Isabel Hart is afraid of two things, the maze at Trencarrow where she got lost as a young child, and the lake where her brother David saved her from drowning in a boating accident. With her twenty-first birthday and the announcement of her engagement imminent, Isabel decides it is time for her to face her demons and ventures into the maze. There she sees something which will alter her perceptions of herself and her family forever.
The house party gathers and as more secrets are revealed, Isabel doubts she has chosen the right man, although her future fiancé has more vested in this marriage than Isabel realizes and has no intention of letting her go easily.
Will Isabel be able to put her preconceptions of marriage behind her and take charge of her own life, or is she destined to be controlled by others and a past she cannot break away from?
We’ve gotten lucky lately with some lovely reviews from around the web, and thought we’d share a couple of our recent favourites with you. Since we turn all kinds of red from gushing at kind words, to restore our humility, we’re offering a chance to win up to 3 titles of your choice (between now and February 10, 2012). Read to the bottom of the post for details. And to those who’ve taken the time to listen and review our titles, thank you. If you’re a blogger, Goodreads member, or reviewer, feel free to contact Miette for review copies of any Iambik title.
Audiobook listeners who heard E.J. Newman’s recent reading of Graham Storrs’ Timesplash will no doubt be well aware of her ability to draw the listener in to the narrative of a well-written tale.
A further release, a collection of 25 short stories entitled From Dark Places not only gives the author another platform to display her capabilities as an excellent storyteller and but also as a writer.
E.J. Newman’s approach as a writer is captivating, far from taking a one-dimensional stance, she approaches her subject by thinking outside the box and making each tale in the collection different.
The interpretation by Ruth Golding captivated my attention from the get go. Ms. Golding’s seasoned voice and accurate interpretations of the characters lend the perfect ambiance to the novel. The distinctive male voices are impressive as well as the different tones she applies to give the novel the authenticity that nicely brings the story to life.
Ms. Golding is a new- to me narrator, but one I’m not planning to shy away from in the future.
Trencarrow Secret could be described as Gothic, but it doesn’t take place in the traditional Gothic setting. Trencarrow is an open and airy mansion filled with the Harts’ friends and relations all congregating for Isabel’s twenty-first birthday. The Gothic moodiness is in Isabel’s mind, where her fears cast a shadow over everything and everyone…
Ruth Golding does a fabulous job. Her older-sounding voice lends a feel of nostalgia to the story, as if Isabel is thinking back to her time in Trencarrow.
My point is: Death of a Nationalist has all the strength and authenticity of a novel written in the 1930′s. The writing style, historical details and psychology of the narrative reminded me so much of Nada by Carmen Laforet that I completely mistook Pawel for a contemporary. There is an immediacy to the events and opinions, an absence of hindsight, that I thought would be hard to create so long after the fact.
Elizabeth Klett, who narrates Death of a Nationalist, does a great job. Her character voices are nuanced, each is imbued with subtle individuality. I’ll definitely be listening to more of her work.
I read, er, listened to this book over the past day. This was my first ever audio book and it was life changing. The book itself was incredible. Matthew Johnson creates a world full of wonder and and excitement. And the world is very vivid.
Now review time. Shi Jin, and a group of convicts, are sent to a world to terraform and colonize it. However, as Shi Jin soon discovers that not is all that it seems to be. After the appearance of some mysterious creatures Shi Jin and the other convicts enter into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but who is the cat and mouse? Wait, is that a dog? Now they are playing Dog-Cat-Mouse. Now things have gotten complicated. Who will prevail?
I listened to this book as read by Emma Newman and let me just say that she did an amazing job. Emma has change my opinion on audio books. She has an amazing voice for reading these kinds of books.
Sounds good, right? So how about trying to win a few? Enter using the widget below to win your choice of Iambik titles. We have one grand prize of three books of your choice, and two second prizes worth 1 audiobook each. Good luck!
This week, we continue in our efforts to charm, woo, wine, dine, dote on, seduce, beguile, and romance you. You’ll either be swept off your feet by the tempestuous Greek adventures of Andreas and Kizzy in Storm’s Heart, or slowly work up the courage to fall completely for Isabel Hart in Trencarrow Secret. But don’t torture yourselves over this decision – when it comes to audiobooks, you should love them all. Here’s more:
Trencarrow Secretby Anita Davison. Narrated by Ruth Golding. Published in print by MuseitUp Publishing. ” Each chapter is more tempting than the one before it. Fans of eloquent and meaningful romantic historical fiction will want to savour every word. Not only are the historical details well presented, but the love story that unfolds is exhilarating and stunning.” Mirella Patzer – Historical Novel Review Blog
Storm’s Heartby Rachel Lyndhurst. Narrated by E.J. Newman. Published in print by Salt Publishing. “This is contemporary romance that will take you on an exciting adventure … Storm’s Heart explores the path to love for Andreas and Kizzy with great scenery and well drawn characters. Storm’s Heart should be the book on the top of your To Be Read list.” — Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
Don’t forget to enter our birthday giveaway for a chance to win a big pile of audiobooks!
Audiobook reviewers, book bloggers, and Iambik ambassadors, email Miette for review copies of any title.
Here’s Ruth Golding, narrator most recently of the audiobook of Kirsty Riddiford’s Ben and the Book of Prophecies (published in print by HandE Publishers), answering my 5 questions for Iambik’s narrators, proofreaders, and other purveyors of fine audiobook amusements. I don’t know about you, but for me, Ruth’s voice is so distinctive, and so melodious, that even her words on the web browser seem to spill right off the screen in her voice.
All our titles, including Ben and the Book of Prophecies and other titles narrated by Ruth, can be purchased at a 50% discount by entering #jiam2011 at checkout through the end of June 2011.
Miette Elm: First off, what are you up to? What titles have you recently wrapped, what are you in the middle of, and how’s it going?;
Narrator Ruth Golding
Ruth Golding: Iambik has recently released Ben and the Book of Prophecies by Kirsty Riddiford, and I’m in the middle of recording Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison, a historical romance with a twist. It always takes me a long time to get going – the characters have to live in my head for a while before I feel able to “be” them.
In my other “life” I have just released The Wonderful Garden, one of E. Nesbit’s lesser known children’s books, for LibriVox.org, and finished recording The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (it’s in the Public Domain in Europe) for a new site, to be launched soon.
ME: Anything stand out as the funniest or strangest sentence you’ve recorded? RG: Just occasionally, something that looks fine on the printed page sounds hilarious when read aloud. This is my favourite:
“A cock crowed, blending with the church bells and Philippe’s hoarse breathing beside her.” I still can’t say it aloud without snorting with laughter.
ME: Care to share one of the more colourful compliments you’ve received about your voice or narration talents? RG: I get a lot of comments on my blog, and although I know what this lady meant, it still makes me chuckle: “I wonder, where that magic town is in which people speak like you“. But the one that really had me up in the clouds was “You put your everlasting signature to human culture.” Keep the comments coming, listeners. I love ’em!
ME: What are the world’s top 5 sounds? What are the worst? RG: TOP:
1. Bach’s Mass in B minor (does that count?)
2. Django Reinhardt’s guitar
3. The silence of the night
4. A blackbird singing
5. The gentle ripple of a calm sea
WORST:
1. Crying
2. Police/ambulance sirens
3. My computer fan
4. Car alarms
5. Chalk on a blackboard
ME: Of any book ever published, what’s your dream title to narrate (even if your voice wouldn’t be a good match)? RG: It often seems that the books I want to record most are written from a male perspective in the first person – perhaps their very unattainability is what makes them so desirable to me. What a treat it would be to record The Insult by Rupert Thomson. His prose is exquisite; the dream-like quality of his writing is haunting.
Get Ben and the Book of Prophecies, narrated by Ruth Golding, at a 50% discount by entering #jiam2011 when prompted at checkout through the end of June 2011. This discount applies to all our titles, including Ruth’s other Iambik projects:
It’s Behind You, by Keith Temple, “a story about fame, megalomania, and murder”
The Edge of Eden, by Helen Benedict, “a page-turner, brimming with jealousy, sex, and deception in this ominous Eden”
