Weeper

Death Shall Have No Dominion, Book 1

By: Greg Morgan

Narrated by: Mark Woodruff

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." The small smile rose again, brightening her face. "I remember well the day of your birth, Augustus."

"You do?" Augustus asked.

It was then that his brother, Jefferson, pulled him away from her, and her veil again fell like a curtain.

Although Augustus didn't know it yet, these were the first words he had ever spoken to his birth mother. He would not uncover this secret for another 18 years.

This beautifully constructed family saga spans three generations set all within the macabre world of the civil war era American funeral industry where weepers, warners, death photographers and the new practice of embalming the dead dwelled. For generations, the women of the Fenn family have been traditional “weepers”; paid mourners who attend wakes and weep for the dead. Their counterparts, the men of the True family, are undertakers, or “warners.”

The current warner, Archer True is good at his job, but has a vice for whiskey and women, but the latter has disastrous repercussions as he’s also a married man. The weepers were always veiled and always, like him, wore black. The day that he heard a youthful voice from under her veil and it intrigued him. It wasn’t the older, raspy one he had been used to. When he finds himself irresistibly drawn to the "Weeper," Charlotte Fenn, their passionate affair results in pregnancy. The scandal of their unborn child threatens to destroy the reputations and livelihoods of both families.

To avoid ruin, Charlotte agrees to give her baby, Augustus, up to the Trues to be raised as the "twin" brother of Mrs. True's new baby. But a mother’s love doesn’t die easily. She may have given up her son, but she vows to watch and protect her Augustus grow up from a distance, secretly yearning to be close to him once more.

But every lie has its consequence, and as Augustus grows older, the truth of his origins will soon reveal itself in the most devastating way possible....

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©2020 Greg Morgan (P)2020 Greg Morgan

Sensational and Hauntingly Captivating

Wow!This audiobook is one where you are sad when it is over! The story takes place in the 1800s during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and the Civil War era. It is interesting to listen about some different traditions that took place at this time versus traditions of today. The entire storyline is captivating! You won’t want to pause this book for a second! The author creates such amazing characters that are very detailed while the narrator does an amazing job at bringing each one to life! The narrator was very easy to listen to as his inflection and expressiveness definitely keeps the audience captivated. I would recommend this audiobook for the more mature audience due to some content; however, it is normal for the timeline. The only thing that I did not like about this audiobook.... is that it had to end! It’s so hard to say goodbye to these characters and you can’t help but become invested in each one.

A dark & dramatic book full of secrets and scandal

I listened to the audiobook version of Weeper by Gregory Morgan. I was fascinated by the premise of the book. I had no prior knowledge of the nature of the "death industry" of the mid-1800s in America. I had never heard of weepers and warners, and I found the professions compelling. The author has a gift for fluid storytelling and rich character development. I found myself drawn into the lives of the characters, caring about them and rooting for them. The story spans multiple generations, and I was just as invested in the characters at the end of the book as I was at the start. I enjoyed watching Augustus develop, seeing how his relationships played out, and how the story came full circle at the end. This book stayed with me long after the narration ended. I wanted to know more, to know what happened after the twist in the final moments. I thought the narration was well done, appropriate for the cast of characters. I found him easy to listen to, to get lost in his pace and tone. Overall, I would recommend this audiobook and look forward to Gregory Morgan's continuation with these characters.

A Time Period I Really Didn't Know

This book has felt fittingly into what is happening in my daily life -- helping to teach my daughter about the Civil War and Reconstruction (thanks virtual learning haha). Although I didn't share with her the details of this book (eek, a bit too much for a fourth-grader... this is definitely a mature book), I loved having my own historical fiction to enjoy throughout the day set in this time period. I really only knew about the basics of the time period and the idea of weepers and warners fits right in.

Greg Morgan is a great writer and has paid attention to the details, but the audio version of this was a little hard to follow with the time jumps. I loved the complicated character of Archer True and the ramification of his flaws. I loved and felt for Augustus' journey to truth and at points felt like I was reading a simpler American version of "Les Miserables," with the doomed fate of a few of the characters.

Weeper by George Morgan

This book caught my attention because of the subject. Weepers and Warners during the 1800’s.
The narrator is phenomenal.
The story is unique and the character development is amazing. The ending ?
I haven’t quite decided yet - a let down or the only way to end it ?
I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next two books in the series.

Love this one

I really loved this book without giving too much away it’s a beautifully written story of love and loss.

Great Story! Great Story Teller!

This was such a fantastic story to listen to. I love, love the characters in this audiobook. Their voices, their expressions, and their pauses really brought them to life for me. This story is one set in the Civil war times. When jobs like weepers existed. The involvement of these two families (Fenn and True Family) and how their lives intertwine due to a roving husband who can't seem to keep himself faithful. But to avoid scandal his wife agrees to take his child he had out of wedlock as her own son, twin son. Things like this never go as planned and this story was no exception to the rule. But that is only a piece do this book. There are so many other characters with lives as equally complex and engaging. So much to take in, so many things going on. I was so intrigued with the story that I not only listened to it but often had to increase the speed so I could find out what was going to happen right away. Give this book a listen, you won't regret it!

Great story, great narration

This was quite the clever book. I knew next to nothing about this ‘world’ before listening to this audiobook. I’ve vaguely heard references to weepers but didn’t understand the extent of the whole story surrounding them. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator of the book. The voices, the accents, everything was wonderful. I read some historical fiction but not a lot during these times and wasn’t sure that it would be that appealing but I really enjoyed the different settings and the background given. Both families were full of deep and interesting character whose stories had many levels. This was a great book and think I would prefer listening to it in audiobook versus reading just because the narrator did such a wonderful job.

Interesting and dark tale

The audiobook was very well read by the narrator and really embraced all of the characters, so for that I'm grateful. The story itself starts off a little slow, with setting up the premise of the weepers and a little backstory. We are introduced to Archer and Charlotte right away, with an immediate romantic connotation brewing. The dialogue flowed smoothly enough, but it just wasn't exciting or very interesting for most of the first couple of chapters. There are extremely disturbing scenes that take place, which, in my opinion, have every right to be in books as an artistic endeavor of telling a not-so-beautiful tale, however, it does feel uncomfortable because of the format being audio, I suppose. My feelings on this, however, have zero to do with this particular book as it does with any situation depicted verbally or visually versus written word, so this is simply a notation of preference.
The emotional twists Charlotte (and Augustus) need to pilot are painful and many, so the book is neither uplifting nor optimistic, however, there is still enough traction and good writing to have made for an intriguing read that I'd recommend.

unique story based on generations of history

This tale is based on two families. The True family is generations of what were called warners or undertakers. These were men who buried and took care of the dead. Archer True is part of the next generation that is taking over the business. He is also a married man who likes to step out with other women.
The Fenn family is a generation of women known as weepers. These women were paid mourners who attended and cried for the dead. Most only known by the name of “Missus”. Charlotte Fenn was one of the next generation of weepers. Archer and Charlotte have a passionate affair that leads to her having a child. But Archer can’t leave his wife. And his wife refuses to be scorned by this news and is pregnant also. She forms a plan to accept Charlotte’s child as her own and is a twin of her own baby. This saves both families from ruin. Charlotte understands this and after having her baby Augustus and giving him away is forced to watch him grow up from afar.
Augustus grows up and joins the army as a Yankee Doctor with his brother Jefferson. During a battle Jefferson is shot and Augustus is taking in as a prisoner of war. Charlotte, who is married to a Mr. Greenwood, does whatever she can to get him released. On his way back to freedom he meets Abigail, a runaway. They travel back to his home. Not to give away too much more but Augustus travels through different stages of life and the end will shock you like it did me.
The author Gregory Morgan has taken an important industry, the death industry, and created a twisted tale that travels through many generations. It is well researched and highly entertaining. It touches subjects about the culture and society of the civil war era. These were rough times, not kind at all. Not only are there main characters like Archer, Charlotte and Augustus but generations of characters each with their own stories and occupations in this industry. This tale is full of heartache, love and growth. It gives a great example of how certain cycles of life can repeat itself.
I give a huge applause to Mark Woodruff for his excellent narrating skills. His voices were funny and memorable with great accents. I thought he had appropriate pauses and great rhythm. It was easy to distinguish between each character and have complete control over the story. I loved listening to him.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the building of the different characters. I liked how the storyline intertwined between the two main families. There was a great quality about the story and how it made you feel like you were a part of it. I would recommend this book to those who like historical era books and a twisted tale of family.

Excellent narration

Interesting story. Excellent narration. I enjoyed this book. It held my attention and I found it hard to put down. Augustus True was a remarkable character.