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Dragon Seed
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
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Publisher's summary
To the Chinese the dragon is not an evil creature, but is a god and the friend of men who worship him. He "holds in his power prosperity and peace." Ruling the waters and the winds, he sends the good rain, is hence the symbol of fecundity. In the Hsia dynasty two dragons fought a great duel until both disappeared, leaving only a fertile foam from which were born the descendants of the Hsia. Thus, the dragons came to be looked upon as the ancestors of a race of heroes. This is the story of China at War.
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Highly acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin lends a resonant voice to a pivotal yet often overlooked character of Vergil's The Aeneid. Born into peace and freedom, Lavinia is stunned to learn that she will be the cause of a great war - or so the prophecies and omens claim. Her fate is sealed, however, when she meets a man from Troy.
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Fascinatingly well written
- By Kennet on 03-11-09
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The Mask of Apollo
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In a vivid depiction of Ancient Greece and its legendary heroes, The Mask of Apollo tells the story of Nikeratos, the gifted tragic actor at the centre of political and cultural activity in Athens, 400 B. C. Wherever he goes, Nikeratos carries a golden mask of Apollo, a relic and reminder of an age when the theatre was at the height of its greatness and talent. Only a mascot at first, the mask gradually turns into Nikeratos' conscience as he encounters famous thinkers, actors, and philosophers, including the famous Plato himself.
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The Author, Mary Renault, UNMASKED by her Apollo
- By James on 05-12-15
By: Mary Renault
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The Town House
- By: Norah Lofts
- Narrated by: Juliet Prague, Martyn Read
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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"It was in the first week of October in the year 1391 that I first came face to face with the man who owned me… the man whose lightest word was to us, his villeins, weightier than the King’s law or the edicts of our Holy Father…” So began the story of Martin Reed - a serf whose resentment of the automatic rule of his feudal lord finally flared into open defiance.
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Another winner by Norah Lofts
- By Bird Lady 147 on 10-03-17
By: Norah Lofts
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Cup of Gold
- A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, with Occasional Reference to History
- By: John Steinbeck, Susan F. Beegel - introduction
- Narrated by: Ronan Vibert
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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From the mid-1650s through the 1660s, Henry Morgan, a pirate and outlaw of legendary viciousness, ruled the Spanish Main. He ravaged the coasts of Cuba and America, striking terror wherever he went. Morgan was obsessive. He had two driving ambitions: to possess the beautiful woman called La Santa Roja and to conquer Panama, the "cup of gold".
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Not your usual Steinbeck novel
- By Andrew on 06-03-15
By: John Steinbeck, and others
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Ramona
- The Heart and Conscience of Early California
- By: Helent Hunt Jackson
- Narrated by: Boots Martin
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Termed the Uncle Tom's Cabin of the southwestern Indians and the first protest novel of California, Ramona is the story of 3 cultures - Indian, Mexican, and Anglo - locked in combat. The upheaval and injustice are humanized through the romance of a beautiful half-Indian orphan who grow up as the ward of Señora Moreno in privileged surroundings, then falls in love with an Indian and joins him in a life of poverty and tragedy. The Ramona Pageant in Hemet, California, based on this romance, has played each year since 1923, reenacting the transition period between Mexican traditions and the new U.S. and state governments.
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Not The Full Book
- By Kimberley on 03-23-16
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The Bronze Bow
- By: Elizabeth George Speare
- Narrated by: Pat Young
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
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In this Newberry Medal-winning novel, Daniel bar Jamin is fired by only one passion: to avenge his father's death by crucifixion by driving the Roman legions from his land of Israel.
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Story a young man's life without & then with Jesus
- By Tiffany Cunningham on 04-17-21
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The Praise Singer
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Tim Bentinck
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in sixth-century Greece at the time of the Tyrants, the Persian Wars, and a great flowering of the arts, this novel takes the form of Simonides' memoirs, written in retirement in Sicily. The author was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and she also wrote "The King Must Die".
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Ambrosia for the gods & a feast for Greek geeks
- By James on 04-20-15
By: Mary Renault
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The Wife's Tale
- A Personal History
- By: Aida Edemariam
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In this indelible memoir of the life of her remarkable 95-year-old grandmother, Guardian journalist Aida Edemariam tells the story of modern Ethiopia - a nation that underwent a tumultuous transformation from feudalism to monarchy to Marxist revolution to democracy, over the course of one century. Filled with a vivid cast of characters - emperors and empresses, priests and scholars, monks and nuns, archbishops and slaves, Marxist revolutionaries and wartime double agents - The Wife's Tale introduces a woman both imperious and vulnerable.
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A Look At Ethiopia
- By Jean on 07-15-18
By: Aida Edemariam
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Shalimar the Clown
- By: Salman Rushdie
- Narrated by: Aasif Mandvi
- Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When Maximilian Ophuls is murdered outside his daughter's home by his Kashmiri Muslim driver, it appears to be a political killing. Ophuls is the former U.S. ambassador to India and America's leading figure in counter-terrorism. But there is much more to Ophuls and his assassin, a mysterious man calling himself "Shalimar the Clown", than meets the eye. One woman is at the center of their shared history, a history of betrayal and deception.
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Incredible
- By Barry on 12-07-05
By: Salman Rushdie
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The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witness
- By: Sharon E. Foster
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
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Leading a small army of slaves, Nat Turner was a man born with a mission: to set the captives free. When words failed, he ignited an uprising that left over 50 whites dead. In the predawn hours of August 22, 1831, Nat Turner stormed into history with a Bible in one hand, brandishing a sword in the other. His rebellion shined a spotlight on slavery and the state of Virginia and divided a nation's trust. Turner himself became a lightning rod for abolitionists like Harriet Beecher Stowe and a terror and secret shame for slave owners.
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Purchase and Download NOW!
- By Giselle E Ambursley on 03-03-16
By: Sharon E. Foster
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What listeners say about Dragon Seed
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Carl Palmateer
- 03-04-16
Sorrowful
I liked it but to think of the revolution after the war. Despite their suffering, endurance and the hint of hope at the end if they survive the war they will be just so much grist in Mao's murderous mill.
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- Madl
- 02-05-17
love the simple ways
loved it...Amazing, how people grow up with their "tradition
Love Pearland S. Buck helping me understand Chinese history
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- Darlene
- 07-06-22
One I love best
Dragon Seed is one of my all time favorite books. Ms. Buck is a writer who can tell the tale like no one else can. She tells a story and you are never left wondering what happened to whom. And she does it without profanity.
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- LF
- 09-20-17
New favorite
A histroical fiction junkie, I read this book years ago then imediatley read the sequel (The Promise) which also did not disappoint. The view from inside the Japanese invasion of Korea evokes hope, fear, empathy, and even disgust in every chapter--even more vividly with narration. Listening to the story was so captivating that I couldn't stop and listened until late at night, finishing in 4 days. Unfortunately, "The Promise" is not available on Audible, and it should be!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Robert
- 07-29-13
More Relevant Today than Ever
This book has very much the feeling of The Good Earth (first book of the Good Earth trilogy) but set in the period of World War II. It describes how a family in the countryside deals with the tragedy and upheaval of the Japanese occupation of eastern China. Buck delivers stylized language that perfectly captures the feeling of Chinese speech and culture. For example, when the eldest son finds a Chinese woman rather than a Japanese man in the trap he has set, his first question after he pulls her out is "have you eaten?". This will ring true to anyone who has visited China. Buck is a treasure, perhaps an undervalued treasure. How many American writers grew up in China, living among relatively poor people, speaking as a native, and later writing in English. In spite of winning the Nobel prize, she does not get the recognition she deserves. A style every bit as strong as Hemingway and perhaps more substance and political awareness.
The book is so relevant today, when China is the country that America loves to hate and when Japan is looking at re-interpreting its constitution to allow the development of a military. This book will remind Western readers that China was ravaged by Japan (after having been ravaged by Britain). It was interesting to learn that Japan, like Britain, used opium as a tool to destroy China. A wonderful story and a good performance by the narrator.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Donna
- 04-01-13
Incredible Story and Performance
Would you consider the audio edition of Dragon Seed to be better than the print version?
I never read the print edition of Dragon Seed.
What did you like best about this story?
Dragon Seed is not just another war story. It is a complex look into the lives of a simple farm family in China during peace time, then as a war approaches, then during and after the struggle. The relationships between the family members and the way they accept their roles in the family and society shocked my western sensibilities. I realized how much I take for granted about being an American in 2013 and how different life could be for me if I lived in a different time and place.
What does Adam Verner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Adam Verner brings sympathy to the story. He sympathetically tailors each character's voice and attitude. He voice is quiet and haunting and lends mystery and foreboding.
If you could take any character from Dragon Seed out to dinner, who would it be and why?
I would take Pansiao because she has to put up with so much of what I would call abuse even from people who are supposed to love her.
Any additional comments?
This is a wonderful book as are all of Pearl S. Buck's books. I got a little depressed reading this however, so I am going after something more lighthearted next time.
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7 people found this helpful
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- gabriel
- 01-16-24
Everything I hoped for
Pearl Buck is one of the best. Takes you to a place out of space in time- let’s the reader of an entirely different culture understand the thought process & details of a place difficult to understand. She never disappoints.
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- Jose Rendon
- 12-23-15
Another great read from Pearl S. Buck
I enjoy her style, I enjoy the way she develops the characters, and I loved reading about a family that doesn't match the stereotype of a people that lives strictly by custom without valuing their women as people as is so often is conveyed. Definitely another good one by Pearl S. Buck. I do wish for the audio version the narrator had been someone with a Chinese accent as it would have complimented the storytelling.
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2 people found this helpful
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- ShiningIsta
- 05-07-24
War never changes
This story gave insight of their culture as why they thought and acted. Yet was so relatable to average people dealing with losing all their expectations for their lives thrown into an unexpected future of strife and loss of prosperity with no return to the past as well as next generations trying to find their purpose and self worth going forward.
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- 80's Stud
- 08-18-24
Second only to The Good Earth!
If you have never read any Pearl S. Buck, I would suggest starting with this first. You will learn to love the family in this book. It is a very astute depiction of what war and strife brings to people on a personal level-and you really feel for these characters.. I couldn't help comparing the turmoil in the United States with what this family is going through as the war on culture escalates by their enemy. I see many markers in what happens to these characters and what is coming to us all in the US if changes are not made, and soon. For this reason, the book is actually very frightening when you make comparisons to our period of time. China 100 years ago and America 2024-who would think they could be so different and so very alike? Anyway, loved the book. Ms. Buck leaves you with hope for the future in the ending but there are some unresolved story lines that I wish had been sewn up-but that's just Buck, always leaves you wanting more! Highly Recommend as a primer for Buck, unless you are 12-then you should read, "The Big Wave" first. Which was my first Buck book back in 1975 as a kid.
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