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The Fatal Crown
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 23 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction
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Summary
Against the seething political intrigues of 12th-century Europe, two royal heirs will surrender to passion as they vie for the most glittering, treacherous prize of all: the English throne
At nine, Maud, an English princess, was sent to Germany to become the bride of the Holy Roman Emperor - a political alliance with a man her father’s age. At 25, the widowed Maud must marry once again, this time to 14-year-old Geoffrey Plantagenet. But it is with Stephen of Blois, Maud’s fiercest rival for the British throne, that the headstrong princess discovers the true meaning of desire.
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What listeners say about The Fatal Crown
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Stuart McGowan
- 11-01-21
I struggled to finish this dreary story
It seemed more of a badly written romantic fantasy than historical fiction. Also the narration was very poor. Mangled every accent and made it unpleasant to listen to.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-06-18
Interesting and captivating.
At first I found the narrator a bit off putting, but once I got into it, she was very good and extremely clear with the different roles. I loved the historical content and the realism. Will continue on to read more by this Authoress.
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- Wendy
- 01-06-14
Need to upgrade the background
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Seems that the need for accuracy in historical detail is more important today as readers have been treated to high quality, well-researched books. Sadly missing here.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Really its just the everyday background detail
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- Purchaser
- 26-12-16
Great!
Lots of intrigue. A great book for anyone that likes embellished historical novels. I was disappointed when it ended.
2 people found this helpful
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- Natasha
- 13-03-14
Maybe better in print?
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I could not finish it. I felt the reading was entirely too over-dramatic. Very actor-y. I was so distracted by the reader that I could not enjoy the story.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Having read about Matilda (Maud) and Stephen before, I was interested to hear another take on their story. I'm a bit skeptical about the romance plotline, but, who knows?
How could the performance have been better?
See above - WAY too emotive.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Doubtful.
Any additional comments?
Too bad. Maybe I'll try again with a print version?
6 people found this helpful
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- N.B. Figueroa
- 10-10-19
Excellent listen, highly recommend.
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was very entertaining and engaging in how she captured the essence of each character. Being a woman, of course I was delighted by the aspect of love between Maude and Stephen. I also found it to be very educational about England's rich history of events I wouldn't have otherwise learned about.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 11-04-17
Not overly romantisized
Entertaining and educational, in that order. SO based on the assumption that Henry was sired by Steven he would actually have been a Norman.
2 people found this helpful
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- madameEmily
- 26-05-22
Good Story But A Bit Far-fetched
I enjoyed listening to this book immensely. However, some aspects are a little absurd, mainly Henry's paternity and Maud's overly romantic nature towards her cousin. That being said, I understand this is historical 'fiction' and it really was a greatly entertaining book.
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- Violet Yates- Author
- 23-12-21
Well written
I wish the author would not have included all the sex scenes. I didn't enjoy them. Had to skip past them. It took away from the story. Also, I thought the idea that Maud had a love affair with Stephen of Blois to be farfetched, and that Henry II was their child. Henry had the famous Plantagenet temper. But I realize this is fiction so it was entertaining.