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Child of the Phoenix

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Child of the Phoenix

By: Barbara Erskine
Narrated by: Ffion Aynsley
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About this listen

The child whose hands would hold three crowns is born in fire.

In 1218 an extraordinary princess is born. Her mystical powers and unquenchable spirit will alter the course of history.

Raised by her fiercely Welsh nurse to support the Celtic cause against the predatory English king, Princess Eleyne is taught to worship the old gods and to look into the future and the past. However, unable to identify time and place in her terrifying visions, she is powerless to avert forthcoming tragedy…

Despite impassioned resistance, Eleyne’s world is shaped by powerful men – but her tempestuous life and loves tie her to the destinies of England, Scotland and Wales…

©2009 Barbara Erskine (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Classics Genre Fiction Medical Metaphysical & Visionary Psychological War & Military Royalty
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Shame about the lazy narrating. All voices are read the same; men, women, children, adults, king, peasant. It's hard to tell at times who's talking. All emotions are read the same; anger, happiness, fear, whispering, shouting, they all sound the same, the same tone. All characters speak in the same accent, a northern one maybe, except for a few appalling attemps of Scottish and French ones. I expected proper Welsh accent at least from a Welsh narrator. Massive disappointment. The articulation could also be clearer. It's like the narrator is too tired to open her mouth to enunciate properly.

Magnificent writing

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Over the years I have read all of Barbara Erskine’s books apart from this one. I’ve owned a hardback copy since its first publication but, for some reason, despite numerous attempts, I couldn’t get past the first few chapters.
Having it as an audiobook changed everything.
It’s every bit as good as all of the other books and I devoured it. The historical detail is astonishing, tying in, as it does nicely, with Kingdom of Shadows.
My only niggle is with the narration. Whilst being excellent overall, I find it a bit annoying when well known and familiar words are pronounced incorrectly by the narrator. Just my own opinion but irritating to an English purist.

Enthralling

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I have loved learning Scotland’s history and can’t wait to continue it in the next book.

Brilliant Story

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It was a good listen. Beautifully read and great story but so sad especially the cruelty towards women and children. Nothing changes

Sadness

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I absolutely adore Barbara Erskine’s works. She provides such a level of detail that keeps my interest from beginning to end. Her books are well-researched, capturing the times they depict, and the stories are twisty and exciting. Each book is a page-turner, and I often found myself going back to re-read sections to ensure I didn’t miss any part of the narrative.

A jolly good read.

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