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Wolf Hall
- Narrated by: Simon Slater
- Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins
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Publisher's summary
In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII's court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king's favor and ascend to the heights of political powerEngland in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king's freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph? In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage.
With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.
Featured Article: It Was the Best of Scribes—The Best British Authors
With its esteemed history and bold contemporary scene, Britain lays claim to some of the most exciting literature in audio. With the hundreds of incredible British writers throughout the centuries, a person could devote their whole literary life solely to British authors and still never run out of amazing things to listen to. Whether you're an avid Anglophile or just want to discover the best English novelists for yourself, here’s a list of the best for you to choose from!
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- Unabridged
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The marriage of the Englishman Richard Marsdon and his young American wife, Celia, slowly turns tragic as Richard withdraws into himself and Celia suffers a debilitating emotional breakdown. A wise mystic realizes that Celia can escape her past only by reliving it. She journeys back four hundred years to her former life as the servant girl Celia de Bohun during the reign of Edward VI - and to her doomed love affair with the chaplain Stephen Marsdon.
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A different narrator would have made all the difference.
- By J on 06-04-15
By: Anya Seton
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The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
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Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
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A Vision of Light
- A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, Book 1
- By: Judith Merkle Riley
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Margaret of Ashbury wants to write her life story. However, like most women in 14th-century England, she is illiterate. Three clerics contemptuously decline to be Margaret’s scribe, and only the threat of starvation persuades Brother Gregory, a Carthusian friar with a mysterious past, to take on the task. As she narrates her life, we discover a woman of startling resourcefulness.
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Old fashioned heroine
- By Margaret on 06-22-13
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The Agincourt Bride
- By: Joanna Hickson
- Narrated by: Catherine Harvey
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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When her own first child is tragically still-born, the young Mette is pressed into service as a wet-nurse at the court of the mad king, Charles VI of France. Her young charge is the princess, Catherine de Valois, caught up in the turbulence and chaos of life at court. Mette and the child forge a bond, one that transcends Mette’s lowly position. But as Catherine approaches womanhood, her unique position seals her fate as a pawn between two powerful dynasties.
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Disappointing
- By Michelle on 02-16-13
By: Joanna Hickson
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Empress
- Godspeaker, Book 1
- By: Karen Miller
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak. This is the story of Hekat, slave to no man.
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depressing and left me feeling empty
- By Bonnie on 09-16-09
By: Karen Miller
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A Place of Greater Safety
- By: Hilary Mantel
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 33 hrs and 52 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It is 1789, and three young provincials have come to Paris to make their way. Georges-Jacques Danton, an ambitious young lawyer, is energetic, pragmatic, debt-ridden - and hugely but erotically ugly. Maximilien Robespierre, also a lawyer, is slight, diligent, and terrified of violence. His dearest friend, Camille Desmoulins, is a conspirator and pamphleteer of genius. A charming gadfly, erratic and untrustworthy, bisexual and beautiful, Camille is obsessed by one woman and engaged to marry another, her daughter.
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Disaster
- By Frank Dudley Berry Jr. on 08-01-13
By: Hilary Mantel
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The Winthrop Woman
- By: Anya Seton
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 27 hrs and 34 mins
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Overall
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Story
In 1631 Elizabeth Winthrop, newly widowed with an infant daughter, set sail for the New World. Against a background of rigidity and conformity she dared to befriend Anne Hutchinson at the moment of her banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony; dared to challenge a determined army captain bent on the massacre of her friends, the Siwanoy Indians; and, above all, dared to love a man as her heart and her whole being commanded.
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Historical Fiction that Aged Very Well
- By Lulu on 11-26-14
By: Anya Seton
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Mistress of the Art of Death
- A Novel
- By: Ariana Franklin
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In medieval England, four children have been murdered, and the townsfolk blame their Jewish neighbors. The doctor chosen to investigate is a woman, Adelia. As she examines the victims and retraces their last steps, she must conceal her true identity in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft. Along the way, she's assisted by Sir Rowley Picot, a man with a personal stake in the investigation. A former Crusader knight, Rowley may be a needed friend - or the fiend for whom they are searching.
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History-Mystery of the Year & its only March
- By Irenehope on 03-02-07
By: Ariana Franklin
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The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
- By: Sandra Gulland
- Narrated by: Kim Handysides
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
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In this first of three books inspired by the life of Josephine Bonaparte, Sandra Gulland has created a novel of immense and magical proportions. We meet Josephine in the exotic and lush Martinico, where an old island woman predicts that one day she will be queen. The journey from the remote village of her birth to the height of European elegance is long, but Josephine's fortune proves to be true.
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Performance...ugh
- By Lisa on 02-17-18
By: Sandra Gulland
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Tremontaine, Season One
- 13 Book Series, Box Set
- By: Ellen Kushner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, and others
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Nick Sullivan, Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 22 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that takes listeners to a world inspired by Elizabethan London, 18th century Paris, and 1980s New York City. Sexuality is fluid, politics is everything, and outcasts are the tastemakers. Intrigue is afoot when a Duchess, a scholar, a swordswoman, and a genius, are brought together by long-buried lies and truths that cannot be denied.
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Wonderful story, flawed narration
- By Kristin on 05-25-18
By: Ellen Kushner, and others
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Royal Mistress
- By: Anne Easter Smith
- Narrated by: Heather Wilds
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Jane Lambert, the quick-witted and alluring daughter of a silk merchant, is twenty-two and still unmarried. When Jane’s father finally finds her a match, she’s married off to the dull, older silk merchant William Shore. Marriage doesn’t stop Jane from flirtation, however, and when the king’s chamberlain, Will Hastings, comes to her husband’s shop, Will knows King Edward will find her irresistible.
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All history, no romance!
- By Erin on 07-05-13
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The Speckled Monster
- A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox
- By: Jennifer Lee Carrell
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Speckled Monster is both a hair-raising tale of courage in the face of the deadliest disease that has ever struck mankind, and a gripping account of the birth of modern immunology. Jennifer Lee Carrell's dramatic story follows two parents who, after barely surviving the agony of smallpox themselves, flouted 18th century European medical tradition by borrowing folk knowledge from African slaves and Eastern women in frantic bids to protect their children. Their heroic struggles gave rise to immunology.
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Wish it was another 19 hours long!
- By Book reader on 06-10-14
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History has all but forgotten.... In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next best-selling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write. But then she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction....
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What listeners say about Wolf Hall
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- MissSusie66
- 11-12-10
Great Narration
I did end up listening to this book on audio because I had a hard time getting into the print version. The Narrator Simon Slater was excellent and his mastery with all the different voices helped keep all the characters straight. If I were rating just the audio quality it would be a 4 - 41/2.Will be seeking out what else Simon Slater has narrated.
As for the Book -I did enjoy this book although it is rather confusing because so many people had the same names. I also think if you have no prior Tudor knowledge this book may not be for you. You need to know some of the players and history for this book to make sense. If you are a huge fan of the Tudors and would like some background into one of the minor players (With the Royals being the major ones) then this is for you. It was very well written but not a book I would read twice. the book itself 3 1/2 Stars
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Overall
- Riverman63
- 12-22-09
Hard to follow
I agree with Ruth. The story is good, the narration is jerky. Also, The author refers to the same person in numerous ways, first name, last name, nick name all with no deliniation by the narrator. I am having a very very tough time keeping up with who is who(m?)
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Leanna
- 04-12-15
Tutor gossip as never before
Any additional comments?
Wolf Hall follows the life Thomas Cromwell, lawyer and statesman for Henry VIII, from childhood to midlife. Sounds overdone, right? Not at all. Mantel's Cromwell is a pragmatic, genius who loves his family and his rise to power seems almost incidental to being a good employee. That is definitely not the Cromwell of pop culture. If you like tales of intrigue, you will enjoy this book. The narration is great too! The only caution I have for you is this: The flashbacks in the beginning of the book are a bit hard to follow because there is little transitional forewarning.
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Performance
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Story
- Spartacus
- 01-27-16
Outstanding Narrator Simon Slater
What did you love best about Wolf Hall?
The reader, Simon Slater's outstanding performance makes this a must listen to any fan of historical fiction. The work contains many characters, and Mr. Slater's acting ability shines through his nibble use of numerous voices and subtile inflections that helps to keep the listener on track in this sometimes complicated story. The author employs flashbacks to Cromwell's childhood, and to his time with Cardinal Woolsey, and Slater's narration eases the listener's efforts to follow the jumps in the story line.
Have you listened to any of Simon Slater’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Sadly, Mr. Slater's stellar talent has been underused in the narration of other fictional works. He has done a number of "Dummies", non-fiction, non of which I have listened to, but I can't help in being disappointed that his talent as an actor has not been tapped for more fiction, as that is where he would undoubtedly be better utilized.So good was his performance in Wolf Hall, that I immediately looked to see what other works he has read, eagerly wanting to hear him perform something else. Other than a couple other works of fiction, his catalog contains mostly non-fiction. I eagerly await more productions that make use of Mr. Slater's prodigious talent.
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- Molly
- 07-28-12
Too long, too much
I listened to this book on a road trip and actually stopped listening and downloaded a John Grisham book instead because, after awhile, the book became tedious. It is a good story but, for me,too much time is spent on each scene in order to make it resonate with the reader. I like historical fiction but I just didn't need to know so much stuff- it detracted from the story.
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- Greg
- 05-14-12
Charmed by Cromwell
What did you love best about Wolf Hall?
The character of Cromwell, as constructed by Mantel, is a complex, fascinating figure. A man of worldly wisdom, wit, and energy. Morally flexible but decidedly humanist, he is a fixer, a player, a manipulator. He knows where the levers and buttons of power are, and how to pull and push them. Mantel manages to make him charming.
The history? It avoids the extremes and gives an inside and humanistic perspective of the Tudor story. Of course it's largely speculative, as any historical fiction is. But it's a great tale, well-told. Is it educational? Not sure, but it's immensely entertaining.
The narration is perhaps the best I've ever heard on an audio book.
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- Janine
- 03-04-13
I'm sure it's a great book
Would you try another book from Hilary Mantel and/or Simon Slater?
Yes. But difficult to parse out what is spoken dialogue and what is inner dialogue. This got confusing.
What does Simon Slater bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
So much contempt in his voice!
Did Wolf Hall inspire you to do anything?
Read more about Henry VIII
Any additional comments?
Hilary Mantel is a genious.
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- Debbie Winn
- 02-21-16
An enjoyable listen
I know I studied this period of history, but has been decades. I enjoyed listening to this story about Thomas Cromwell, written to make it all seem so immediate. It also made me realize we as people never learn from history. The political intrigue could come from some of today's headlines.
In listening to this book, I wish the narrator had been a little more versatile in distinguishing characters with different voices. At times it was hard to tell who was saying what. But at least it didn't have "said Thomas", "said Henry", "Ann said", etc., which really jumps out in audio books. Also I've been told reading the book doesn't always make it easier to keep track of the conversations.
I like the book well enough that I definitely plan to get the next book.
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- IthacaNancy
- 06-27-12
Engrossing Historical Fiction
What did you love best about Wolf Hall?
I found myself quite interested in the main character and the times he lived in.
Who was the most memorable character of Wolf Hall and why?
The main character was a complex person with an interesting past, gradually revealed. The class differences, financial dealings, the dangers of being on the wrong side of the officially accepted belief structure - they all contributed to an story that kept my interest.
Any additional comments?
I was happy to be able to listen to Bring Up the Bodies right after finishing Wolf Hall. I would like to listen to more books by Hilary Mantel on this subject.
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- Vitaincerta
- 07-04-16
Loved it. Listened while hiking across Scotland.
I was listening to this in the week that Brexit happened and 21st century heads rolled. It was a perfect complement to my vacation and inspired me to brush up on some English history.
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