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Caravans
- A Novel of Afghanistan
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 08-04-15
- Language: English
- Publisher: Random House Audio
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $35.00
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Unlistenable
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Good book but the audiobook needs revision
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Gold fever swept the world in 1897. The chance for untold riches sent thousands of dreamers on a perilous trek toward their fortunes, failures, or deaths. Follow four English aristocrats and their Irish servant as they misguidedly haul their dreams across cruel Canadian terrain toward the Klondike gold fields.
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A Michener short story.
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Chesapeake
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The central scene of Michener's historical novel is that section of Maryland's Eastern shore, hardly more than 10 miles square. To this point come the founders of families that will dominate the story.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Soooo worth my time... and a rant at the end
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Texas
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- By: James A. Michener
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 323
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 295
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Texas: a land of sprawling diversity and unparalleled richness; a dazzling chapter in the history of our nation; a place like no other on Earth. Through the remarkable lives of four families, this epic saga spans four centuries and two continents and charts the dramatic formation of several great dynasties from the age of the conquistadors to the present day. A richly compelling novel of a proud people eager to meet the challenge of the land, Texas is James Michener's most magnificent achievement.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great Story...but then there was the narration
- By Jim on 03-03-16
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The Bridge at Andau
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4
For five brief, glorious days in the autumn of 1956, the Hungarian revolution gave its people a glimpse at a different kind of future - until, at four o’clock in the morning on a Sunday in November, the citizens of Budapest awoke to the shattering sound of Russian tanks ravaging their streets. The revolution was over. But freedom beckoned in the form of a small footbridge at Andau, on the Austrian border. By an accident of history, it became, for a few harrowing weeks, one of the most important crossings in the world, as the soul of a nation fled across its unsteady planks.
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5 out of 5 stars
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stay away from socialism
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Publisher's Summary
First published in 1963, James A. Michener's gripping chronicle of the social and political landscape of Afghanistan is more relevant now than ever. Combining fact with riveting adventure and intrigue, Michener follows a military man tasked, in the years after World War II, with a dangerous assignment: finding and returning a young American woman living in Afghanistan to her distraught family after she suddenly and mysteriously disappears. A timeless tale of love and emotional drama set against the backdrop of one of the most important countries in the world today, Caravans captures the tension of the postwar period, the sweep of Afghanistan's remarkable history, and the inescapable allure of the past.
Critic Reviews
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Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars138
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4 Stars56
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3 Stars37
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2 Stars11
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars110
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4 Stars49
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3 Stars27
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2 Stars13
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Story
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars140
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4 Stars53
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3 Stars24
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2 Stars8
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1 Stars0
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- timothy
- 08-13-15
Terrible narration
It's a great story but the performance is unbearable. Speeding it up to 1.5 speed was the only way I was able to make it through.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 08-31-15
How to ruin a great book
Would you try another book from James A. Michener and/or Larry McKeever?
I would gladly and eagerly try another Michener book if narrated by someone other than Mr. McKeever.
What did you like best about this story?
It gave me a bit of understanding of the people and place called Afghanistan.
What didn’t you like about Larry McKeever’s performance?
It was almost painful to hear. The cadence seemed all wrong and the affect flat.
Did Caravans inspire you to do anything?
It inspired me to turn it off several times because of the narration, but I kept coming back because I enjoyed the story.
Any additional comments?
I hope to listen to other Michener books, but only if they are read by someone else.
9 of 12 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven Ho
- 07-31-17
Bland narrator, annoying hippy
The narrator was not horrible, but his monotone wore on my nerves. The story itself is fascinating and insightful on the cultural identity crisis of Afghans. However, the pivotal character is an infuriating regressive hippy.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scott
- 09-29-15
Great story
Very educational. This is a chance to learn about Afghanistan and why it is what it is today. Totally recommend it for anyone interested in that part of the world.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jodelle
- 09-22-15
An old favorite revisited
Loved this book when it was first published. Love it now. Also fascinating to hear what characters hoped would be the future of Afghanistan all those years ago.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Siddhis
- 08-27-15
Great story, terrible narration
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Larry McKeever?
I don't know who to choose instead, but Mr. McKeever's monotone reading of this story makes the interesting content boring. Good as a soporific, but otherwise not well narrated. The character's voices have no distinctiveness, no voice. The story is read without emotion, so that a horrifying or exciting scene sounds exactly the same as a mundane scenario. I'm not one to enjoy a narrator's personal voice interfering with the story, but this reading is positively dull.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 08-12-15
What a disappointment!
Any additional comments?
I was thrilled when Audible announced that several books by James Michener were finally available. I read most of his novels many years ago. So, I was anxious to revisit these old friends. To my great regret I only made it through the first chapter of Caravans when I had to stop. The narrator, Larry McKeever, read in such a painfully slow monotone that I couldn't go on.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carol
- 09-08-15
worst narration I've ever heard
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
If not for the story, I wouldn't have made it past the first chapter. But I was interested in the country of Afghanistan, found the history in the book so relevant, and SO wanted to like this book. But the narrator was just awful.
What did you like best about this story?
Liked the stories of the people of Afghanistan, and the prediction of Mr. Michener that the Russians would take over. They did in the 1970's.
What didn’t you like about Larry McKeever’s performance?
He just read the words, and had the annoyinggggg habittttuh of endingggg every wordddduh that endedddded with a consonant with a hard 'letter'. Very distracting indeed.
Do you think Caravans needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
no. story complete
Any additional comments?
too bad that other Michener's books are also read by this narrator. I won't be listening to any of them. alas.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kathie
- 09-02-15
Narrator, Narrator, Narrator
I was so excited to see all the Michener novels coming to Audible - my favorite author from years ago. I downloaded this title immediately and within an hour I gave up.
The narrator read it - just read it. That may be fine for some listeners - but I found his delivery grating and annoying.
Sadly, he "reads" all the new Michener titles.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 05-28-17
Afghanistan Then is Afghanistan Now.
Michener writes long fact filled novels that,while might have some thin characters, is nevertheless absorbing and fascinating. Knowing what I know about Afghanistan now and then entering that world circa 1948 was just eye opening. Great storytelling!
However, I don't plan to listen to any other audio books by Michener until they get a narrator that can actually act with his or her voice. There are literally hundreds of characters in his books and they all have the exact same mid-Atlantic sound. Male/female. Young/old. Foreign/American. Happy/sad etc. ect.
No thanks audio, Hard copy here I come.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful