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The King's Concubine
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 17 hrs and 2 mins
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The King's Concubine
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Summary
One marriage. Three people. Proud king. Loving wife. Infamous mistress.
1362. Philippa of Hainault selects a young orphan from a convent. Alice Perrers, a girl born with nothing but ambition. The Queen has a role waiting for her at court. 'I have lifted you from nothing Alice. Now you repay me.' Led down the corridors of the royal palace, the young virgin is secretly delivered to King Edward III - to perform the wifely duties of which ailing Philippa is no longer capable. Power has a price, and Alice Perrers will pay it.
Mistress to the King. Confidante of the Queen. Whore to the court. Her fate is double-edged; loved by the majesties, ostracised by her peers. Alice must balance her future with care as her star begins to rise - the despised concubine is not untouchable. Politics and pillow talk are dangerous bedfellows. The fading great King wants her in his bed. Her enemies want her banished. One mistake and Alice will face a threat worse than any malicious whispers of the past.
Critic reviews
"One of the best writers around...she outdoes even Philippa Gregory." (The Sun)
"Her writing is highly evocative of the time period...O'Brien has produced an epic tale." (Historical Novel Society)
"Anne O'Brien's novels give a voice to the 'silent' women of history." (Yorkshire Post)
"Once again O'Brien proves herself a medieval history magician, conjuring up a sizzling, sweeping story." (Lancashire Evening Post)
"An exciting and intriguing story of love and historical politics. If you enjoy Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir you will love Anne O'Brien." (We Love This Book)
"A brilliantly researched and well-told story; you won't be able to put this book down." (Candis)
"A fast-paced historical drama that is full of suspense." (Essentials)
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What listeners say about The King's Concubine
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Di D
- 15-05-19
Interesting
To hear a story from the point of view of the kings mistress was refreshing but I felt the book was over long and it didn’t hold my interest all the way through. It is set in such a wonderful and colourful period of history and the various figures were portrayed very well.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jo-e Telfer
- 04-12-22
The king's concubine.
I've read the book, Alice perrers an unconventional woman of her era,owning so many lands and property's,but became to powerful and had many enemies,I try to read between the lines,was she plain?I kind of admire her.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tahira
- 14-11-16
Wonderful book, wonderfully read.
Would you listen to The King's Concubine again? Why?
I would listen again because it's such an intricate tale that there are sure to be things you miss with the first hearing.
What did you like best about this story?
The characters are well fleshed out.
What about Sophie Aldred’s performance did you like?
Pleasant engaging voice conveyed the feelings of the characters well.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The Kings death bed scene had me crying too..
Also, when they took everything she had accrued legitimately and banished her.
Her husbands loyalty.
Any additional comments?
Interesting story about a woman I had hardly had knowledge of prior to this.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer McCarrick
- 21-06-20
Good subject, but needed a good editor
Interesting story, but it was far longer than it needed to be, and quite repetitive in places.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jules
- 13-04-18
Fantastic read
Would you consider the audio edition of The King's Concubine to be better than the print version?
The reader was brilliant...her voice really added to the story and the characters came alive.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The King's Concubine?
I loved the way the reader portrayed Alice’s voice. She made their seem so young and vulnerable, yet at the same time you knew that this girl could take control.
Which character – as performed by Sophie Aldred – was your favourite?
Alice,
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, I read it on a beach in the Maldives while sun bathing over a week.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S A Eden-Ellis
- 27-03-19
Thoroughly enjoyable
A brilliant story telling a rarely heard take - and well read by the narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- milly d
- 14-07-19
Beautiful 😍 wished I listened with my robes and wine 🍷
Beautiful. audio hopes I enjoyed this I more than enjoyed beautifully read I was there i in the hallss scorning mistress peeres , cursing her enermies willing her and championing for her fourtnues I will be reading her books again and hoping I get this reader
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Heather Law
- 25-06-20
Fantastic
Sophie Aldred gives a magnificent performance, you'd almost think there was a full cast sometimes, her voices are so vivid!
Anne O'brien succeeds in making a rather unsympathetic protagonist still capture the reader's imagination, and by the end you're willing her on, even though her self sabotage.
I'll admit to a few tears here and there too.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- suds
- 11-11-20
Anne O'Brien
love this book as well as all of Anne O'Brien books the narrator is very clever with her accents for different characters
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- T P Stephenson
- 26-08-17
A great and compelling listen
If you could sum up The King's Concubine in three words, what would they be?
An engaging tale based in the facts of history
What does Sophie Aldred bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
a sympathetic and consistent character represntation by voice
Any additional comments?
Highly entertaining and it enticed me to look up historical facts that came up along the way
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