The White Company

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: Nick Rawlinson

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The White Company is a motley group of English mercenaries, fighting under the leadership of Sir Nigel Loring. Bound by an unquestioning respect for social order, patriotism, and a lust for adventure, the company makes its way to France to fight in the local wars. Encountering pirate ships and other dramas during their crossing, they finally land at Bordeaux and become involved with the fighting at the siege of Chateau of Villefranch du Perigord and in the Spanish Pyrenees.

With assiduous attention to historical detail, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle paints a convincing picture of the chivalric life and manners of the 14th century. With a fresh, concise style, this is a robust and stirring tale of adventure with the spirit and humorous touch of a Chaucerian raconteur.

(P)2004 Isis Publishing Ltd

Such a good story!

This book has few equals in my opinion. And the performance was wonderfully done. This book harkens back to ages past and weaves a wonderful tale of knights and glory. Rich entertaining characters and a vivid landscape. I highly recommend this book.

great book, annoying voice

I love this book, a great novel by a great author.
narrator, however is awful. almost every character voice is done with higher pitch. Hordle John sounds like a teenager, sir Nigel speaks like an adolescent boy and the list goes on.

at parts it gets so annoying that it becomes hard to concentrate on the book.
I give it 3 stars for that reason only. the book itself is superb

A Great Story of Chivalry

What a wonderful story!

At first I was somewhat nervous in purchasing this book, but should have known better, with Doyle being one of my favorite authors.

The story flows well in the classic sense. And the characters were well developed.

The narrator did an excellent job in making all of the characters 'come alive.'

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys great classics.

Mark

Great, WOW!!!

The White Company (Unabridged)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the author; he is one of the best and brings into the minds eye the medieval period as if he had been there himself. Worth having to listen to over and over again.

Excellent reader/actor Nick Rawlinson the characters come to life.

Cracking good story

Great stuff, Conan Doyle and his best but now in the 14th century. Entertaining and informative

No wonder this was Doyle's favorite

This is a terrific adventure. The accuracy of the battle depictions and the superb research involved in all aspects of the tale make this story shine. Chivalry, courage, honor and the violence of battle are all intertwined (as they were in this period) in this tale of knightly adventure. Without being the least trite, the author conveys to us the best and worst of knightly behavior. In addition to the fictional main characters, Edward the Black Prince, Sir John Chandos and the great French beau-sabreur Bertrand du Guesclin all figure prominently. The battle scene in the beseiged castle is one of the best and most breathtaking I have read.
The reader is superb. his characterizations are perfect and stick with me weeks after finishing the book.
Conan Coyle can write!!

time travel

it took me a long time to read this book but it was well worth the extra effort it took me to look up words in order to understand the story. most of the Concepts were so strange and foreign to me yet it was in English. all the characters were extremely lovable, especially sir Nigel. it was like traveling to another country in my spare minutes. I know that I will enjoy reading it again and am very happy that i was lucky to have found it through interest in illustrator NC Wyeth.

Good Book, But a Little Bit Trite

The plot is good, and the characters are (for the most part) delightful. I love the reader's accents and the uniqueness of each voice. Sir Nigel's lisp and effeminate speech are over the top, but otherwise this is an excellent narration. The book seems a little outdated and the chivalry seems overdone and trite in some sections.
Still, I would recommend this book if you have read World Without End and A Distant Mirror about the same topics in the same century and want to explore those times further.

A Good Tale

The White Company depicts the last gasps of Chivalry and feudalism in favor of more modern ideas (bowman winning wars and the rise of the merchant class) in a comical fashion. The characters are fun yet one becomes attached to them. I love this narrator - he has a nuanced voice for the various dialects and other vocal oddities (Sir Nigel's famous lisp).
As a confirmed Homes fan, I highly recommend this book and reading.

Another masterpiece by Sir Arthur Conan

I rode into battle with Alain, John and Aylwud always seeking honor for my Shield and Master Sir Nile Lauring. The way the tale was told was as if a misterious recorder had personally observed those deeds of valor.