New Reviews: Historical Fiction

Jonathan Sleep narrates this unsettling novel, which takes place in the nineteenth century. Gentle Montgomery is grieving the loss of his dear friend, Liam, and preparing to journey to his home to carry on his work as an alchemist. He brings his nephew, Kitt, along. Sleep balances Gentle's gruff personality and Kitt's youth with a thoughtful delivery. As the pair traverse the... Read More

Andrew Miller narrates his newest audiobook, which was a finalist for this year's Booker Prize. Set during England's great winter freeze of 1962-1963, this ambitious story focuses on two married couples who are neighbors in a village. Eric is a doctor married to Irene, a former society girl, while Bill, an inexperienced farmer, is with Rita, a working-class girl with a... Read More

Listeners are in for a treat as this audiobook recounts the exploits of the legendary Saint Valentine; his blind lover, Agatha; and a cast of characters voiced by 20 narrators. Standout performances from Ryan Haugen as Valentine and Wayne LeGette as Emperor Gallienus anchor the ensemble with clear character distinctions and expressive deliveries that guide listeners through the... Read More

Cassandra Campbell and Michael Crouch shine with their perfectly paced narrations of this engaging listen, inspired by a true story. Crouch portrays Harry Widener, a young bookseller who died on the Titanic. Historical lore suggests that he lost his life trying to save a priceless work. Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a student at Harvard, voiced by Campbell, finds herself... Read More

John Ridge, son of a Cherokee leader, finds himself at odds with the Christian values he's learned at a New England school. They don't align with the realities he's come to observe: racism and attempts at sowing tribal division. The strength and hope in narrator Cameron DelGrosso's voice gradually fades when Ridge returns home and the brutal seizure of Cherokee lands begins.... Read More

"Bridgerton" heartthrob Luke Thompson performs this novel with restraint, ensuring that the self-deluded first-person narrator is fully believable. The setting, Venice in 1899, has a gloss of wrongdoing. The protagonist, an unsuccessful English writer named Evelyn Dohlman, is a morally ambiguous soul. He speaks no Italian, and his recent bride, an American heiress, has cooled... Read More

This gripping historical thriller is compellingly narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir. The story takes place in Vienna in 1938, just as Germany has annexed Austria and begun its relentless campaign against Jews. Greta Kolbe is an 18-year-old Jewish girl who joins the Austrian resistance and becomes a target of the Gestapo. The majority of the audiobook chronicles her perils,... Read More

Narrator Lynnette R. Freeman makes this audiobook sound like a full-cast production. This historical fiction, based on the real-life pianist, actress, and Civil Rights activist Hazel Scott, opens in 1943. She meets Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a married preacher and aspiring congressman, who becomes infatuated with the young Hazel. After divorcing his wife, he marries Hazel, and... Read More