Absolutely recommended

A marvellous story, with excellent characters and plot weaved together with skill. The end, though inevitable contained intrigue and excitement leading to, personally, regret that we would learn what would happen to this new loving family, predicted to be affected by the final scene. I would like more!

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4 people found this helpful

Holds the listener

I really enjoyed this book. Not only for the characters that were encountered along the way - but I also learnt something about the Civil War.

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11 people found this helpful

Brilliant

One of the best audio books I’ve listened to. Highly recommended. Now going to look for more from the author.

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Compelling

This feels more like a dramatised history than a novel in the usual sense of the word. Certainly a great deal could be cut out without losing anything of the ‘story’ of the protagonists. Having said that, I love history and so this was a fascinating insight into the Civil War through the eyes of characters I cared about, which made even a novel of this length absorbing and fascinating.

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Wonderful

A great mixture of history and drama. Well drawn characters with some well plotted storylines. It was long but not long enough! And voiced as would be expected from the great Sean Barrett.

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Would definately recommend

Highly enjoyable. Great value. Maybe the story was a bit slow moving at times. I definately feel I learnt quite a lot about the Civil War.

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5 people found this helpful

A wonderful story set during the English Civil War

This novel is a departure from Lindsey Davis's Falco series and gives an excellent description of life during the Civil War with much historical research. A truly memorable book.

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Superb historical storytelling

This is a tale of the English Civil War told from the points of view of a handful of fictional characters living through events which really happened. Lindsey Davis' research and attention to detail is brilliant; so too is the way she has drawn these characters from all sides of the political and religious spectrum (as well as some with no politics or religion, just the wish to survive). The start is a tiny bit slow, only because there's so much to introduce. Don't be put off because what follows is just fascinating, as well as all the other things you want a good story to be: compelling narrative, funny, sad, historically detailed etc. I've really, really enjoyed my nearly 30 hours in the company of these characters and with the perfect narration of Sean Barrett. (He could have read it backwards and it would still have been a joy.)

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Engrossing experience

A meticulously researched and enthralling study of the English Civil War and its impact upon those involved and those affected by the long conflict. Sean Barrett’s narration was expertly pitched; somber but powerful.

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A masterwork by an excellent author

Sean Barrett with his usual clarity delivering a tale that weaves through a potentially complicated period with sure-footed grace. The events of this momentous time provide both backdrop and catalyst to superbly rendered characters, whom we watch develop utterly believably in response. Lindsey Davis has an outstanding grasp of the historical detail and its implications but never lets it overwhelm the storyline, and the result is an excellently paced tale.

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