New Reviews: Historical Fiction

An inspiring original story gets a five-star narration from Lynnette R. Freeman. Her character voices are so believable this audiobook sounds like a full-cast recording. Sanite and her daughter, Ady, run from the brutality of John du Marche's slave labor camp--also known as a plantation. Separated when Sanite is recaptured, Ady endures hardship alone in the woods. Eventually,... Read More

Happily, Paul Theroux's latest masterpiece is available as an audiobook, narrated authoritatively by Charlie Anson. Eric Blair, a callow policeman in colonial Burma, will eventually become known as writer George Orwell. In a clear baritone, Anson describes the lush landscapes of Burma, its trees, foliage, dusty roads, and muddy rivers, along with its natives, who are subjugated... Read More

Narrators Karen Chilton and Caroline Hewitt combine their considerable vocal talent to portray two legendary entertainers in this audiobook set primarily in the 1950s. There are no words to express how compelling Chilton's performance is as Ella Fitzgerald, "the Queen of Jazz." Chilton mesmerizes listeners as she imbues Fitzgerald with subtle emotion, poise, and practicality.... Read More

Bronson Pinchot embraces the tone and accents of the international characters in this political thriller. In 1947, military attachés gather at a party. An American and a Russian diplomat agree to a friendly ski race across the Finnish countryside. The audiobook focuses on the adventure of the race, but real intrigue builds around the international diplomacy that mounts once... Read More

The general of the audiobook title is Grant; Julia is his wife. Gibson Frazier delivers a solid performance of this historical novel. His voice is appealing and plainspoken. His pace is reasonable, with appropriate pauses and subtle character voices that are effective in dialogue. Indeed, there is little to find fault with when it comes to Frazier's narrative skill. The novel,... Read More

Dominic Hoffman narrates this reimagining of ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, but this time Jim tells his own story. When Jim learns that he's going to be sold to someone downriver, he flees, leaving behind his wife and daughter. But he soon finds himself tangled up with Huckleberry Finn, a white boy who is always getting into the worst sorts of trouble. Jim is practiced at... Read More

Janina Edwards is impressive in her ability to create believable women, each with her own attitude and personality. Two very different Black women heed the call to serve when the U.S. enters WWII. Leila, a single mother, and Dorothy, a college librarian, leave their ordinary lives behind and enlist in the Women's Army Corps. Despite their differences, the women's friendship... Read More

Emily Howes's debut novel examines the lives of Peg and Molly Gainsborough, daughters of the renowned portrait artist Thomas Gainsborough. Gemma Lawrence gives Peg a strong, determined voice as she recounts Peg's close, protective ties with her troubled older sister, Molly. Lawrence's subtle changes in emphasis and volume communicate Molly's distance and confusion. As Peg... Read More

Barrie Kreinik narrates the story of Helen Montgomery, the beautiful daughter of a blue-blood Philadelphia family in 1927 who would rather raise cattle than seek a husband. With elegance and a touch of innocence, Kreinik portrays Helen's frustration when she realizes that she must abandon her dream and marry for money and connections because of the financial crisis caused by... Read More

Two accomplished narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Katharine Chin, set forth this story of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the people caught up in its devastation. Both narrators are skilled at portraying emotions, revving up suspense, and mastering many varieties of accents and dialects. Maarleveld 's urbane and sonorous voice brings to life the ambitious opera... Read More

The most appealing feature of this audiobook by Margo Livesey is Ell Potter's spirited rendering of the characters' Scottish accents. Potter captures the atmosphere of late-nineteenth-century Scottish country life and her young heroine's uncertain grasp of her gift of precognition. Livesey, best known for her previous novel THE BOY IN THE FIELD, stands at the opposite pole from... Read More

Like the captain of a historical sailing ship, Ralph Lister takes command of this sprawling 1975 bestseller about culture clash. He gives a tough, resilient voice to the hero, Captain John Blackthorne, while providing memorable voices for the dozens of characters ranging from Japanese samurai and courtesans to Spanish and Portuguese people. In 1600, after losing his ship and... Read More

Kristen Sieh gives an absorbing, well-paced performance of a woman who is navigating the mysteries of love, loss, and space-time. When NASA "human computer" Annie Fisk discovers a wormhole anomaly capable of transporting items back and forth in time, she's forced to examine her New Mexico childhood anew, alongside her work with the Manned Spacecraft Center. Sieh nimbly guides... Read More

Nancy Wu brings emotion and depth to this sweeping saga, which follows generations of Chinese immigrants, male and female, through multiple trials in the American West. The fresh perspective brings more fullness to history through a railroad worker and a young woman who is sexually trafficked in San Francisco. Wu's talent allows the listener to stay in the story as she portrays... Read More

Kristin Atherton brings a regal ambiance to this compelling historical fiction featuring Mary, Queen of Scots. After the rebellion of her Scottish lords, Mary is imprisoned in remote Lochleven Castle with three of her ladies-in-waiting. Pregnant and forced to abdicate, Mary suffers her plight, all the while plotting her escape. Atherton's delivery reflects the escalating... Read More

Narrators Angus King, Katy Townsend, and Tavia Gilbert excel at telling this powerful story. In 1878 Scotland, Samuel saves Hailey's brother, sparking a secret romance despite their class differences. When Hailey's father's financial downfall forces her family to emigrate to Seattle, Samuel sets off to find her. Against the backdrop of Washington Territory, their story... Read More

The sure touch of Golden Voice narrator Julia Whelan transforms Kristen Hannah's absorbing novel about Vietnam War combat nurses into an addictive listen. An intimate portrait and a sprawling account of a searing time, the story focuses on 20-year-old Frances McGrath, who, in 1965, impetuously chooses the Army Nurse Corps over cotillions and marriage. Whelan brings believable... Read More