• Captains and the Kings

  • The Story of an American Dynasty
  • By: Taylor Caldwell
  • Narrated by: Susie Berneis
  • Length: 36 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (369 ratings)

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Captains and the Kings  By  cover art

Captains and the Kings

By: Taylor Caldwell
Narrated by: Susie Berneis
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Publisher's summary

Joseph Armagh was 13 when he first saw America through a dirty porthole on the steerage deck of The Irish Queen. It was the early 1850s, and he was a penniless orphan cast on a hostile shore to make a home for himself and his younger brother and infant sister. Some 70 years later, from his deathbed, Joseph Armagh last glimpsed his adopted land from the gleaming windows of a palatial estate. A multimillionaire, one of the most powerful and feared men, Joseph Armagh had indeed found a home. Captains and the Kings is the story of the price that was paid for it in the consuming, single-minded determination of a man clawing his way to the top.

©1983 Taylor Caldwell (P)2016 Dreamscape Media, LLC

What listeners say about Captains and the Kings

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An old favorite

Melodramatic, in a style no longer used by most writers, Captains and. Kings is an old favorite of mine. My dad and I read these books by Taylor Caldwell when I was a young adult, so part of my pleasure listening to this audiobook was my memories of my dad.

As to the content of this story, I remembered in particular the idea that world bankers ruled the political scene for at least the Western world. I don't think that's true in particular but we certainly know that money plays a huge part in politics and that people in governments and high positions conspire against other people and other nation states. Lots of things were interesting in this story but our language has changed and melodramatic novels are not generally the rule these days. Still this one is worth a listen.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very special!

I will miss the fabulously complex characters and the glorious reading of this novel! Captains and Kings an amazing tale!

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A rich and compelling story.

I watched this as a mini series in the 1970’s and was completely drawn into the story of Joseph Armagh.
I then read the epic story and it has stayed with me my entire life.
The characters and time period 1800- 1910 or so, are richly detailed and you feel as though you are in this drama with Joseph himself.
Susie Bernais does a wonderful job of bringing this complex story to life.
Lastly, this is not what you would call a “happy” story but it is truly a human story and that’s why it is has stayed with me since I was a teen.
Highly recommended indeed!

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4 people found this helpful

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a must read.

this book should be read by every high school senior. a real look at the early 1900.

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4 people found this helpful

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Excellent

Although this story takes place at the time of the Great Migration mid 1800s ~ the relationships and characters and the challenges they face with government corruption is timeless. The characters are perfectly sketched for the reader, by that I mean they're lifelike with heroic attributes as well as tragic flaws. The main character Joseph is a strong character and Caldwell has the reader rooting for this tough Irishman throughout. I read this book years ago. A movie was also made but was nowhere near as good as the book. I loved the audio presentation here.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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A sentimental political saga

I liked the story but I felt it could have been shorter. the politics are timeless and reflect in many ways 2019.

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2 people found this helpful

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very engaging

gripping story that keeps you engaged the whole way. full of grit and the reality of a young America

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not worth the time to listen to

I almost bailed out of this one a number of times along the way, but I pushed on and listened to the entire book, mainly because I wanted to find out how things would turn out for the main character, but I needn't have bothered. The near raider spoke clearly but occasionally mispronounced words. All the characters were cartoon-like and two-dimensional. The plot swept over great expenses of time and space but was often ridiculous, with various people essentially dying of a broken heart. There were even two starcrossed lovers who died at essentially the same moment, separated by at least hundreds of miles. If you enjoy this kind of claptrap, you might like the book. Otherwise save your
time and money.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Straight out of today’s headlines

I read this over 30 years ago. I read for the story. I reread now for the history lesson.

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1 person found this helpful

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Best book ever written

I have read and listen to this more than 3 times and marvel at the words that describe such detail and so well read in audio.
The story tells so much of what is making the country into what it is today.
The powerful are so destructive 😅

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1 person found this helpful