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Merivel
- A Man of His Time
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
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Publisher's summary
The Restoration is over and Robert Merivel, renowned physician and courtier to Charles II, now faces the anxieties of middle age. Questions crowd his mind: has he been a good father? Is he a fair master? Is he the king’s friend or the king’s slave?
In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honorable future. But back home, his loyalty and medical skill are about to be tested to the limit, while the captive bear he has brought back from France begins to cause havoc...
With a cascade of lace at his neck and a laugh that can burst out of him in the midst of torment, Merivel is soulful, outrageous, and achingly sad. His unmistakable, self-mocking voice speaks directly to us down the centuries. Get ready to laugh, prepare to weep - Robert Merivel is back in Rose Tremain’s magical sequel to Restoration.
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During the reign of Louis XV, impoverished but lovely teenage girls from all over France are sent to a discreet villa in the town of Versailles. Overseen by the King’s favorite mistress, Madame de Pompadour, they will be trained as potential courtesans for the King. When the time is right, each girl is smuggled into the palace of Versailles, with its legendary Hall of Mirrors.
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Fascinating but pedophilia nonetheless.
- By Barbara W. on 05-10-22
By: Eva Stachniak
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Orlando
- By: Virginia Woolf
- Narrated by: Clare Higgins
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Fantasy, love and an exuberant celebration of English life and literature, Orlando is a uniquely entertaining story. Originally conceived by Virginia Woolf as a playful tribute to the family of her friend and lover, Vita Sackville-West, Orlando's central character, a fictional embodiment of Sackville-West, changes sex from a man to a woman and lives throughout the centuries, whilst meeting historical figures of English literature.
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Magical
- By Mayca on 05-31-05
By: Virginia Woolf
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The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
- By: Sandra Gulland
- Narrated by: Kim Handysides
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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In this first of three books inspired by the life of Josephine Bonaparte, Sandra Gulland has created a novel of immense and magical proportions. We meet Josephine in the exotic and lush Martinico, where an old island woman predicts that one day she will be queen. The journey from the remote village of her birth to the height of European elegance is long, but Josephine's fortune proves to be true.
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Performance...ugh
- By Lisa on 02-17-18
By: Sandra Gulland
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The Architect's Apprentice
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Piter Marek
- Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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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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Ophelia
- By: Lisa Klein
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In this re-imagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queens most trusted lady-in-waiting. She catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, and their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and ultimately, Ophelia must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life.
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nice idea, poorly executed
- By Darryl on 06-11-16
By: Lisa Klein
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Mirror Mirror
- By: Gregory Maguire
- Narrated by: John McDonough, Kate Forbes, Barbara Rosenblat, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1502, and seven-year-old Bianca de Nevada lives at Montefiore, the farm of her father, Don Vicente. But one day a noble entourage makes its way up to the farm. In the presence of Cesare Borgia and his sister, the lovely and vain Lucrezia, no one can claim innocence for very long. When Borgia sends Don Vicente on a quest, he leaves Bianca under the care of Lucrezia. She plots a dire fate for the young girl in the woods below the farm, but salvation can be found in the dark forest as well.
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Interesting re-telling of the fairy tale.
- By Patricia on 03-04-10
By: Gregory Maguire
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Tulip Fever
- By: Deborah Moggach
- Narrated by: Rula Lenska
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventeenth-century Amsterdam is a city in the grip of tulip mania, basking in the wealth it has generated. Sophia’s husband Cornelis, an ageing merchant, is among those grown rich from this exotic new flower. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his young bride. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between Sophia and the painter; and as ambitions, desires and dreams breed an intricate deception, their reckless gamble propels their lives towards a thrilling and tragic conclusion.
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Very interesting book
- By Kevin Crumpton on 01-31-17
By: Deborah Moggach
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The Taker
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her...despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort.
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Too dark for my taste
- By Margaret on 05-04-14
By: Alma Katsu
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Pavilion of Women
- By: Pearl S. Buck
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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On her 40th birthday, Madame Wu carries out a decision she has been planning for a long time: she tells her husband that after 24 years their physical life together is now over and she wishes him to take a second wife. The House of Wu, one of the oldest and most revered in China, is thrown into an uproar by her decision, but Madame Wu will not be dissuaded and arranges for a young country girl to come take her place in bed.
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Horrible narration!
- By ClearlyCrystalAnn on 06-17-15
By: Pearl S. Buck
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All the Ever Afters
- The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother
- By: Danielle Teller
- Narrated by: Jane Copland
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In the vein of Wicked, The Woodcutter, and Boy, Snow, Bird, a luminous re-imagining of a classic tale, told from the perspective of Agnes, Cinderella’s "evil" stepmother. We all know the story of Cinderella. Or do we? As rumors about the cruel upbringing of beautiful newlywed Princess Cinderella roil the kingdom, her stepmother, Agnes, who knows all too well about hardship, privately records the true story...
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Not what I was expecting...
- By IonyWinter on 07-15-19
By: Danielle Teller
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OK - nice narration - good characters
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13hrs and 29 minutes out of my life
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OK - nice narration - good characters
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What listeners say about Merivel
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- jane m
- 04-18-21
Great
Downloaded by mistake. Thoroughly enjoy it. Was sorry to fing it was finished. Great reading.
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- Mary Mahan
- 07-20-21
Read “Restoration “ First
….. or you will be lost. Still- I could listen to Merivel and his adventures,woes, achievements forever. The inner-workings of his mind were what interested me most. For all his greed and failings- the tenderest of hearts beat. I enjoyed the narrator of the first book better- UNTIL - it dawned on me that this more serious tone befitted the last half of this story just fine- and his accents are so well done. Read both- historical fiction at its best!
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- Secutor
- 10-12-22
Immersive historical novel
Beautifully plotted, written, and narrated, Merivel brings the last years of the reign of Charles II to life. A fine read.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-01-22
Loved it...3 times so far! WONDERFUL NARRATOR.
Memorable characters and interesting insight into 17th century life in Europe. Excellent historical novel. Be sure to listen to prequel, RESTORATION, prior to this one.
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- JBandFam
- 02-27-21
A sad conclusion to Merival
Read the first book to understand Merival. This book is sad but I think it tells the story of many lives.
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- Barbara L.
- 12-15-22
Someone please make a film based on this book
I don't think I've ever loved a character more than Rose Tremain's Merivel. What a delight to follow him on his life's journey through two books. He's so flawed, hapless and foolish--and utterly endearing, even when he's behaving very badly. It's impressive how the author creates a character who is both inadvertently funny and inadvertently wise.
Wonderful story, wonderful narration.
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- Breanne Malzow
- 05-02-23
Great story!
I enjoyed both books so much! Captivating from beginning to end. A private view into a man's soul.
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- Tess of the D'urbervilles
- 09-03-21
As others have said- read Restoration first
I remember somewhat enjoying the 90s film Restoration, starring Robert Downey Jr. The book, however, is so much better. That said, this is a review for the sequel- Merivel. I listened to this immediately after finishing Restoration. Some readers have remarked on how sad it was. There were lots of very endearing and laugh out loud moments for me, and yes, some parts were a little sad, but that is not a reason to dislike the book. I think Tremain captured the essence of a person who, at the middle to end of his/her/their life is taking stock and reflecting the good, the bad, the embarrassing, the regretful and realizing that while some of it was painful, it all encompasses who they are. I think that is a beautiful and true thing. That, at least, is what I got out of it. But yes, start with Restoration.. and I do recommend reading Merivel right after so that the through line is not lost.
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- Dee W
- 06-15-22
Incredible story and narration
I so loved this audiobook, one of my favorites off all time. If you love historical fiction and lyrical prose, narrated impeccably, you will love this audiobook.
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- 🌟CW_214🌟
- 01-15-22
Excellent
Extremely well-written and highly entertaining.. Going on this journey with this complex and flawed man has been a pleasure through the ups and downs and ALL around. I couldn’t help but root for him and ultimately was sad when it ended. Rose Tremain has a gift with words and Sean Barrett’s performance was perfection.
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