Coal River Audiobook By Ellen Marie Wiseman cover art

Coal River

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Coal River

By: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Narrated by: C. S. E. Cooney
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About this listen

As a child, Emma Malloy left isolated Coal River, Pennsylvania, vowing never to return. Now, orphaned and penniless at 19, she accepts a train ticket from her aunt and uncle and travels back to the rough-hewn community. Treated like a servant by her relatives, Emma works for free in the company store. There, miners and their impoverished families must pay inflated prices for food, clothing, and tools while those who owe money are turned away to starve.

Most heartrending of all are the breaker boys Emma sees around the village - young children who toil all day sorting coal amid treacherous machinery. Their soot-stained faces remind Emma of the little brother she lost long ago, and she begins leaving stolen food on families' doorsteps and marking the miners' bills as paid.

Though Emma's actions draw ire from the mine owner and police captain, they lead to an alliance with a charismatic miner who offers to help her expose the truth. As the lines blur between what is legal and what is just, Emma must risk everything to follow her conscience.

©2015 Ellen Marie Wiseman (P)2015 Tantor
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Sagas Heartfelt Transportation
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Captivating Storyline • Compelling Historical Fiction • Engaging Narration • Strong Heroine • Well-researched Story
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Interesting storyline. I enjoy historical fiction, this didn’t disappoint. The character development was good. And a female heroine is always enjoyable.

US historical fiction

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Sometimes narrators make the book. Other times, they don't. Read this as a hard copy. I liked the story just not the narrator.

Not my Favorite narrator

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Almost didn’t finish the book but glad I did. Excellent story but narration was hard to listen to.

Didn’t Like Narration

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Wiseman is a master storyteller I only wish she had more books than Stephen king

Riveting “pageturner”

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Narrative voice was good and story line also. Was easy to follow along with each charactor.

All

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What a wonderful book! Stayed up all night. Didn't want to miss a word. Thank you Ellen Marie Wiseman. Looking forward to the next book.

Best I've listened to in awhile!

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a bit long winded at times but over all a good story. kept my interest. enjoyed the fact that there was a heroine in stead of a hero!

coal river

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The story line was captivating
Woven very nicely
I knew it would turn out ok
The ending was a well written surprise

The reader

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Not only did this narrator speak haltingly and much too quickly-over- enunciating the words, she did not do her due diligence in getting correct pronunciations of several words: Wilkes Barre, PA is not pronounced ‘Bar’ but ‘Bare’. The wagon for picking up the deceased in those times was not call ‘Black Maria’ but ‘Mer-eye-uh, with the accent on the ‘eye’. Yes, I’m nitpicking but choosing to listen to a book being read makes the story only as good as the reader (narrator) can perform it. Stuck with it because the story was so good but do wish I had chosen to just buy the book and read it myself.

Get the hard copy, avoid this narration!

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The narration was stilted but I still enjoyed the story and the history of coal mining .

Loved the story. Narrator.. uhh

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