Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House
Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Bobbie Frohman
About this listen
A former slave who became a successful dressmaker with her own business, became the dresser, dressmaker and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln during Abraham Lincoln's presidential adminstration. Behind the Scenes tells the story of the rise of Elizabeth Keckley from abused slave to independent business woman to friend of the First Lady of the land during the Civil War.
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907) was a slave for more than 40 years and became a reknown seamstress, activist and author. The daughter of a house slave and her master, Keckley was taught to read and write, which was illegal and a rare priviledge. But her status did not protect her from a life of work that began at four years old and included severe abuse from her master's wife. After purchasing her freedom as an adult, Keckley moved to Washington DC and her sewing talents soon garnered an impressive clientele of affluent legislators. Keckley's reknown brought her to the attention of Mary Todd Lincoln, and they immediately formed a strong bond. Keckley met Mary Todd Lincoln on the day of Abraham's first inauguration and spent the next 6 years as the personal dressmaker and dresser for the First Lady. They remained close after the Lincolns left Washington. In an unfortunate attempt to help the nearly destitute former first lady, Keckley published her memoirs detailing the private lives of her owners and later the Lincolns. The immediate reaction to Behind the Scenes was catastrophic for Keckley; Mary Todd Lincoln felt betrayed and attacked and refused to speak to her, her elite dressmaking clientele left her and critics everywhere exorciated Keckley for her "honesty". Keckley never fully recovered from the scandal and died alone and destitute.
Public Domain (P)2012 Alcazar AudioWorksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
-
-
A Wonderful Re-Imagining of Mrs. Keckley's Life
- By Melissa on 03-04-13
-
Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1875, Elizabeth Todd Edwards reels from news that her younger sister Mary, former first lady and widow of President Abraham Lincoln, has attempted suicide. Mary’s shocking act followed legal proceedings arranged by her eldest and only surviving son that declared her legally insane. Although they have long been estranged, Elizabeth knows Mary’s tenuous mental health has deteriorated through decades of trauma and loss. Yet is her suicide attempt truly the impulse of a deranged mind, or the desperate act of a sane woman terrified to be committed to an asylum?
-
-
So So story
- By Carollees8 on 06-16-20
-
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1844, Missouri belle Julia Dent met dazzling horseman Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant. Four years passed before their parents permitted them to wed, and the groom's abolitionist family refused to attend the ceremony. Since childhood, Julia owned as a slave another Julia, known as Jule. Jule guarded her mistress' closely held twin secrets: She had perilously poor vision but was gifted with prophetic sight. So it was that Jule became Julia's eyes to the world.
-
-
Stellar
- By Connie on 06-10-15
-
The Madness of Mary Lincoln
- By: Jason Emerson
- Narrated by: Steven Roy Grimsley
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2005, historian Jason Emerson discovered a steamer trunk formerly owned by Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer and stowed in an attic for 40 years. The trunk contained a rare find: 25 letters pertaining to Mary Todd Lincoln's life and insanity case, letters assumed long destroyed by the Lincoln family. Mary wrote 20 of the letters herself, more than half from the insane asylum to which her son Robert had her committed, and many in the months and years after. The Madness of Mary Lincoln is the first examination of Mary Lincoln's mental illness based on the lost letters in 20 years.
-
-
Long overdue vindication...
- By Douglas on 08-06-13
By: Jason Emerson
-
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- By: Harriet Jacobs
- Narrated by: Audio Élan
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, details her experiences as a slave in North Carolina, her escape to freedom in the north, and her ensuing struggles to free her children. The narrative was partly serialized in the New York Tribune, but was discontinued because Jacobs’ depictions of the sexual abuse of female slaves were considered too shocking. It was published in book form in 1861.
-
-
Another impossible narration
- By JPALJ on 06-11-18
By: Harriet Jacobs
-
The Spymistress
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini delights fans by transforming true events into riveting historical fiction. Set during the Civil War, The Spymistress introduces little-known Elizabeth Van Lew, a Virginia woman who used a vast spy network to steal Confederate secrets for the Union. But her next mission would prove the ultimate test of her mettle: infiltrate the infamous Confederate Libby Prison and orchestrate a daring escape.
-
-
Great Civil War era book!
- By Timp598 on 10-24-13
-
Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
-
-
A Wonderful Re-Imagining of Mrs. Keckley's Life
- By Melissa on 03-04-13
-
Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1875, Elizabeth Todd Edwards reels from news that her younger sister Mary, former first lady and widow of President Abraham Lincoln, has attempted suicide. Mary’s shocking act followed legal proceedings arranged by her eldest and only surviving son that declared her legally insane. Although they have long been estranged, Elizabeth knows Mary’s tenuous mental health has deteriorated through decades of trauma and loss. Yet is her suicide attempt truly the impulse of a deranged mind, or the desperate act of a sane woman terrified to be committed to an asylum?
-
-
So So story
- By Carollees8 on 06-16-20
-
Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1844, Missouri belle Julia Dent met dazzling horseman Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant. Four years passed before their parents permitted them to wed, and the groom's abolitionist family refused to attend the ceremony. Since childhood, Julia owned as a slave another Julia, known as Jule. Jule guarded her mistress' closely held twin secrets: She had perilously poor vision but was gifted with prophetic sight. So it was that Jule became Julia's eyes to the world.
-
-
Stellar
- By Connie on 06-10-15
-
The Madness of Mary Lincoln
- By: Jason Emerson
- Narrated by: Steven Roy Grimsley
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2005, historian Jason Emerson discovered a steamer trunk formerly owned by Robert Todd Lincoln's lawyer and stowed in an attic for 40 years. The trunk contained a rare find: 25 letters pertaining to Mary Todd Lincoln's life and insanity case, letters assumed long destroyed by the Lincoln family. Mary wrote 20 of the letters herself, more than half from the insane asylum to which her son Robert had her committed, and many in the months and years after. The Madness of Mary Lincoln is the first examination of Mary Lincoln's mental illness based on the lost letters in 20 years.
-
-
Long overdue vindication...
- By Douglas on 08-06-13
By: Jason Emerson
-
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- By: Harriet Jacobs
- Narrated by: Audio Élan
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography, written under the pseudonym Linda Brent, details her experiences as a slave in North Carolina, her escape to freedom in the north, and her ensuing struggles to free her children. The narrative was partly serialized in the New York Tribune, but was discontinued because Jacobs’ depictions of the sexual abuse of female slaves were considered too shocking. It was published in book form in 1861.
-
-
Another impossible narration
- By JPALJ on 06-11-18
By: Harriet Jacobs
-
The Spymistress
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini delights fans by transforming true events into riveting historical fiction. Set during the Civil War, The Spymistress introduces little-known Elizabeth Van Lew, a Virginia woman who used a vast spy network to steal Confederate secrets for the Union. But her next mission would prove the ultimate test of her mettle: infiltrate the infamous Confederate Libby Prison and orchestrate a daring escape.
-
-
Great Civil War era book!
- By Timp598 on 10-24-13
-
An American Marriage
- The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd
- By: Michael Burlingame
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on 30 years of research, An American Marriage describes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that, as First Lady, Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks, sold permits and pardons, engaged in extortion, and peddled influence
-
-
Interesting
- By Frances Hampton on 02-13-22
-
America's First Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 23 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, best-selling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph - a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
-
-
Great Story Great Narration
- By MissSusie66 on 03-30-16
By: Stephanie Dray, and others
-
Switchboard Soldiers
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.
-
-
Having lots of trouble with the narration
- By ohva on 07-20-22
-
Master Slave Husband Wife
- An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
- By: Ilyon Woo
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards, Leon Nixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North.
-
-
Necessary story well told!
- By Marc W Rhoades on 01-19-23
By: Ilyon Woo
-
The Canary Girls
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Early in the Great War, men left Britain’s factories in droves to enlist. Struggling to keep up production, arsenals hired women to build the weapons the military urgently needed. “Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun,” the recruitment posters beckoned. Thousands of women—cooks, maids, shopgirls, and housewives—answered their nation’s call. These “munitionettes” worked grueling shifts often seven days a week, handling TNT and other explosives with little protective gear.
-
-
A Novel Worth Listening To.
- By Ana Reader on 03-17-24
-
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
- By: Sojourner Truth
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most important slave narratives of all time, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth tells the story of an African-American woman who struggled against the bondages of slavery in the mid-1800s. With the strength of her spirituality, she overcame obstacles to become a leading abolitionist and champion of women's rights. Published originally in 1850 and later updated, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was dictated by Sojourner Truth to her neighbor, Olive Gilbert.
-
-
Amazing first person account
- By Dara Jones on 05-06-23
By: Sojourner Truth
-
Enchantress of Numbers
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered, and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada was destined for fame long before her birth. Estranged from Ada's father, who was infamously "mad, bad, and dangerous to know", Ada's mathematician mother is determined to save her only child from her perilous Byron heritage. Banishing fairy tales and make-believe from the nursery, Ada's mother provides her daughter with a rigorous education grounded in mathematics and science.
-
-
INFORMATIVE BACKGROUND LISTENING
- By Imamomof4 on 02-19-20
-
Fates and Traitors
- A Novel of John Wilkes Booth
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Fates and Traitors: A Novel of John Wilkes Booth, New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Chiaverini renders for the first time as fiction the compelling interplay between these pivotal actors - some willing, others unwitting - who made an indelible mark on the history of our nation.
-
-
Read more like Wikipedia than a novel?
- By Star on 09-30-16
-
The Gilded Age
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America - an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naiveté of their own time in a work that endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
-
-
Great Story, but Audio Quality Not Always Good
- By BethGA on 02-27-24
By: Mark Twain
-
A Midwife’s Tale
- The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812
- By: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawing on the diaries of one woman in 18th-century Maine, this intimate history illuminates the medical practices, household economies, religious rivalries, and sexual mores of the New England frontier. Between 1785 and 1812, a midwife and healer named Martha Ballard kept a diary that recorded her arduous work (in 27 years she attended 816 births) as well as her domestic life in Hallowell, Maine.
-
-
drew me in
- By Dis Carded on 12-22-17
-
North and South
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
-
-
Delightful
- By Sally on 01-04-10
-
Mr. Churchill's Secretary
- A Maggie Hope Mystery
- By: Susan Elia MacNeal
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this daring debut, Susan Elia MacNeal blends meticulous research on the era, psychological insight into Winston Churchill, and the creation of a riveting main character, Maggie Hope, into a spectacularly crafted novel.
-
-
Lovely
- By Katherine on 10-22-12
Related to this topic
-
The Gilded Age
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America - an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naiveté of their own time in a work that endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
-
-
Great Story, but Audio Quality Not Always Good
- By BethGA on 02-27-24
By: Mark Twain
-
Jennie Gerhardt
- A Novel
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jennie Gerhardt is the tragic story of an innocent, caring, beautiful young girl from an extremely poor family who throughout her life is drawn into affairs with two different men from a much higher social class. How members of her family, the family of one of the wealthy men, and society in general react to her situation is the basis of this classic story.
-
-
Need a pick me up.
- By knvmxi on 05-15-16
By: Theodore Dreiser
-
The Prince and the Pauper
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They look alike, but they live in very different worlds. Tom Canty, impoverished and abused by his father, is fascinated with royalty. Edward Tudor, heir to the throne of England, is kind and generous but wants to run free and play in the river - just once. How insubstantial their differences truly are becomes clear when a chance encounter leads to an exchange of clothing - and roles. The pauper finds himself caught up in the pomp and folly of the royal court, and the prince wanders horror-stricken through the lower strata of English society.
-
-
Wonderful author, terrific narrator, splendid book
- By Rahni on 10-01-17
By: Mark Twain
-
North and South
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
-
-
Delightful
- By Sally on 01-04-10
-
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- By: Frederick Douglass
- Narrated by: Walter Covell
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frederick Douglass was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. He was called both "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia" and is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and United States history.
-
-
Great Book!
- By Mama C on 03-05-11
-
Dombey and Son
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this carefully crafted novel, Dickens reveals the complexity of London society in the enterprising 1840s as he takes the listener into the business firm and home of one of its most representative patriarchs, Paul Dombey.
-
-
Perfect pair
- By Philip on 03-25-08
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Gilded Age
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America - an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism. With his characteristic wit and perception, Mark Twain and his collaborator, Charles Dudley Warner, attack the greed, lust, and naiveté of their own time in a work that endures as a valuable social document and one of America's most important satirical novels.
-
-
Great Story, but Audio Quality Not Always Good
- By BethGA on 02-27-24
By: Mark Twain
-
Jennie Gerhardt
- A Novel
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jennie Gerhardt is the tragic story of an innocent, caring, beautiful young girl from an extremely poor family who throughout her life is drawn into affairs with two different men from a much higher social class. How members of her family, the family of one of the wealthy men, and society in general react to her situation is the basis of this classic story.
-
-
Need a pick me up.
- By knvmxi on 05-15-16
By: Theodore Dreiser
-
The Prince and the Pauper
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They look alike, but they live in very different worlds. Tom Canty, impoverished and abused by his father, is fascinated with royalty. Edward Tudor, heir to the throne of England, is kind and generous but wants to run free and play in the river - just once. How insubstantial their differences truly are becomes clear when a chance encounter leads to an exchange of clothing - and roles. The pauper finds himself caught up in the pomp and folly of the royal court, and the prince wanders horror-stricken through the lower strata of English society.
-
-
Wonderful author, terrific narrator, splendid book
- By Rahni on 10-01-17
By: Mark Twain
-
North and South
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
-
-
Delightful
- By Sally on 01-04-10
-
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- By: Frederick Douglass
- Narrated by: Walter Covell
- Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frederick Douglass was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman and reformer. He was called both "The Sage of Anacostia" and "The Lion of Anacostia" and is one of the most prominent figures in African-American history and United States history.
-
-
Great Book!
- By Mama C on 03-05-11
-
Dombey and Son
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this carefully crafted novel, Dickens reveals the complexity of London society in the enterprising 1840s as he takes the listener into the business firm and home of one of its most representative patriarchs, Paul Dombey.
-
-
Perfect pair
- By Philip on 03-25-08
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Lincolns
- Portrait of a Marriage
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1974 the historian Fawn Brodie predicted that a "sensitive study of the Lincoln marriage will not always defy biographers". Until now, it has. The only book-length treatment of the marriage was published in 1953, when scholars lacked today's resources and were still struggling with deep-seated prejudices about Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. Now Daniel Mark Epstein has produced an incisive and balanced portrait of the Lincolns.
-
-
Fascinating!
- By F. Elizabeth Hauser on 12-14-08
-
Louisa
- The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams
- By: Louisa Thomas
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in London to an American father and a British mother on the eve of the Revolutionary War, Louisa Catherine Johnson was raised in circumstances very different from the New England upbringing of future president John Quincy Adams, whose life had been dedicated to public service from the earliest age. And yet John Quincy fell in love with her almost despite himself. Their often tempestuous but deeply close marriage lasted half a century.
-
-
Insightful
- By Jean on 05-18-16
By: Louisa Thomas
-
The Bondwoman's Narrative
- By: Hannah Crafts, edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Narrated by: Anna Deavere Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unprecedented historical and literary event, this tale written in the 1850s is the only known novel by a female African American slave, and quite possibly the first novel written by a black woman anywhere. A work recently uncovered by renowned scholar and professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., it is a stirring tale of "passing" and the adventures of a young slave as she makes her way to freedom.
-
-
Poor reading of an important book
- By Hilary on 11-15-04
By: Hannah Crafts, and others
-
Lady Audley's Secret
- By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A fast-paced Victorian thriller that will delight audiences today as it did 100 years ago, Lady Audley's Secret has subterfuge, kidnapping, jealousy, and fraud, all thrown into the mix and shaken up for good measure.
A mystery which keeps a listener guessing until the last moments, this production is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys playing detective.
-
-
Narrator creates the listen
- By connie on 02-06-12
-
Through Five Administrations
- Inside the White House with Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield
- By: William H. Crook
- Narrated by: Brian V. Hunt
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fifty years of service at the White House in various capacities, including bodyguard to Abraham Lincoln, William H. Crook's memoir brings an astonishing array of personal details of life in the executive mansion. His sensitive observations of Lincoln are especially moving.
-
-
Terrible narration
- By Kathy on 06-05-17
By: William H. Crook
-
Father Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Impoverished young aristocrat Eugene de Rastignac is determined to climb the social ladder and impress himself on Parisian high society. While staying at the Maison Vauquer, a boarding house in Paris's rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve, he encounters Jean-Joachim Goriot, a retired vermicelli maker who has spent his entire fortune supporting his two daughters. The boarders strike up a friendship and Goriot learns of Rastignac's feelings for his daughter Delphine. He begins to see Rastignac as the ideal son-in-law, and the perfect substitute for Delphine's domineering husband. But Rastignac has other opportunities too....
-
-
Astounding performance
- By Laurence Grey on 04-05-21
By: Honoré de Balzac
-
The Woman in White
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey, Simon Prebble
- Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.
-
-
Gripping novel, excellent production
- By David on 01-18-11
By: Wilkie Collins
-
Wives and Daughters
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centers on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new stepsister enters Molly's quiet life, the loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.
-
-
It's not about the ending!
- By Sandra on 07-25-05
-
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
- By: Olive Gilbert
- Narrated by: Bobbie Frohman
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A poignant biography as told to Olive Gilbert by Isabella Bomefree - a slave who later took the name of Sojourner Truth. She recounts the harshness of life under slavery, and after winner her freedom, became a vociferous abolitionist for which she has been long remembered and revered.
-
-
Requirement for seminary
- By Steven Small on 12-14-18
By: Olive Gilbert
-
The Moonstone
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No, the "Moonstone" isn't a celestial relic, it's a gigantic yellow diamond of unearthly beauty that was given to Rachel Verinder as a present on her 18th birthday - and stolen that very night! Betteredge, one of the most beloved butlers in English literature, is the focus of this seminal detective novel, which examines how one family's life is turned upside-down by the theft. And find out why the answers to all of life's problems can be found in the pages of Robinson Crusoe.
-
-
One of the best readings ever
- By Catherine on 05-22-03
By: Wilkie Collins
-
The Warden
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Nigel Hawthorne
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the world of the Victorian professional and landed classes, the story centres on Mr Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity who is nevertheless in possession of an income from a charity far in excess of the sum devoted to it.
-
-
a delight
- By Janet on 12-22-08
By: Anthony Trollope
-
Sister Carrie
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: C.M. Hebert
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sister Carrie is an epic of urban life, the story of an innocent heroine adrift in an indifferent city. When small-town girl Carrie Meeber sets out for Chicago, she is equipped with nothing but a few dollars, a certain unspoiled beauty and charm, and a pitiful lack of preparation for the complex moral choices she will face. Her story is one of struggle, from sweatshop to stage success, and of the love she inspires in a married man twice her age, whose obsession with her threatens to destroy him.
-
-
Why audiobooks matter
- By connie on 12-03-09
By: Theodore Dreiser
What listeners say about Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marisa Gourley
- 10-21-20
What a story!
I was absolutely spellbound and captivated by the story itself, but will have to say that the performance was very distracting. The over the top attempt at doing accents and voices would be more suited to a children’s book. I fear that anyone listening this reading would easily find the story unbelievable simply because of the manner in which it was read. I began listening to another reading of this book on YouTube that was more serious, but decided to find it on Audible so that I could keep my place. The other versions had me envisioning an intelligent, capable, strong woman, but when I switched over to the audible version I found myself thinking her over the top simply because of the way she was presented.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- minime
- 09-13-16
Understanding
This was a fascinating memoir that sheds clarity on the freed woman dressmaker and her relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln. The narrator did a fabulous job. I felt like I was listening to Mrs Keckley very voice. Worth listening to
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-21-15
Well presented piece of first person history
The end section in defense of Mrs. Lincoln's actions after the President's death gets a bit bogged down, but it is still a fascinating presentation from behind the scenes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GMR
- 08-13-14
No Southern Accent
Who was your favorite character and why?
Obviously Elizabeth Keckley and her courage in writing the book
How could the performance have been better?
Please! The affected attempt at a Southern accent was REALLY annoying! Would have been a much better read in a different, less fake accent. I am Southern and it was very irritating. Narrator also too dramatic when the tone of the book didn't demand it
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, if I could.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- yolonda freeman
- 06-01-21
Worst narration I've ever heard.
I tried to get through it, but halfway in, at Frederick Douglas dialogue, I was done. The Accents, the acting...all awful. I would give the story 4, but I couldn't finish it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Danielle
- 08-23-15
Interesting read, not a great reader
As a Lincoln fanatic, I loved the "insider information" of this book, which was entirely scandalous when it was first published. For that reason, I enjoyed the book.
That being said, I should have just read the book. I didn't care for the reader, and her strange accent was distracting. Everything was read in a tone of surprise, which wasn't fitting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RSullivan
- 05-21-19
Didn't want to stop listening!
Very interesting story. Narrator did a great job. I felt like I "knew" the characters by the end of the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- rkr4cds
- 06-27-19
VERY hard to get into this, very bad narration -
Couldn't the title owner have found both a black woman & a native Southern-dialect speaker? This is so poorly done that I can only hear the forced style of speaking instead of focusing on what's being said. Only a few words in each sentence are 'styled' as someone from the South would say them, but it's a very poor job done of those. I'm only an hour or so into this book, but think I may return it as it's just not what the description lead me to think I'd be hearing. (It reads more like YA) Don't waste your credit!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 05-10-16
Very poor dialect
Might have been a good story. Narration is intolerable. Disappointing. Narration is halting as if mimicing the reading skills of the author. Very unpleasant.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Katherine
- 06-19-16
terrible reader. book is slow, over used on word
what could have been said in 5 words took twenty. not a fan of this book or reader
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!