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Gutenberg's Apprentice
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's summary
“A finely atmospheric debut...Christie’s novel is a worthy tribute to the technological revolution it reimagines, as well as a haunting elegy to the culture of print...One thinks of Donna Tartt’s obsessive accounts of furniture decoration in The Goldfinch or even Philip Roth’s lovingly twisted empathy with glovemaker Swede Levov in American Pastoral. Such novels of craft and specialization take a writerly delight in the most intricate details of a particular trade while spinning rich prose out of its mysterious threads.” (Washington Post)
An enthralling literary novel that evokes one of the most momentous events in history, the birth of printing in medieval Germany - a story of invention, intrigue, and betrayal, rich in atmosphere and historical detail, told through the lives of the three men who made it possible.
Youthful, ambitious Peter Schoeffer is on the verge of professional success as a scribe in Paris when his foster father, wealthy merchant and bookseller Johann Fust, summons him home to corrupt, feud-plagued Mainz to meet “a most amazing man.”
Johann Gutenberg, a driven and caustic inventor, has devised a revolutionary - and to some, blasphemous - method of bookmaking: a machine he calls a printing press. Fust is financing Gutenberg’s workshop and he orders Peter, his adopted son, to become Gutenberg’s apprentice. Resentful at having to abandon a prestigious career as a scribe, Peter begins his education in the “darkest art.”
As his skill grows, so, too, does his admiration for Gutenberg and his dedication to their daring venture: copies of the Holy Bible. But mechanical difficulties and the crushing power of the Catholic Church threaten their work. As outside forces align against them, Peter finds himself torn between two father figures: the generous Fust, who saved him from poverty after his mother died; and the brilliant, mercurial Gutenberg, who inspires Peter to achieve his own mastery.
Caught between the genius and the merchant, the old ways and the new, Peter and the men he admires must work together to prevail against overwhelming obstacles - a battle that will change history...and irrevocably transform them.
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In 1540, 12-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history.
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I feel like I should like it more than I do
- By nyog on 04-19-17
By: Elif Shafak
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The Innocent Mage
- By: Karen Miller
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 20 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything." Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars, and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations. Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.
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Heroic Fantasy well written
- By Bruce on 03-29-12
By: Karen Miller
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The Ashes of London
- By: Andrew Taylor
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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London, September 1666. The Great Fire rages through the city, consuming everything in its path. Even the impregnable cathedral of St. Paul's is engulfed in flames and reduced to ruins. Among the crowds watching its destruction is James Marwood, son of a disgraced printer and reluctant government informer. In the aftermath of the fire, a semi-mummified body is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's, in a tomb that should have been empty. The man's body has been mutilated, and his thumbs have been tied behind his back.
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Entertaining Historical Fiction
- By Simone on 05-01-17
By: Andrew Taylor
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Bloodleaf
- By: Crystal Smith
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Princess Aurelia is a prisoner to her crown and the heir that nobody wants. Surrounded by spirits and banned from using her blood-magic, Aurelia flees her country after a devastating assassination attempt. To escape her fate, Aurelia disguises herself as a commoner in a new land and discovers a happiness her crown has never allowed. As she forges new bonds and perfects her magic, she begins to fall for a man who is forbidden to rule beside her.
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Not Understanding All the Praise
- By GPChlorine on 08-23-19
By: Crystal Smith
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Cold Magic
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming the cities. But the old ways do not die easy. Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can't be trusted, who can you trust?
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Absolutely Brilliant Fantasy!
- By bluestatereader on 08-14-13
By: Kate Elliott
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Luck in the Shadows
- Nightrunner, Book 1
- By: Lynn Flewelling
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things, none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec's new mentor.
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Fantastic Series! Homophobes, shut up!
- By Ted on 09-23-11
By: Lynn Flewelling
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Empress
- Godspeaker, Book 1
- By: Karen Miller
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In a family torn apart by poverty and violence, Hekat is no more than an unwanted mouth to feed, worth only a few coins from a passing slave trader. But Hekat was not born to be a slave. For her, a different path has been chosen. It is a path that will take her from stinking back alleys to the house of her God, from blood-drenched battlefields to the glittering palaces of Mijak. This is the story of Hekat, slave to no man.
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depressing and left me feeling empty
- By Bonnie on 09-16-09
By: Karen Miller
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The Passion of Artemisia
- By: Susan Vreeland
- Narrated by: Gigi Bermingham
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the glorious backdrops of Rome, Florence, and Genoa, and Naples, peopled with historical characters and filled with the details of the life of a 17th-century painter, The Passion of Artemisia is the story of Gentileschi's struggle to find love, forgiveness, and wholeness through her art.
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Disappointing
- By Kay on 05-21-03
By: Susan Vreeland
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The Bone Doll's Twin
- Tamir Triad, Book 1
- By: Lynn Flewelling
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine, Lynn Flewelling
- Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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As people start to recall the Oracle's prophecy, Erius begins to quietly kill off his female relatives who pose the only threat to his monarchy. Constantly in fear for her life, Princess Ariani the King's sister, gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. But Ariani is married to Lord Rhius, the patron of the powerful wizard Iya, and Iya has sinister plans for the babes.
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Not a bad beginning, but . . .
- By bluestatereader on 12-29-10
By: Lynn Flewelling
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A Shadow in Summer
- Long Price Quartet, Book 1
- By: Daniel Abraham
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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The powerful city-state of Saraykeht is a bastion of peace and culture, a major center of commerce and trade. Its economy depends on the power of the captive spirit Seedless, an and at bound to the poet-sorcerer Heshai for life. Enter the Galts, an empire committed to laying waste to all lands with their ferocious army. Saraykeht has always been too strong for the Galts to attack, but now they see an opportunity.
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REALLY Hard to Rate!
- By Trip Williams on 04-27-15
By: Daniel Abraham
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The Devil in the Marshalsea
- By: Antonia Hodgson
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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It's 1727. Tom Hawkins is damned if he's going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a country parson. Not for him a quiet life of prayer and propriety. His preference is for wine, women, and cards. But there's a sense of honor there too, and Tom won't pull family strings to get himself out of debt - not even when faced with the appalling horrors of London's notorious debtors' prison: The Marshalsea Gaol.
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Well researched riveting historical fiction
- By nursebettyknitting on 09-04-14
By: Antonia Hodgson
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The Painter's Apprentice
- Venetian Artisans
- By: Laura Morelli
- Narrated by: Anna Butterworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Venice, 1510. Maria Bartolini wants nothing more than to carry on her father's legacy as a master gilder. Instead, her father has sent her away from the only home she's ever known to train as an apprentice to Master Trevisan, a renowned painter. Maria arranges to leave the painter's workshop to return to her family workshop and to a secret lover waiting for her back home. But the encroaching Black Death foils her plans.... When the painter's servants uncover the real reason why Maria has been sent away to train with Master Trevisan, they threaten to reveal a secret.
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Decent book if you can overlook a few quirks
- By Laurie S on 01-27-19
By: Laura Morelli
What listeners say about Gutenberg's Apprentice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Debbie Winn
- 03-24-16
A book about printing books? Yes!
I love when a book sends me out on the Internet to get more information about it's characters and/or events. Gutenberg's Apprentice was that kind of book. Everyone knows Gutenberg invented the first printing press and that it was a turning point for civilization. This book delves down into the how and who to enrich this historical trivia. Think that sounds dull? Not at all. Alix Christie brought this to life, with tight pacing, fleshed out characters and wonderful prose.
The apprentice in question, Peter Schoeffer, was destined to be a scribe clerk for the (Catholic) church. He's in Paris loving his life. Then his adopted father demands he return to Mainz Germany. He is told off by his father to work for Gutenberg as an apprentice, much to his dismay and disgust. As the two work together in an uneasy relationship, the idea of printing a bible is developed. The story is tells how they decided to print the bible because they didn't want the Church to find out about this new process and take it over for their own possibly dubious uses. There is stealth, secrets, betrayal and all the elements of trying to start up a new endeavor without your competition and enemies finding out.
The narration, done by Robert Petkoff, was outstanding. The book takes place as a much older Peter is telling the tale to a monk who wants to know more about the whole thing. Petkoff delivers the story just as you would expect someone reminiscing would do.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-13-17
A feeling of the 15th century
So many historical novels just place modern characters in the past. This one gives you insight in a different world and a different way of thinking. I enjoyed listening to this even though the occasional mispronunciations made me wince. Does anyone pronounce "feral" as feeral? Perhaps some people do.
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- Yolanda
- 01-02-15
Illuminating (no pun intended)
The writing and performance splendidly brings to life the people and times that surrounded the creation of Gutenberg's printing press innovations. The descriptions of the physical and artistic effort involved in the first mass printing of the bible were particularly interesting for me. Not so much details of the intricacies of the political/religious turmoil of the times, although of course those conditions influenced nearly all of the behaviors of the central characters, outside of their personalities, while also providing suspense that drives the "plot" for this book. A thank you goes to the author for providing an Afterword in which the known true facts of his story are furnished.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Drew G
- 02-11-17
Interesting and entertaining
You feel the fear, determination, confusion, and abandon required to forge this new means of communication.
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- Amy
- 10-26-15
Seriously boring
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
This book was seriously the most boring thing I've ever heard, with the exception of "Double Cross" by Ben Macintyre.
Would you ever listen to anything by Alix Christie again?
Absolutely not.
What does Robert Petkoff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Not much--he just narrates. He doesn't do different voices for different characters, except for Gutenberg's voice.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
I learned about the historical era, which was mildly interesting. However, the way that Christie wrote the historical characters for a modern reader was pretty clunky. The way the characters spoke and interacted with each other seemed to have a definite 21st century feel, so even the historical value seemed fairly inauthentic.
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- Carol L. Kast
- 03-09-15
Purple Prose
This should be a good book, but the author manages to overwhelm the story in which you want to be interested by phrase after phrase praising how wonderful whatever is being described is. Or how perfidious. Yawn.
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- Joel
- 03-14-15
Boring
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
I can't believe I listened to the whole thing, there were many times I was ready to stop listening but followed through waiting for the good parts that never came.
Has Gutenberg's Apprentice turned you off from other books in this genre?
No, but maybe from this author
What character would you cut from Gutenberg's Apprentice?
Pretty much all of them although Gutenberg seems pretty neat.
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