Riders of the Purple Sage
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Narrated by:
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Ann Richardson
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By:
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Zane Grey
About this listen
One of the most popular Western novel of all time, Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage played an important part in shaping the genre. It features all the crucial elements: adventure and rugged individualism; sex and violence; conflict and crisis; settled town life versus a rugged, wild existence.
Jane Withersteen, a sincere and faithful young Mormon woman, is persecuted by members of her own church. The as yet unmarried Withersteen has inherited a large and rich piece of property from her father. Elder Tull, an older church leader with several wives already, wants to marry her, but she does not want to marry him. She refuses him and is subsequently beset by troubles as Tull and his men wage a secret vindictive campaign against her.
A number of friends, including Bern Venters and Lassiter, a famous gunman, do their best to help Withersteen, but her strong religious convictions blind her to Tull's complicity and compel her to persuade Venters and Lassiter not to kill her adversaries, even as they are slowly ruining her.
Ann M. Richardson's sweet voice, with its hint of a Midwestern accent, is the perfect narrator for this new recording of Riders of the Purple Sage.
©1948 Estate of Betty MacDonald (P)2016 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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A collection of stories from the most famous Western author of all time! Desert Death-Song is a compilation of some of Louis L’Amour’s greatest stories, many of which might otherwise be difficult to find. Whether he was writing under his early pen name, Jim Mayo, or his own, L’Amour’s stories are unforgettable, touching on rough and rugged American ideals, and set in the untamable frontier of the Western United States.
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Best of both
- By Steve K. on 05-04-17
By: Louis L'Amour
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The Lone Ranger Rides
- By: Fran Striker
- Narrated by: Jeff Wiens
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The lifeless bodies of Texas Rangers lay scattered on the floor of Bryant’s Gap. One man, wounded and left for the buzzards, comes back to consciousness and vows to bring the killers to justice. Now known only as the Lone Ranger, this man, his steadfast horse, Silver, and trusted friend, Tonto, set out to bring justice to the men who ambushed him and his fellow rangers.
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Hi-Yo, Silver!
- By Troy on 07-15-13
By: Fran Striker
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The Jewel of Seven Stars
- By: Bram Stoker
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The warning was inscribed on the entrance of the hidden tomb, forgotten for millennia in the sands of mystic Egypt. Then the archaeologists and grave robbers came in search of the fabled Jewel of Seven Stars, which they found clutched in the hand of the mummy. Few heeded the ancient warning, until all who came in contact with the Jewel began to die in a mysterious and violent way, with the marks of a strangler around their neck.
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Mother of all Mummy-Stories
- By Dorothea on 03-15-08
By: Bram Stoker
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The Girl from Montana
- By: Grace Livingston Hill
- Narrated by: Anne Hancock
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Elizabeth is utterly alone in her Montana cabin, shocked by the sudden, brutal death of her brother, the last of her family. His killer has threatened to return and claim her, and she has only one thought: to flee across country to the East and search for relatives she has never known. With the villain and his gang in pursuit, she rides across perilous terrain, encountering those who help her and those who, in their own way, are just as dangerous as the men she is fleeing.
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Wonderful book by Ms hill
- By Martha on 06-07-17
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Marie
- By: H. Rider Haggard
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Allan Quatermain, hero of King Solomon's mines, tells a moving tale of his first wife, the Dutch-born Marie Marais, and the adventures that were linked to her beautiful, tragic history. This moving story depicts the tumultuous political era of the 1830s, involving the Boers, French colonists and the Zulu tribe in the Cape colony of South Africa. Hate and suspicion run high between the home government and the Dutch subjects.
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Confusing narration!
- By Browsing on 02-22-14
By: H. Rider Haggard
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Shadow of the Moon
- By: M. M. Kaye
- Narrated by: Tara Ochs
- Length: 34 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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The author of The Far Pavilions returns us once again to the vast, intoxicating romance of India under the British Raj. Shadow of the Moon is the story of Winter de Ballesteros, a beautiful English heiress come home to her beloved India. It is also the tale of Captain Alex Randall, her protector, who aches to possess her. Forged in the fires of a war that threatens to topple an empire, their tale is the saga of a desperate and unforgettable love that consumes all in its thrall.
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Has always been a great story.
- By Sian on 06-08-14
By: M. M. Kaye
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Lilith
- By: George MacDonald
- Narrated by: Rebecca K. Reynolds
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the story of Mr. Vane, an orphan and heir to a large house - a house in which he has a vision that leads him through a large old mirror into another world. In chronicling the five trips Mr. Vane makes to this other world, MacDonald hauntingly explores the ultimate mystery of evil.
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INACCESSIBLE BOOK BECOMES ACCESSIBLE AND ENJOYABLE
- By Steve on 07-31-19
By: George MacDonald
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Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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A Signature Performance: Kenneth Branagh plays this like a campfire ghost story, told by a haunted, slightly insane Marlow.
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Disgusting Revision
- By Long_Schlong_Silver on 09-27-18
By: Joseph Conrad
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To a God Unknown
- By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott - introduction
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in familiar Steinbeck territory, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God.
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My Favorite Steinbeck; Terrible and Beautiful
- By Michael on 04-28-13
By: John Steinbeck, and others
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American Indian Stories
- By: Zitkala-Sa
- Narrated by: Nancy Lee
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on the life of the author and members of her tribe, these stories provide a revealing glimpse into the world of the Dakota-Sioux at the turn of the last century. Part One is based on the experiences of the author, and describes a young girl growing up in a changing environment. Part Two consists of revealing stories about other members of her tribe.
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The best audio version of this book available!
- By James K on 03-24-21
By: Zitkala-Sa
What listeners say about Riders of the Purple Sage
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com
- 05-07-16
Great Western, Best Version yet
What about Ann M. Richardson’s performance did you like?
She is perfect for this book! Amazing performance!
Any additional comments?
Riders of the Purple Sage is one of the most iconic books in the Western genre. Written by Zane Grey and published in 1912, this adventure on the American Frontier was his bestselling work. Last month we’ve seen the release of a new audiobook version performed for the first time by a female narrator, Ann M. Richardson.
The story follows Jane Withersteen, a young and faithful Mormon woman who is persecuted by members of her own confession. Being the recipient of a huge inheritance from her father, Jane finds herself in a lot of troubles because a powerful man in the Mormon community wants her to be his wife, but she loves someone else and here the problems start.
I won’t go more than this into the plot, suffice to say that the story is filled with love, adventures, great characters, sex, romance, gunfights and a few mysteries. I was a little taken aback by some of the sex scenes, didn’t know authors in the 1900s will go into such levels of detail when it came to carnal pleasures. But, I guess that I can see why this was a defining book for the genre.
There are some really well developed characters that I enjoyed very much. , like Jane herself, the gunslinger Lacitter and Burn Venters. Also the author describes the American Frontier in such vividness that you feel like you are physically there and seeing it all with your own two eyes.
There are a lot of audiobook versions of Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey but I consider this to be the best! Ann M. Richardson delivers an amazing performance, bringing this story to life in ways nobody did before. First, the main character is a woman and the role fits Ann life a glove. With her calm, sweet and worm voice, touched by a Midwestern accent Ann M. Richardson caries the listener to times long forgotten, to times of adventure, love and honor.
She acts the story when needed, performing every scene with passion, bringing the drama to an entirely new level and I was impressed to see how well she differentiates the characters in the reader’s mind, females and males alike. On her website Ann M. Richardson sais: Let me tell you a story, and I will do it in such a way you will forget where you’re sitting… and you know what? She is absolutely right!
I am really glad I had the opportunity to listen to this amazing recording and to live this thrilling adventure after more than 100 years after it was published. Riders of the Purple Sage is the proof that some stories never age and it stood the test of time like not to many books can.
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20 people found this helpful
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- Midwestbonsai
- 06-20-16
There is no separation of church and state
Riders of the Purple Sage is a classic western from author Zane Grey. It was published in 1912 and has remained in print and popular to this day. The story is set in 1871 in the Utah territory. There is no separation of church and state. The Mormon church and it’s patriarchal society hold all power.
The main character Jane is very non-traditional for the time period and for Mormon women. She is unmarried in her late twenties. She is also wealthy because of inheriting her father’s estate. She further defies convention by refusing to marry one of the Mormon elders in the area who demand she get in line with church teachings. Worst of all, in the eyes of her Mormon neighbors, is her belief in treating all men, whether Mormon or Gentile (non-Mormon) with equal dignity.
Her property is very valuable since it has a reliable water source. Her horses are also well known and sought after. Elder Tull wants to marry her, her wealth equal in his eyes to her beauty. The local Bishop, Dyer, supports Tull in his attempt to make Jane into a respectable Mormon wife. When Jane does not jump at the chance to become another of Tull’s wives, Tull and Dyer set about forcing her by attacking her Gentile ranch hands. Without her trusted hands, Jane cannot keep the ranch functioning.
As Jane continues to fight for what she feels is right and not what the Mormon men tell her is right, help comes from an unexpected and very dangerous source. Lassiter, a gunman known for his antipathy towards Mormons and accused of killing several Mormon men, arrives at Jane’s ranch. His reputation proceeds him and causes the to resort to even more violence in an attempt to force Jane into marriage.
Lassiter is an anti-hero. He is a man who has willingly killed other men. He has a very open hatred of all things Mormon. Yet he demonstrates more honor than the religious men trying to rob Jane of her independence and wealth. The pairing of a gunslinger and a Mormon woman drive the plot to an unexpected and thrilling conclusion.
I enjoyed the book, the first Zane Grey I have read or listened to. My only disappointment was it took Jane so long to realize that the Elder and Bishop were not motivated by religion but by greed. She was naive. Other than that, all the characters were well rounded.
I had previously listened to the version narrated by Mark Bramhall. I was interested to hear the book narrated by a woman, Ann M. Richardson. Different narrators can bring different tones or emphasis to the same book. I was very interested whether the gender of the narrator would affect the story itself. I found the gender of the narrator in this particular instance did not make a difference. Ms. Richardson did a very fine job of narrating the book. After listening to the same passages read by the two different narrators, I found I enjoyed them both. If this is an edge at all, it goes to Ms. Richardson. Her voice is very pleasant and she handles the range of voices, male/female, very well.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog
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10 people found this helpful
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- DG1939
- 05-02-17
Many memories
Would you listen to Riders of the Purple Sage again? Why?
Grey's books were wonderful to read and the standard all others should be held up to, but to be able to listen to someone else to read them and bring them alive is certainly a joy and yes I will listen to it again.
What other book might you compare Riders of the Purple Sage to and why?
Unless it would be another of Grey's books I can't compare it to anything.
What does Ann M. Richardson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
To be able to close your eyes and visualize the countryside, the heartbreak, and action his characters experience as it is being read is great.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes and no. It was wonderful to hear and get involved in while wondering what to next words would bring; yet knowing it would be just as exciting when you started it again.
Any additional comments?
I first read this book in hardback in 1958 as I waited to take my girlfriend (then wife now) to school. The book belonged to her Mother and when she noticed me reading it, I became her favorite. I read several others of his, all three of his about the Zane's in Ohio are my favorites, as I waited and while I looked forward to seeing my girl I sure did hate to put the book down.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Reed family
- 04-23-19
We listened for less than 5 minutes
We listened for less than 5 minutes. The voice of the reader is high pitched. For us it was unpleasant. We downloaded a different reading and enjoyed the book. To me her voice was annoying.
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