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Behind the Scenes in the Lincoln White House
- Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House
- Narrated by: Bobbie Frohman
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
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Publisher's summary
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.
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- Unabridged
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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.
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Terrible narration
- By Kathy on 06-05-17
By: William H. Crook
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Father Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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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....
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Astounding performance
- By Laurence Grey on 04-05-21
By: Honoré de Balzac
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The Woman in White
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey, Simon Prebble
- Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Gripping novel, excellent production
- By David on 01-18-11
By: Wilkie Collins
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Wives and Daughters
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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It's not about the ending!
- By Sandra on 07-25-05
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The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
- By: Olive Gilbert
- Narrated by: Bobbie Frohman
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Requirement for seminary
- By Steven Small on 12-14-18
By: Olive Gilbert
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The Moonstone
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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One of the best readings ever
- By Catherine on 05-22-03
By: Wilkie Collins
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The Warden
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Nigel Hawthorne
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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a delight
- By Janet on 12-22-08
By: Anthony Trollope
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Sister Carrie
- By: Theodore Dreiser
- Narrated by: C.M. Hebert
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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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.
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- 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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- 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
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- Phyllis
- 03-23-18
Verified Insider View
These eye-witness anecdotes from inside the Lincoln White House are engaging. Researchers use this historically verified work as reference.
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- 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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- 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.
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3 people found this helpful
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- 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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- 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.
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2 people found this helpful
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- 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.
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- 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!!!
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1 person found this helpful
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- 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
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