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The Conquering Family
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
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In this exquisite biography, John Gardner brings to life Geoffrey Chaucer, illuminating his writings and their inspiration like never before. Through exhaustive research and expert storytelling, Gardner takes readers through Chaucer’s varied career - from writing The Canterbury Tales to performing diplomatic work at the Parliament - and creates a fully realized portrait of an author whose work would remake the English language forever. Written with passion and insight, this a must-listen for those interested in Chaucer and the medieval time period.
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Good book, but quoted passages are in Old English
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The Turbulent Crown
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- By: Roland Hui
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
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Ten remarkable women. One remarkable era. In the Tudor period, 1485 to 1603, a host of fascinating women sat on the English throne. The dramatic events of their lives are told in The Turbulent Crown: The Story of the Tudor Queens.
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a very good listen
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The Dark Queens
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Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet - in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport - these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe.
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Fascinating & Long Overdue
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Defenders of the Faith
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- Unabridged
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In the best-selling Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston Jr. limned two epochal conflicts between Islam and Christendom. Here he examines the ultimate battle in that centuries-long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and Islam on the attack. This drama was propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Turkish sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Though they represented two colliding worlds, they were remarkably similar.
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Good account of interesting period of history
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Suleiman the Magnificent: Sultan of the East
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Suleiman the Magnificent is the story of the Ottoman Turks' greatest leader. He came to power at the early age of 25 in 1520. Before his death in 1566, he had altered the power structure and geography of Eastern Europe, and Turkey had become the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean. Suleiman's reign would mark the high tide of Turkish power in Asia Minor and Europe.
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A Great look into Suleiman The Magnificent & the Ottoman Empire
- By L Young on 08-14-19
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Henry IV
- The Righteous King
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- Length: 22 hrs and 15 mins
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The talented, confident, and intelligent son of John of Gaunt, Henry IV started his reign as a popular and charismatic king after he dethroned the tyrannical and wildly unpopular Richard II. But six years into his reign, Henry had survived eight assassination and overthrow attempts. Having broken God's law of primogeniture by overthrowing the man many people saw as the chosen king, Henry IV left himself vulnerable to challenges from powerful enemies about the validity of his reign. Even so, Henry managed to establish the new Lancastrian dynasty and a new rule of law.
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Detailed and compelling
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Henry V
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This insightful look at the life of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt casts new light on a period in history often held up as legend. A great English hero, Henry V was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. Here, noted historian and biographer Ian Mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, historically accurate, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human.
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Accessible, grounded, enjoyable
- By Justa Guy on 04-10-18
By: Ian Mortimer
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What listeners say about The Conquering Family
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- peter
- 03-31-19
Entertaining History
TBC writes well and easily of any historical period and the Plantagenets give him lots of scope for his sort of fireside depiction of historical events. David Case as a narrator can be hard work as he often seems to read without understanding and has an unlikeable accent and a grating edge to his voice.
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Overall
- Peter
- 01-20-09
An Entrancing History of the Early Plantegenets
The Conquering Family is the first of Costain's four volume history of the Plantagenets. It covers the founding of the dynasty, the rise and fall of Henry II, Richard the Lion-Heart and King John (a king so bad no king has been named John since).
This is a fabulous introduction to Medieval English history. Here's hoping that they include the other three books soon.
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24 people found this helpful
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- Frederick J. Kassis
- 11-08-21
Engrossing
The narrator does Thomas Costain's magnificent work justice.
Costain places one in England!
Superbly written!
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Overall
- Kindle Customer
- 10-14-19
Thrilled to see Costain's series on Audible BUT...
I have loved the Plantagenet saga from Thomas B Costain since I was a child, so I was happy to see them offered on Audible. However, the narrator's voice is so *affected*, it is difficult to enjoy this classic. It puts me in a quandary as to whether to purchase the next three books. I am very disappointed in the reader, but not in the book itself. The book itself is delightful, bringing personality to what may have otherwise been stale old history.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Wolfpacker
- 12-09-14
Good Overview
This book does move quickly from the beginning, and I feared I would loose track of the many players. I printed out a family tree of the Plantagenets; I HIGHLY recommend you do the same. With that in hand, the book was much easier to follow. Re the narrator, I disagree with the prevalent view; Case is an expressive reader despite his apparent pomposity.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Michael
- 02-19-13
Absolutely the best
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. If one is interested in English history, this book is a must. The research by Costain is very detailed and brings the participants alive.
What did you like best about this story?
Family intrigue.
What does David Case bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Mr Case's narrative give the story texture.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not really as I wanted to absorb the many superbly researched details.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Eve Howard
- 07-18-17
The ugly truth behind the glorious legends
Would you consider the audio edition of The Conquering Family to be better than the print version?
Didn't read the print version.
What did you like best about this story?
Crisp, colorful, focused narrative, packed with historical facts, peopled with living, breathing characters, shocking, exciting, sad and fascinating.
What about David Case’s performance did you like?
He was a superb reader, one of the very best in the world. He elevated whatever he read, but as always, excels to the highest degree when he starts with good material.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Of course not!
Any additional comments?
The legend of Richard the Lion heart falls to pieces with this view of a rotten, selfish adventurer, in it for the glory and willing to drain every drop of labor, cash and blood from his people in the attempt. One of the worst things that ever happened to England.
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Overall
- Richard
- 02-04-10
Good treatment of pivotal characters
The Plantagenets were some the greatest figures of the West in a critical period. They stretched from Henry II to Henry V--a period of nearly 500 years that included not only the Henry's but the Richard's and the early Edward's, and that saw the development of much of the foundation for Western Democracy. Costain's writing is vivid and always interesting. Great history
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Olga
- 12-31-10
Importance of the voices
While the book is a great introduction to British history, I find David Case's voice unappealing. I have had a hard time trying to cope with it.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Gordon Gray
- 08-29-22
Very entertaining history!
This book is well written and well-performed! I knew that George RR Martin used the War of the Roses as a basis for his Song of Ice and Fire series, e.g. Stark = York and Lannister = Lancaster, but I didn't realize how much more history from the Plantagenets he pulled. For example, William Longchamps was a scheming dwarf that acted as "Hand of the King" for Richard the Lionhearted. In fact, Mr. Martin cited Mr. Costain's series as inspiration for his "Fire and Blood" history of the Targaryens! I will listen to the rest of this series!
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