get a good introduction to Giiordono Bruno, an excommunicated monk and esoteric philosopher turned private investigator who mingles with the royal court while working for the French ambassador.
This is a great thriller/mystery story that narrator John Lee (my favorite) turns into a delightful listen and keeps you coming back for more, books that is and multiple listens as well.
If you like this series, Heresy, Prophecy, and Sacriledge check out C.J. Sanson's Matthew Shardrake mysteries set in the same era. I'm sure you will enjoy them as much as you will all of Parris's books. I have listened to some of these books twice.
I just wish S.J. Parris would publish many, many more stories centered around Bruno. I would buy them all. I love the strong character development and intermingling historical info.
Give Prophecy a listen, you won't be disappointed, especially if you like John Lee.

I have started this book over so many times and the narrator is so boring I can't stand to even listen. For a book with so many characters, even from the beginning, I would have expected to find the narration done by someone who had a better command of portraying these characters. The female voices were just awful!

I wasn't expecting this to be one to be up there with the best when I first purchased, but what a nice surprise. The story is captivating, filled with accurate historical facts, and the narration was appealing. I hated for it to end. I know I will listen to this book many times. I put it up there with "Cutting For Stone" and "Shantaram" which were books I also wished would never end.
If you've read/listened to Roger Crowley's "Empires of the Sea", you know just how horrible the seige at Malta was for it's inhabitants as well as the Knights of St. John when they were attacked by the fighters of the Ottoman Empire. They were nearly abandoned by the rest of Europe until it was almost too late, for many it was.
If you like long, historical fiction with a great ending; a book you won't want to put down, this is it.

John Lee is my favorite. I like him so much that I have searched for books he narrated vs books by author.

The only reaction I had was that I wished that Lee would have slowed his narration during the first fourth of the book. After Bruno's initial character development, I just couldn't stop listening. If you like John Lee, you'll love both of Parris' book in this series, not just this one.

This is a good medieval mystery. It may seem to start out slow but Parris is developing his main character, Bruno. John Lee's narration is good, however, in the first part of the book he did read too fast. It took me several times to start the book because of this. Once it got going I was totally consumed and listened every change I got. That's why I felt it deserved 5 stars. I just purchased the second book in this short series, Prophecy, which I feel can stand alone without reading this book. However, Bruno's character development in the first book is important to both. The Prophecy is as good or better than this book. I only wish he would write more about this highly intuitive, medieval detective, ex-communicated monk, Bruno.

I bought this book because I'm addicted to narrator John Lee's fantastic voice, and wasn't disappointed by Dumas's amazing tale of the Counte. I felt that the book was far better than the movie, I'm to the point where I look for books narrated by Mr. Lee because he does such a great job with all the character's voices. I just can't get enough of this guy! If you want one that you can't turn off, get this one. I'm sure I'll be listening to this one again and again.