The Prize

By: Julie Garwood

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

In the resplendence of William the Conqueror's London court, the lovely Saxon captive, Nicholaa, was forced to choose a husband from the assembled Norman nobles. She chose Royce, a baron warrior whose fierce demeanor could not conceal his chivalrous and tender heart. Resourceful, rebellious and utterly naive, Nicholaa vowed to bend Royce to her will, despite the whirlwind of feelings he aroused in her. Ferocious in battle, seasoned in passion, Royce was surprised by the depth of his emotion whenever he caressed his charming bride.

In a climate of utmost treachery, where Saxons still intrigued against their Norman invaders, Royce and Nicholaa revelled in their precious new love...a fervent bond soon to be disrupted by the call of blood, kin, and country!

©1991 Julie Garwood (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

The Prize? Alas, more like Booby Prize...

I should have known better and paid attention to other peoples' reviews. As a fan of Julie Garwood, however, I thought I'd give The Prize a go despite the recommendations to avoid the narrator. I'd read The Prize years ago and had enjoyed the story, so I had no issues with the storyline. Narration was important, obviously, but my thoughts were that unless I gave it a go I'd never know for sure. After all, some of my favourite narrators have received scathing reviews which I could not agree with.

Unfortunately, even giving this my very best efforts to sit and listen, I have to agree that Anne Flosnik isn't an idea narrator. She reads emotionally, that is with a lot of emotion and drama colouring her voice. I don't have issue with that when it comes to reading what a character says, but when it is describing day to day actions such as getting dressed or even scenery, it gets very annoying. There is a scene where one of the main characters is drunk and Flosnik's attempt at slurring the words had me sitting up in first astonishment and then disgust. In the book it is an amusing scene, but Flosnik managed to destroy any fond memories I had of the interaction between the two characters and imagine the heroine as a drooling idiot.

I tried, really tried, to get to the end of the book, but that scene really put me off the story as a whole and it is going back into my file of 'books to complete when I'm really, really desperate and there is nothing else to listen to'. Unless you are a fan of Anne Flosnik, stay well away.

Love, Love, LOVE the story! Hate the Narrator...

What did you like best about The Prize? What did you like least?

I love the strength of the heroine and the patience and calm of the hero! I hated the narrator! I was hesitant about purchasing this audio version after reading the reviews, and I now see why everyone said how terrible she was. She absolutely ruined one of my favorite scenes when she confesses her lies to Royce.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Definitely!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Garwood Classic

I love this story but I almost had to turn it off. The narrator’s “drunk” voice is ridiculous. Awful. Fortunately her other voices and character are fine but wow. Just wow.

The Empire Strikes Romance

I have loved this book for over 2 decades now. Wanted to listen to it...and was terribly distracted with the horrible narrator. She makes the sex scenes sound like a creepy Emperor Palpatine getting excited and describing them in a way that makes you both cringe and laugh.
My advice...READ this book first. Seriously. This narrator makes this book seem skeevy.

Charming Story, Horrible Narration

What made the experience of listening to The Prize the most enjoyable?

The story was charming and steamy and less predictable than many historical romances.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

It was difficult to get beyond her voice. The male characters were dreadful but the worst part was when Nicholaa was drunk, it made my ears bleed.

Any additional comments?

There seemed to be two female leads Nicholaa before the wedding and Nicholaa after. I would have liked to see more of the why she was the "Prize" continue through the story.

I wish I could give it more stars!

First of all, any book by Julie Garwood is fabulous and this one is no exception!. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end and have listened to it multiple times. How could you not fall in love with such characters as Baron Royce and Lady Nicholaa? It's a delightful medieval romance that I enjoyed very much!

Horrible narrator!

The narration was awful for the male voices. This made listening to the story very difficult.

Marvelous!

Loved it, every step of the way! Just beautiful! Every chapter more intriguing than the next! Totally worth it!

this is a good one

If you love Garwood, this one wins. Flosnik is OK, Angela Dawe would be a good choice for future reads.

Not bad but not the best

A typical Garwood historical . Enjoyable but not breathe-taking . Ann Flosnik is a good narrator but her male voice in some of the books like this is soooooooo thick and villainous , it's so irritating !!!!