• Davenport House

  • Davenport House, Book 1
  • By: Marie Silk
  • Narrated by: Allyson Voller
  • Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (64 ratings)

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Davenport House  By  cover art

Davenport House

By: Marie Silk
Narrated by: Allyson Voller
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Publisher's summary

Davenport House is the first book in a family saga following the wealthy Davenports and their servants in 1915 America.

Mary Davenport is a 22-year-old idealist who worries that the world in the Progressive Era is leaving her behind. She lives isolated in the Pennsylvania countryside with her affluent and secretive family. When her father dies suddenly, Mary becomes pained with grief and increasingly suspicious of those around her.

A humble servant girl has the chance of a lifetime to become a lady's companion. Costly dresses, exquisite rooms, and fine dinners are pleasant distractions from what is really happening in the house.

©2016 Marie Silk (P)2017 Marie Silk

What listeners say about Davenport House

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting Period Drama

Mary Davenport is a sheltered young woman living in a small Pennsylvania town in 1915. Her family owns a large estate, and her father is one of her closest friends. One day, her father summons her to the library to tell her that things around the estate will be changing. Mary notices her father is very ill and becomes concerned.

Mary's maid Clara has lived at Davenport House all her life. Clara dreams of a life greater than what she has, and her work and a secret engagement aren't enough to satisfy her. When her mother gives her a beautiful gown and tells her that she's been elevated to a new position in the house, Clara thinks that her dreams are finally coming true. But Mr. Davenport passes away before Clara learns about her new position, and the household descends into chaos when foul play is suspected.

This was a clean period drama that could be read as a standalone. The plot was similar to a Gothic romance. The writing was simple and straightforward. The mystery was easily solved, but I enjoyed the journey. I thought Mary was likable and was really worried for her well-being a time or two! She matured a lot through the book and I'm curious to read the rest of the series to see what's in store for the family.

The narration was really well done, Allyson Voller has the perfect voice to portray Mary and Clara. Her voice is pleasant and immersed me in the story. I received a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Hard to listen to...

What would have made Davenport House better?

I only got a few chapters into this book before I gave up listening to it. As other reviewers stated, the story is so stilted it was quickly frustrating.

Would you ever listen to anything by Marie Silk again?

Doubtful

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She has a pleasant voice and may be better with a different book. I had to stop listening because of all the "said Mary", "said Mrs. Davenport" etc. I found this very annoying..

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Poor writing, worse narration

There was a decent story, struggling to get out, but it never quite made it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pleasant period drama/mystery

Any additional comments?

This is an easy to listen to, uncomplicated period drama/mystery. Although this book is a part of a series, it is enjoyable on its own. All the characters from the maids to the disagreeable mother are realistic and the plot is plausible. I can imagine the following books will expand on the mystery and romance that links all the characters.
The narrator is pleasant to listen to and I enjoyed the voices she gave to each character.
I have never read or listen to a book by this author or narrator. I would definitely listen to the remaining books in this series and consider other books by this author or narrator.
This book gave me the feeling I was listening to a story about a neighbour of Downton Abbey.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars

no

I couldn't listen to this book because of the way it was narrated. Sorry, I really disliked the way she was reading the text.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

interesting start to a series

A daughter sees her father, in a situation that her mother and brother denies to be plausible.
However, some of the cryptic messages her father had given her, plus information from others, causes her to chase the subject with higher powers, with surprising results.
An interesting assortment of characters in an interesting time in history.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
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Decent start to a series

I thought this was a great beginning to a series. My only problem is that the switching between different characters could be confusing at times because the same narrator was used, with the same tone of voice. I would get through the middle of a character's perspective before I realized it switched to another character.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful story

This was a promotion audio book, and that has no bearing whatsoever on my voluntary review. I loved this novel, I like turn of the century stories. I recommend this book to you. Can't wait to hear the rest of the series.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Early 19th Century Mystery

This story has a good plot but I felt the conversations and parts of the story were a bit underdeveloped. The narrator started out a bit monotone but seemed to do better as the story went on. It was still a good clean mystery and an entertaining read.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
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Historical Fiction Mystery

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This was so good. I was interested the whole time and couldn't put it down. I loved the narrator. I also loved all the characters. I would read more by this author.

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