Bloody Jack

I've listened to well over a hundred audio books over the last few years and have noticed that once in awhile, the reader simply manages to become the character. Most of the readers are good, but every so often, reader and character click and something special results. Grover Gardner reading David Rosenfelt's books, David Aaron Baker reading Dean Koontz's "Odd Thomas", Johanna Parker's perfect embodiment of Sookie Stackhouse in the Charlaine Harris books, and perhaps most of all, Katherine Kellgren as Jacky Faber in L.A. Meyer's "Bloody Jack." A perfect fit, a marvelous story, a wonderful performance. The story is excellent, but even if it were not, the performance itself would be worth hearing. This is the first performance by Katherine Kellgren I've heard, it will not be the last. Full marks for author and narrator.

What an amazing audio book! A great period piece to help you understand what the world was like in the late 1700's — from the mean streets of London to the high seas aboard a British war ship. As a modern woman, it's amazing to me what it was like for females of this time period. I think this is a must-listen for anyone, but especially for any teen girl in order to get perspective on how far women have come.
I've downloaded all six audiobooks and look forward to devouring them all.
Note of caution: This is not a children's book as it contains elements of more adult subjects like sodomy and rape. I would recommend only for 12 and older.

This book is great for anybody who likes reading about sailing ships in the 1800s. The book is full of action as the main character Jacky Fabre tells her story of the time spent on the HMS Dolphin as a ships boy. As with any great nauticle tale this story involves piracy and great batles on the high sea. This is a book that you won't want to put down becuase the plot keeps moving and you will always want to know what happens next.

I am at a loss for words. The book and this series are excellent, but the narrator, the narrator is astonishingly good. It is like I would imagine switching from a black and white television to a top of the line HD TV overnight. Katherine Kellgren not only gives the character and the story life and a voice, she brings them color as well.

It is a clich?? I know, but I could listen to this woman read the phonebook. Thankfully Bloody Jack is not the phonebook, it is a nice little novel that, although classified as YA, has much to give for any audience.

I really enjoyed listening to Bloody Jack - it's a great story about Jacky Faber, an orphan who disguises herself as a boy to get aboard an 18th century sailing ship. The book is well written, exciting and engaging. There are a lot of characters, and the reader does a great job of giving them all their own voices.

I'd highly recommend this book for a listen with kids - it's entertaining for all ages.

I've read a lot of orphan stories, but this one by L.A. Meyer stands out. The heroine grows from a timid beggar child to swash-buckling sailor, charming both her supporting characters and readers.

While the first book can get pretty dreary at times (Jacky is, after all, attempting to escape poverty and a life of petty crime by climbing onto a warship--both lives fraught with danger), it is worth being drawn to tears; subsequent books feature a pleasing balance of pathos and comedy. Katherine Kellgren's spirited rendition is priceless.

I would recommend this for readers 14 and older, due to some violence and sexual content.

This one of the best voice actors I have ever heard. She is not just an audio reader, but an actress, as she does all the voices, and includes the best drama in it. The story just keeps getting better with each installment. The second a bit slow, but the third more than makes up for it. If you have the chance to listen to this adventure story, you wont regret it.

This is one of many lost reviews by Audible. It's not much but luckily, it was stored elsewhere:

Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, this is one of my all-time favorite audiobooks. It is an audio book at its best. This is a performance and not just a reading. This book and its reader have won many awards and rightfully so. The book is entertaining to the point of addiction. I read the first two books in the series in two days and would be working on the third if my iPod were not fully discharged.

There is not a dull moment in any of the first two books in this series: Bloody Jack #1 and The Curse of the Blue Tattoo #2. I have heard it said and read of listeners that they had fallen in love with the narrator's voice... well add me to her fanboys and girls. Katherine Kellgren is one of the best talents in this art form. In fact, certainly gender-wise, she is perhaps without peer.

The world through a childs eyes is a much more interesting place. The narrator Kathrine Kellgren, is perfect for this book, and reminds me of the girl that did the tell, in Thunderdome. I enjoyed the accent both displayed. The book is written for young people, maybe teens or tweens, but I am seventy one and I enjoyed it. It is a fiction that only a young imagination could dream up. But just suspend your disbelief and enjoy it. I have already downloaded the second in the series, Curse of the Blue Tattoo.

The Dickensian story of Jacky Faber in Bloody Jack is heartwrenching and joyous all at once, a truly enthralling tale. Katherine Kellgren's narration is beyond "wonderous good" - frankly she is the best narrator I've ever hoped to listen to.