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I Live Again
- A Memoir of Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria
- Narrated by: Kristina Wenger
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
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Publisher's summary
Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria who in later life became Mother Alexandra, founder of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Pennsylvania wrote this memoir shortly after relocating to the US in the 1950s.
It tells the story of a life full of suffering, tragedy, and exile, but all is suffused with the author's deep faith, hope, love, and even joy.
This edition includes additional material collected by the nuns of her monastery that sets the memoir in the context of Mother Alexandra's later life.
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The gripping story of the author's aunt, a Jewish dance instructor who was betrayed to the Nazis by the two men she loved, yet managed to survive WWII by teaching dance lessons to the SS at Auschwitz. Her epic life becomes a window into the author's own past and the key to discovering his Jewish roots.
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Amazing Unique
- By Nordic Artisan on 05-11-19
By: Paul Glaser
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Gertrude Bell
- Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
- By: Georgina Howell
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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She has been called the female Lawrence of Arabia, which, while not inaccurate, fails to give Gertrude Bell her due. She was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire: a nation builder, the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. Born in 1868 into a world of privilege, Bell turned her back on Victorian society, choosing to read history at Oxford and going on to become an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, and legendary mountaineer.
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Shattering The Glass Ceiling in Britain
- By Nostromo on 08-05-18
By: Georgina Howell
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Behind Enemy Lines
- The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany
- By: Marthe Cohn, Wendy Holden
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Marthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman living just across the German border in France when Hitler rose to power. Her family sheltered Jews fleeing the Nazis, including Jewish children sent away by their terrified parents. But soon her homeland was also under Nazi rule. As the Nazi occupation escalated, Marthe's sister was arrested and sent to Auschwitz and the rest of her family was forced to flee to the south of France. Always a fighter, Marthe joined the French Army and became a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army.
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Amazing story of a fighter and survivor
- By Magalie Busch on 05-06-19
By: Marthe Cohn, and others
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Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden
- Two Sisters Separated by China’s Civil War
- By: Zhuqing Li
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Scions of a once-great southern Chinese family that produced the tutor of the last emperor, Jun and Hong were each other’s best friends until, in their twenties, they were separated at the end of the Chinese Civil War. One became a model Communist, the other a model capitalist. On Taiwan, Jun married a Nationalist general, established a trading company, and emigrated to the United States. On the Communist mainland, Hong built her medical career under a cloud of suspicion about her family and survived two waves of “re-education” before she was acclaimed for her achievements.
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Wonderful Story of a Family’s Survival Through Political Change…
- By Marie G. on 04-12-23
By: Zhuqing Li
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Seven Women
- And the Secret of Their Greatness
- By: Eric Metaxas
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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In his eagerly anticipated follow-up to the enormously successful Seven Men, New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas gives us seven captivating portraits of some of history's greatest women, all of whom changed the course of history by following God's call upon their lives - as women.
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A Different Kind of Inspiring
- By Samuel Hudnet on 09-11-15
By: Eric Metaxas
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A Woman of Firsts
- The midwife who built a hospital and changed the world
- By: Edna Adan Ismail, Wendy Holden
- Narrated by: Edna Adan Ismail
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Edna saw first-hand how poor healthcare, lack of education and ancient superstitions had devastating effects on Somaliland’s people, especially its women. When she suffered the trauma of FGM herself as a young girl at the bidding of her mother, Edna’s determination was set.
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Author Read and So Moving
- By Clementa Frederiksen on 03-04-24
By: Edna Adan Ismail, and others
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Out of the Depths
- The Story of a Child of Buchenwald Who Returned Home at Last
- By: Rabbi Israel Meir Lau
- Narrated by: Steve Blane
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Israel Meir Lau, one of the youngest survivors of Buchenwald, was just eight years old when the camp was liberated in 1945. Descended from a 1,000-year unbroken chain of rabbis, he grew up to become Chief Rabbi of Israel--and like many of the great rabbis, Lau is a master storyteller. Out of the Depths is his harrowing, miraculous, and inspiring account of life in one of the Nazis' deadliest concentration camps, and how he managed to survive against all possible odds.
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Amazing Book, Amazing Man
- By Shari on 01-14-13
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The Last Manchu
- The Autobiography of Henry Pu Yi, Last Emperor of China
- By: Paul Kramer, Henry Pu Yi
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1908, at the age of two, Henry Pu Yi ascended to become the last emperor of the centuries-old Manchu dynasty. After revolutionaries forced Pu Yi to abdicate in 1911, the young emperor lived for 13 years in Peking’s Forbidden City, but with none of the power his birth afforded him. The remainder of Pu Yi’s life was lived out in a topsy-turvy fashion: fleeing from a Chinese warlord, becoming head of a Japanese puppet state, being confined to a Russian prison in Siberia, and enduring taxing labor.
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A Marvelous and Ultimately Sad Memoir
- By Sparkly on 08-08-13
By: Paul Kramer, and others
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I Shall Not Hate
- A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity
- By: Izzeldin Abuelaish
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish---now known simply as the "Gaza doctor"---captured hearts and headlines around the world in the aftermath of horrific tragedy: On January 16, 2009, Israeli shells hit his home in the Gaza Strip, killing three of his daughters and his niece. By turns inspiring and heartbreaking, hopeful and horrifying, I Shall Not Hate is Abuelaish's account of an extraordinary life.
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A story worth reading, but terrible narration
- By BL Lucas on 04-11-12
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Echoes from the Holocaust
- A Memoir
- By: Mira Ryczke Kimmelman
- Narrated by: Susan Marlowe
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The daughter of a Jewish seed exporter, the author was born Mira Ryczke in 1923 in a suburb of the Baltic seaport of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). Her childhood was happy, and she learned to cherish her faith and heritage. Through the 1930s, Mira's family remained in the Danzig area despite a changing political climate that was compelling many friends and neighbors to leave. With the Polish capitulation to Germany in the autumn of 1939, however, Mira and her family were forced from their home.
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4.5* - memoir of a survivor
- By Christine Newton on 06-09-17
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World’s End
- The Lanny Budd Novels, Book 1
- By: Upton Sinclair
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Lanning “Lanny” Budd spends his first 13 years in Europe, living at the center of his mother’s glamourous circle of friends on the French Riviera. In 1913, he enters a prestigious Swiss boarding school and befriends Rick, an English boy, and Kurt, a German. The three schoolmates are privileged, happy, and precocious - but their world is about to come to an abrupt and violent end. When the gathering storm clouds of war finally burst, raining chaos and death over the continent, Lanny must put the innocence of youth behind him.
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didn't finish
- By Bird Miller on 05-08-22
By: Upton Sinclair
What listeners say about I Live Again
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- C. Blankenstein
- 02-09-19
Proverbs 31...
As I listened to this audiobook, my mind kept returning to one thought... Princess Ileana, during the time of the war, exemplified the Proverbs 31 woman:
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
This book is not about her monastic life or the establishment of the monastery. This book is a journal of the events of Princess Ileana's life during a very specific time period- her life during WWII and after- leading up to her family leaving Romania. How she "lives again" as she transitions from being a princess of Romania to the Archduchess of Austria to the time of WWII, and, finally, to when she is forced with her family to leave her country.
Princess Ileana was not idle- her ability to learn nursing, build hospitals, give to the poor, and convince communist officials to support her endeavors were inspiring.
As I finished this audiobook, I was inspired by her untiring example of giving to others and helping her fellow man. And, her adventures, which she writes about very matter of fact (almost as if she believes that anyone else would have done the same thing which shows her true humility). I am eager to learn more about how Princess Ileana became Mother Alexandra of blessed memory, how she "lives again" in monasticism.
Technically, this audiobook is very well done. The quality of the recording is amazing. The narrator, Kristina Wenger, does an excellent job- I almost believed it was the voice of Princess Ileana herself!
The one downside to the audiobook is that the published book does contain illustrations and photos of Princess Ileana and her family. But, that is the downside to audiobooks, especially autobiographical books, is that there is not a way to convey the photos or artwork. We happen to own a copy of the book and I was able to look through the photos/illustrations (but I waited until after I finished listening to the book in order to write a review of the audiobook).
I was gifted a copy of this audiobook for an honest review. Purchase your own copy of the audiobook through Audible.com.
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- James
- 10-31-22
An honored place on history lovers' shelves
Kristina Wenger is the voice of Princess Ileana. I love her narration.
The Princess tells us history to explain her circumstances and shares to politics-- no taking sides, simply what was happening. What is most interesting to me right now is how she shares what was happening when the Russians were coming in. Not even their own soldiers were excited when Russia maneuvered to take tiny Romania. Then there were the conversations with Anna Pauker, and the Russian placed leader, Bodnaras. They give us great insight into what was happening as the Russians were taking over. and how they did it.
As a religious person, Princess Ileana is much loved in Orthodox circles and her life story is one of boldness and bravery in the face of adversity. She is a light to us still.
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- Juanita
- 03-31-20
Lovely Story, Poor Narration
I enjoy anything written by Mother Alexandra, and this is no exception. But unfortunately, the narrator made it hard to get through. It seemed like the book was being read to a preschool class, and not meant for adult material.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Sandi
- 02-22-19
A Saintly Princess
“It is necessary to confront life for life loves the brave” (I Live Again, a Memoir of Ileana)
At one point in the book, Princess Ileana spoke those words and they could not be a truer description of who she was and what her life was. I myself listened to this book while I drove and to be honest, I found myself laughing, smiling and often times shedding a tear. It was as if she sat next to me pouring out her heart and the joys and difficulties of a life of war. Her words, I found very dear to my heart since I know what a life of a refugee is like and what a life during a war brings to a nation. Throughout the chapters, Princess Ileana became a sister, friend, and a mother to me. Her bravery, her love, and her example as an Orthodox woman amazed me with each chapter. She was a princess with a crown, but not with a modern understanding of what a princess should be. She was a princess with a crown of faith and love. The book illustrates how much she gave and learned for her people and to help those in need. Her duty to her nation is showcased in the book as she fights for her family, her nation and her people during WWII and before she left her Romania. She is a true image of what an Orthodox woman should be, and every young girl and woman should read the words of this saintly princess who spent her life giving and giving. The book also gives a historical count of what was happening in Romania and in Europe during WWII and what war truly does to humanity. But regardless of how much evil there is and all the chaos it creates, Princess Ileana shows that everything will resurrect and truly live again.
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4 people found this helpful
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- CLC
- 07-01-19
Only the first part of her tale
What does New England, and more specifically, Massachusetts, have in common with Romania? They were both considered “home” to Grand Duchess Ileana, Princess of Romania. The autobiography, I Live Again, highlights that while the author had many homes, she had but one earthly homeland.
I listened to this book in its entirety, marveling at the way the story flowed, much like a conversation with a beloved friend. The author was vividly descriptive, allowing visitors (readers and listeners) to visualize exactly what was depicted, whether that was sitting in the kitchen, participating in care for the wounded at a clinic, or standing near a giant Christmas tree. The author wove her tale in a way that engaged my imagination for the past while making me forget that it *was* the past.
This book is an excellent one if you are looking to learn more of Romania, or to know more of the history of the wars and how it affected everyday people. The Grand Duchess, the Princess, WAS truly an “everyday” person. She did not shy away from hard work or from the horrors of wartime care for the wounded. She shared the plight of those who had no good choices and witness decisions made in hope but ending in disappointment.
I do not normally enjoy listening to books read by women, but the narrator’s voice became the voice of Ileana for me. Whether that was the power of the way that Ileana wrote, or whether it was the narrator herself, or the combination, I cannot say, but I forgot after a while that I was not listening to the author herself. I felt she became a friend, because of all she shared.
My only complaint, if I had one, was that this story was not a complete tale - it ended at the beginning of the next part of her life - the time spent in America and all that she was able to do and accomplish here. I wanted more, but will need to read another book to get it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Stephanie
- 02-02-19
Compelling!
Last spring, I visited the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration near Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. The beauty and serenity of the monastery, the prayerful services, and the sisters’ warm hospitality provided a needed respite after a busy Lenten season. It was there that I first learned of Princess Ileana, who in her later years took up a monastic vocation and, as Abbess Mother Alexandra, founded the first English-speaking Orthodox women’s monastery on American soil in the hills of western Pennsylvania. My visit coincided with the 50th year of the monastery’s founding, and with this anniversary I Live Again: A Memoir of Ileana was to be reprinted by Ancient Faith Publishing. Within weeks of its publication, I purchased the book and entered, entranced, into Ileana’s story.
This is not the story of a fairytale princess. Princess Ileana writes passionately, frankly, and compellingly of her country, Romania, and of a royal life intertwined with the stark and frequently brutal realities of World Wars I and II and of the Communist takeover of her country. “Duty was the keyword of my childhood and youth,” Princess Ileana explains. “I was trained to do my duty to my country in all things … to be loyal to family and friends.” It is this sense of duty and loyalty suffused with a deep faith and fervent love for her country, her people, and her family that weaves through tale after amazing tale.
Summing up lessons learned, Princess Ileana confides: “I know now that love and pity, implemented with the will to serve, can transcend all things and work incredible miracles; that one can overcome shyness, fatigue, fear, and even what seems uncontrollable physical repulsion, by a simple overwhelming longing to serve and be of use … I have learned that where there is faith in the Lord, His work can be done.” Written just a few short years after she was exiled from Romania, this is a book of hope – hence the title, I Live Again. The additional material included in this anniversary edition sets the memoir in the context of Mother Alexandra’s later life, accentuating how fully she did indeed “live again.”
I found this book hard to put down; it was like saying farewell to a dear friend when I came to the last pages. So, when the opportunity arose to provide an honest review in exchange for gratis access to the audiobook version of I Live Again I was eager to do so. A second go at the book only deepened my appreciation of Princess Ileana’s storytelling prowess. The narrator reads with feeling and a well-paced cadence, effortlessly pronouncing enigmatic Romanian names. I highly recommend this book: to men and women, to teens and adults, to fans of memoir, to fans of early to mid-twentieth century European history, to admirers of Mother Theresa (for Princess Ileana also gave her life to those in need), to those looking for inspiration from a modern-day saint who persevered through incredible adversity. I know I will be reading and listening to this book again - and sharing it with others!
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- Hsp
- 10-15-19
The pages torn from the history of Romania
I am one of the first generation immigrants who left Romania after the fall of communism and only with time and distance managed to see through the haze of my childhood in communist schools and post communist social democrat propaganda. I am so grateful for this book and story and even bishop’s Nathanael postscript. These are the pages I wish I could have read much earlier, like the pages of the communist prisoners - and may I be worthy of putting them to good use as a Romanian American in this new brave free world. Carry on wherever you may be.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Phoebe Farag Mikhail
- 02-01-19
Fascinating memoir of a fascinating woman
This book is so good I started listening to it again. This is a fascinating memoir of an extraordinary woman's life that spanned World War 1 and World War 2 in Romania. I actually wanted it to continue into her life in the United States after she was exiled from her own country. The narration was superb.
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1 person found this helpful
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- romaniac
- 03-28-19
An appeal for help, an autobiographical account
The story is one of Love, devotion and fight against evil under it's Communist manifestation. Princess Ileana of Romania, later mother Alexandra, writes a beautiful account of her service to her country, her people and her family. She also makes a plea with her book for anyone willing to read her story to help stop the totalitarian communist regime engulfing her country.
The naration was overall done well with only the issue that one who speaks the language (Romanian) may have, in hearing names of places or of people being mispronounced. I wish the narrator had taken more time to learn the proper way to read and announciate those words.
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- Susan Troop
- 05-24-19
Everyone should read or listen to this book!
This is a heart wrenching story of a real Princess struggling to serve her people.
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1 person found this helpful