Anonymous
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The Wide Wide Sea
- Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
- By: Hampton Sides
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment? Hampton Sides’ bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration.
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Detailed story of third voyage
- By Sammi on 04-18-24
- The Wide Wide Sea
- Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
- By: Hampton Sides
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
The writing makes all the story engaging even though one knows the climax before beginning.
Reviewed: 05-06-24
The writer does a wonderful job of piecing together many sources and details to create a rich picture of people, places, and events from before the voyage even begins until after Cook is dead. Who knew such a narrative would be so enthralling?
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The Sympathizer
- A Novel
- By: Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Narrated by: Francois Chau
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2016. It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong.
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The Great Vietnamese Novel(Port)Nguyen's Complaint
- By Joe Kraus on 03-31-16
- The Sympathizer
- A Novel
- By: Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Narrated by: Francois Chau
One can see why this won a Pulitzer
Reviewed: 02-23-24
What wonderful writing in this book.
So interesting that the author is Vietnamese. The Vietnam war was the background of many young years of our lives, from grad school through a child at least. This man of two minds is a surprising guide to parts of the experience we never saw.
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The Paris Apartment
- A Novel
- By: Lucy Foley
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
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A cash-grab, plain and simple
- By bugsmeany on 02-28-22
- The Paris Apartment
- A Novel
- By: Lucy Foley
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Daphne Kouma, Julia Winwood, Sope Dirisu, Sofia Zervudachi, Charlie Anson
Turned out to be creepy and scary, unexpectedly.
Reviewed: 01-11-24
This was a complicatedly contrived plot the reader gets only bits of at a time trying to figure out what happened. It’s reasonably well done in suspense, but I didn’t realize I was getting into that and wouldn’t have so chosen.
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The Farmer's Wife
- My Life in Days
- By: Helen Rebanks
- Narrated by: Esmée Cook, Helen Rebanks
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Helen Rebanks' beautifully written memoir takes place across a single day on her working farm in the Lake District of England. Weaving past and present, through a journey of self-discovery, the book takes us from the farmhouse table of her grandmother and into the home she now shares with her husband, James, their four kids, and an abundance of animals. With honesty and grace, Helen shares her life in days—sometimes a wonder and a joy, others a grind to be survived—weaving in stories that unfolds like a well-written pastoral novel.
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A serendipitous find
- By Claudia Y Fox on 01-18-24
- The Farmer's Wife
- My Life in Days
- By: Helen Rebanks
- Narrated by: Esmée Cook, Helen Rebanks
What a pair and partner to The Shepherd’s Life!
Reviewed: 11-07-23
This woman does the best job I can remember reading of detailing the endlessness of a mother’s tasks. She also vividly shows the roots of bickering that can divide a couple. On the other hand, she talks about wonderful food she makes, about sustainable farming and the importance of great food for our health ( and spirits). I
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3 people found this helpful
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Titan
- The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 35 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world’s richest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
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He makes Bill Gates look like a Pauper!
- By Rick on 11-04-13
- Titan
- The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Who knew it would be so interesting!
Reviewed: 11-03-23
(I tried to give this a five star review, but may not have succeeded due to the vagaries of the phone screen. )
Fascinating character studies of many Rockefellers and antecedents. I postponed reading it, but once begun I resisted turning it off. Good to the last drop.
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The Man Who Died Twice
- A Thursday Murder Club Mystery
- By: Richard Osman
- Narrated by: Lesley Manville
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim—the Thursday Murder Club—are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village. But they are out of luck. An unexpected visitor—an old pal of Elizabeth’s (or perhaps more than just a pal?)—arrives, desperate for her help. He has been accused of stealing diamonds worth millions from the wrong men and he’s seriously on the lam.
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Smart, Funny, Superbly Read
- By Patience on 10-03-21
- The Man Who Died Twice
- A Thursday Murder Club Mystery
- By: Richard Osman
- Narrated by: Lesley Manville
Highly enjoyable characters; Full of Twists
Reviewed: 09-27-23
I feared the second book wouldn’t be as good as the first, but to me it definitely was. Gentle pace, to say the least. Great for us making a long day’s drive -10 hrs +-across open space. Likes le people. Minimal violence and intimidation. Clever.
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The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
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Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
- The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
Pretty good story if you enjoy this type of sour detective
Reviewed: 06-07-23
The best part here for me was the character of the assistant, Assad, a Syrian immigrant to Denmark. He was on his way to having superpowers. The worst part was what seemed like the imperfect/inconsistent Danish accent of the reader. Bothersome to listen to.
Hard to enjoy the company of Karl, the main character who is negative about most things except very attractive women.
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The Elephant of Belfast
- A Novel
- By: S. Kirk Walsh
- Narrated by: Charlotte McCurry
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Belfast, October 1940. Twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin arrives at the city docks in time to meet her new charge: an orphaned three-year-old Indian elephant named Violet. As Violet adjusts to her new solitary life in captivity and Hettie mourns the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, new storm clouds gather. A world war rages, threatening a city already reeling from escalating tensions between British Loyalists and those fighting for a free and unified Ireland.
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Interesting Story, Bad Reader Ruined It
- By Diana Vargo on 05-07-21
- The Elephant of Belfast
- A Novel
- By: S. Kirk Walsh
- Narrated by: Charlotte McCurry
What an unusual story!
Reviewed: 05-23-23
An elephant in Northern Ireland is an unusual idea to start with, then add WWII and Catholic-Protestant divides with a nasty bit of IRA thrown in…you get some memorable bits like the elephant and the nuns at the beac h!
Read in a lovely Irish accent and young girl voice. Perfect for the story. ( I couldn’t get the stars to come on as I wished for performance)
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Dracula [Audible Edition]
- By: Bram Stoker
- Narrated by: Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.
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IS THAT NOT SO?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-05-15
Quite a tale!
Reviewed: 01-22-23
It is a grend yarn though the 19th century nature of the sentiments about Women’s Nature is nearly unbearable at times and the way women and men show palor and weep or flush is also profoundly unreal. I guess it’s part of the fun.
It is indeed engaging.
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To the Bright Edge of the World
- A Novel
- By: Eowyn Ivey
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch, Christine Lakin, Kiff Vandenheuvel
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In the winter of 1885, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Forrester sets out with his men on an expedition into the newly acquired territory of Alaska. Their objective: to travel up the ferocious Wolverine River, mapping the interior and gathering information on the region's potentially dangerous native tribes. With a young and newly pregnant wife at home, Forrester is anxious to complete the journey with all possible speed and return to her.
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A Jumble
- By Sara on 09-04-16
- To the Bright Edge of the World
- A Novel
- By: Eowyn Ivey
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch, Christine Lakin, Kiff Vandenheuvel
Arctic exploration without Massive pain
Reviewed: 01-04-23
There are privations , for sure, but the counterpoint of the husband/ explorer story with the wife/ photographer’s. Story lightens things up. Ivey is good at conveying their dependence on what food comes with the seasons. Both main characters are nice people with whom one enjoys spending some hours. It ends as happily as it can within its world.
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