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The Ballad of Les Darcy
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
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The Ballad of Les Darcy
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Editorial reviews
A biography of one of Australia's most intriguing characters, written by one of the nation's most popular authors. Les Darcy was a legendary Australian boxer called to fight during WWI, though he felt duty-bound to stay home and continue working to help his family out of poverty. Caught up in the politics around conscription, he ended up leaving the country, but became an Australian folk hero. Author Peter Fitzsimons provides a poignant take on Darcy's short but fascinating life, while performer Humphrey Bower narrates in a steady, welcoming style.
Publisher's summary
'Put Les Darcy in a uniform and the men of Australia will march to hell behind him.' That was the message Australia's great 'Blacksmith Boxer' was getting, as debate about conscription raged in the middle of World War I.
The problem was that Les Darcy didn't want to march at the fore of such a procession, nor to such a destination. He wanted to continue what he had been doing to extraordinary acclaim before the war began - taking on the best boxers the world could throw at him, and lifting his entire family out of poverty as he did so.
Torn between the duty he felt he owed his family, and the duty many felt he owed his country, Les made his choice and faced the consequences. And so unfolds a ballad of love, war, betrayal, mystery, patriotism and heroism; a ballad of a champion whose story still has the power to move the stoniest heart.
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-
Story5 out of 5 stars 337
Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire. Famously, Liddell would not run on Sunday because of his strict observance of the Christian Sabbath, and so he did not compete in his signature event, the 100 meters, at the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was the greatest sprinter in the world at the time, and his choice not to run was ridiculed by the British Olympic committee, his fellow athletes, and most of the world press.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The challenge of a life lived for God's Glory
- By David on 06-30-16
By: Duncan Hamilton
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Abraham Lincoln
- A Man of Faith and Courage: Stories of Our Most Admired President
- By: Joe Wheeler
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story5 out of 5 stars 36
Author Joe Wheeler brings to this insightful audiobook the knowledge gleaned from over 10 years of study and more than 60 books on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Skillfully weaving his own narrative with direct quotes from Abraham Lincoln and poignant excerpts from other Lincoln biographers, Joe Wheeler brings a refreshingly friendly rendition Lincoln's life, faith and courage.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Retreads
- By J B Tipton on 04-22-09
By: Joe Wheeler
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The Boxing Kings
- When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring
- By: Paul Beston
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 146
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 123
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Story5 out of 5 stars 123
The Boxing Kings tells the story of the heavyweight title in the days when it was a defining institution in the United States. Author Paul Beston places special emphasis on those champions who held a central place in American culture beyond just in the boxing ring, including John L. Sullivan, who made the title a commercial property; Jack Johnson, who in 1908 became the first black man to claim the title; Joe Louis, whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; and many more.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An outstanding book on heavyweight champions
- By LSmith on 02-01-18
By: Paul Beston
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World’s End
- The Lanny Budd Novels, Book 1
- By: Upton Sinclair
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Lanning “Lanny” Budd spends his first 13 years in Europe, living at the center of his mother’s glamourous circle of friends on the French Riviera. In 1913, he enters a prestigious Swiss boarding school and befriends Rick, an English boy, and Kurt, a German. The three schoolmates are privileged, happy, and precocious - but their world is about to come to an abrupt and violent end. When the gathering storm clouds of war finally burst, raining chaos and death over the continent, Lanny must put the innocence of youth behind him.
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3 out of 5 stars
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didn't finish
- By Bird Miller on 05-08-22
By: Upton Sinclair
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Destined to Witness
- Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany
- By: Hans Massaquoi
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 127
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Story5 out of 5 stars 128
What would life be like for a Black boy growing up in Nazi Germany? This unprecedented autobiography answers that question with the spellbinding true story of Hans J. Massaquoi’s life in Hamburg during the height of Hitler’s regime. Hans is the son of a Black Liberian diplomat father and a white German mother. His father returns to Africa at the beginning of the war, leaving them behind in poverty without the means to flee. Within this tense atmosphere, increasingly violent Nazi policies and Allied bombing raids make Hans and his mother’s lives a day-to-day survival struggle.
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3 out of 5 stars
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An important story, marred by lackluster writing.
- By Christopher on 03-04-15
By: Hans Massaquoi
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Triumph
- The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics
- By: Jeremy Schaap
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 176
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 139
In 1936, against a backdrop of swastikas flying and storm troopers looming, an African-American son of sharecroppers set three world records and won an unprecedented four gold medals, single-handedly crushing Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. The story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics Games is that of a high-profile athlete giving a performance that transcends sports. But it is also the intimate and complex tale of the courage of one remarkable man.
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4 out of 5 stars
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race headwinds
- By Andy on 04-26-07
By: Jeremy Schaap
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Grant's Final Victory
- Ulysses S. Grant's Heroic Last Year
- By: Charles Bracelen Flood
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 53
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
Shortly after losing all of his wealth in a terrible 1884 swindle, Ulysses S. Grant learned he had terminal throat and mouth cancer. Destitute and dying, Grant began to write his memoirs to save his family from permanent financial ruin. As Grant continued his work, suffering increasing pain, the American public became aware of this race between Grant's writing and his fatal illness. Twenty years after his respectful and magnanimous demeanor toward Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, people in the North and the South came to know Grant, now using his famous determination in this final effort.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great story, average narration
- By Tad Davis on 04-25-12
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Major Taylor
- The Inspiring Story of a Black Cyclist and the Men Who Helped Him Achieve Worldwide Fame
- By: Conrad Kerber, Terry Kerber
- Narrated by: Barrie Buckner
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 62
In the wake of the Tour de France’s fallen heroes, the story of one of history’s most legendary cyclists provides a much-needed antidote. In 1907 the world’s most popular athlete was not Cy Young or Ty Cobb. Rather, he was a black bicycle racer named "Major” Taylor. In his day, Taylor became a spiritual and athletic idol. He was the fastest man in America and a champion who prevailed over unspeakable cruelty. The men who aided him were among the most colorful to emerge from the era.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great book terrible narrator
- By B. P. H. on 10-31-18
By: Conrad Kerber, and others
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Destiny of the Republic
- A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
- By: Candice Millard
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,451
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,574
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,549
James A. Garfield may have been the most extraordinary man ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back. But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what happened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in turmoil.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Marvelous, Magnificent, Millard
- By Mel on 02-08-12
By: Candice Millard
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Strong Boy
- The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America’s First Sports Hero
- By: Christopher Klein
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 149
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 132
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 131
"I can lick any son of a bitch in the world." So boasted John L. Sullivan, the first modern heavyweight boxing champion of the world, a man who was the gold standard of American sports for more than a decade and the first athlete to earn more than a million dollars. He had a big ego, a big mouth, and even bigger appetites. His womanizing, drunken escapades, and chronic police-blotter presence were godsends to a burgeoning newspaper industry.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Give it a shot!
- By Hank on 05-01-24
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The Left Hand of God
- By: Paul Hoffman
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 356
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 283
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Story4 out of 5 stars 283
The Left Hand of God is the story of 16-year-old Thomas Cale, who has grown up imprisoned at the Sanctuary of the Redeemers, a fortress run by a secretive sect of warrior monks in a distant, dystopian past. He is one of thousands of boys who train all day in hand-to-hand combat, in preparation for a holy war that only the High Priests know is now imminent.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyed every minute
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 09-07-12
By: Paul Hoffman
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The Final Race
- By: Eric T. Eichinger, Eva Marie Everson
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
On July 19, 1924, Eric Liddell was on top of the world. He was the most famous Briton at the time, having just won the gold in the Olympic 400-meter race. The story of that race - and the one he didn't run - was told in the popular movie classic Chariots of Fire. But what most of us don't know is what became of Eric Liddell in the years after the credits rolled. As the storm clouds of World War II rolled in, Liddell's strength of character led him to choose an uncertain future in China during World War II to continue helping the Chinese.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Kept driving just so I could keep listening.
- By Larry Naselli on 10-12-18
By: Eric T. Eichinger, and others
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Unbeaten
- By: Mike Stanton
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 163
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 144
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Story5 out of 5 stars 143
From the best-selling author of The Prince of Providence comes a revelatory biography of Rocky Marciano, the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.The son of poor Italian immigrants, with short arms and stubby legs, Rocky Marciano accomplished a feat that eluded legendary heavyweight champions like Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson: He never lost a professional fight. His record was a perfect 49-0.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Superb book: the full story in great detain
- By John Wood on 08-16-20
By: Mike Stanton
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Killing Jesus
- A History
- By: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Bill O'Reilly
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,569
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,435
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,447
Millions of people have thrilled to best-selling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, works of nonfiction that have changed the way we view history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly 2,000 years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Jesus story in context
- By Kimberly on 10-01-13
By: Bill O'Reilly, and others
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The Churchill Factor
- How One Man Changed History
- By: Boris Johnson
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 669
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 596
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 592
On the 50th anniversary of Churchill's death, Boris Johnson celebrates the singular brilliance of one of the most important leaders of the 20th century. Taking on the myths and misconceptions along with the outsized reality, he portrays - with characteristic wit and passion - a man of contagious bravery, breathtaking eloquence, matchless strategizing, and deep humanity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining Biography
- By Jean on 01-29-15
By: Boris Johnson
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Eureka
- The Unfinished Revolution
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Robert Meldrum
- Length: 22 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
In 1854, Victorian miners fought a deadly battle under the flag of the Southern Cross at the Eureka Stockade. Though brief and doomed to fail, the battle is legend in both our history and in the Australian mind. Henry Lawson wrote poems about it, its symbolic flag is still raised, and even the nineteenth-century visitor Mark Twain called it: "a strike for liberty". Was this rebellion a fledgling nation’s first attempt to assert its independence under colonial rule? Or was it merely rabble-rousing by unruly miners determined not to pay their taxes?
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5 out of 5 stars
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A gentle telling
- By Mr on 01-24-13
By: Peter FitzSimons
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What listeners say about The Ballad of Les Darcy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Grant
- 03-16-09
A great story
A great story. Well worth the credit despite being less than 6 hours long. I normally listen to books to fill in time, but once I started to listen to this, I made the time to hear it through. Only second to The True Story Of The Ned Kelly Gang (available from audible in some regions). Who would have thought an old lock would be capable of this!
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