Washington's Providence

A Timeless Arts Novel, Book 1

By: Chris LaFata

Narrated by: Ryan Ingrim

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

A 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarterfinalist (top 100 out of 10,000 entries, general fiction category).

Former history professor John Curry has been recruited by a time travel company to scout the best vantage point for clients to witness the inauguration of the first president of the United States. There's just one problem: When he arrives in 1789, there is no inauguration - and no United States. Until this point the time travel job has had its perks. Getting relationship advice from the legendary lover Casanova was valuable. Accompanying Casanova to the opening night of Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni, was even better.

But being stranded in the British colony of New York isn't what he signed up for. Few people have even heard of George Washington, and the short-lived American Revolution failed, presumably because Washington wasn't alive to lead it. John always knew history could change on a dime but not after it already happened. Right?

After learning Washington was killed 30 years earlier, during the French and Indian War, John realizes the only way he can return home is to ensure there's a United States to return to. Everything hinges on keeping Washington alive, which is not the easiest task when protecting someone famous for leading battles on the front lines while perched on a horse. While traveling further back through time to protect Washington, he uncovers a secret the Freemasons have kept for more than two and a half centuries and learns that the history he thought he knew was completely wrong.

©2013 Chris LaFata (P)2015 Chris LaFata

Interesting story, and fun to listen to.

I am a fan of alternate history stories. I enjoyed the narrator's reading style.

I'll start by saying I am a huge fan of Doctor Who. Alternate history is kind of my thing. I liked exploring the idea that the American Revolution was thwarted before it had a chance to even begin. I think that the author told an engaging story that made me want to keep listening to end.

The narrator made the characters come to life in a way that was interesting and entertaining. There was depth and warmth in his vocalization that makes you care about their individual lives. I would recommend this book and this narrator highly.

My Thanks

It was an amazing and touching novel. I very much enjoyed reading it. I thank the Author and My teacher for introducing it to me, a history enthusiast.

es so damn cute :')

I learned some history and 'twas sad but happy in the end. 10/10 would recommend
p.s. Did Lillian and John ever sail bc I ship it

Any fan of historical fiction will love this!

It's so well written one finds one's self believing it could be true!

Do you believe in time travel.

A Nice Surprise

I was a little wary of purchasing this book because I had never before heard of the author or the narrator and there were no Audible reviews or Amazon reviews. However, I listened to the sample and decided I could listen to the narrator and purchased the book.

I am a great fan of time travel stories and have been ever since I was a child watching The Time Machine(with Rod Taylor) on television. This book was a nice listen for me while I was cutting the grass and doing other chores. I enjoyed the narration.

Not too much science in the book, but that was fine. I enjoyed the history presented and found myself googling various things about Casanova and the Revolutionary War, etc. the author gave some detailed descriptions of daily life at the time--including bedbugs, the dangers of poor sanitation, the pervasive smells and the lack of bodily cleanliness. We take so much for granted these days.

The book concludes well enough that the story presented is finished but does set up for a future book, which I will get if and when it becomes available.

Disappointing

Any book about historians who travel in time has to hold up to the standards of Connie Willis and Jodi Taylor. This one seemed like a great idea. How is it that George Washington miraculously survived being shot at multiple times? Maybe he had help from the future. But the writing is flat and repetitive. Every time the main characters discover a plot point, it is repeated 2 or 3 more times. And these recaps make for stilted dialogue. After a slow middle section, the ending comes in a rush and isn't very satisfying. That's partly because it is setting up for a sequel, which I'm not compelled to try.

Poor writing, poor narration

Would you try another book from Chris LaFata and/or Ryan Ingrim?

It's hard to know what ruined this more, the poor writing style or the poor narration. I will not listen to this author's books again and I will avoid this narrator whenever possible.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He has a very juvenile style with poor vocal inflections. It's almost as if he never read the book before performing for the recording.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story had some originality but the writing style made me want it to end sooner than it did.