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  • Rebels and Traitors

  • By: Lindsey Davis
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 29 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (164 ratings)
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Rebels and Traitors

By: Lindsey Davis
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Summary

Set against the terrible struggle of the English Civil War, Rebels and Traitors is the story of how this turbulent era effected everyone, from rich to poor, and the hopes and dreams that carried them through years of deprivation, bloodshed and terror.

When Gideon Jukes and Juliana Lovell, who are on opposites sides of the struggle, meet during one of the era’s most crucial events, their mutual attraction brings the comfort and companionship for which they both have yearned. But the flowering of radical thought collapses; its failure leads to endless plots and strange alliances. And shadows from the past threaten them individually and together in their hard-won peace.

Like Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind and John Jakes’ North and South, Lindsey Davis brings to life a turbulent time through the stories of those who struggled, fought, lived and loved on all sides of a defining and devastating time.

©2009 Lindsey Davis (P)2014 Audible Studios

Critic reviews

"Davies is a prolific and popular writer, with a wide following for her thrillers set in the classical world. This is something different, large-scale and very ambitious. The word "epic" is overused, but this book deserves it. Davies never forgets that this is not the "English" civil war, but a conflict fought in Wales, Ireland and Scotland as well ... Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening" (Hilary Mantel, The Observer)

What listeners say about Rebels and Traitors

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

An epic tale

This is a very ambitious book.
Several parallel strands of narrative plot the entire course of the Civil War and its
Aftermath. There is some very good writing and harrowing but convincing accounts of the brutalisation of civilians and military carnage. The book examines the feckless Stuarts, and the colossal suffering brought about by their sense of divine entitlement and disregard for the social contract.
The religious intolerance and radical politics of the different political factions are also well described. Human interest is maintained by personal stories and well drawn descriptions of domestic life and manners. I listened to this colossal work in very long stretches which reflects the quality of the writing and the superb narration. It could very easily have been a series of books.
I would have benefitted from a map of the Civil War and a list of the characters
Mentioned. It goes a long way to restore
A sense of the serious issues at stake after so many tales of romantic royalist exploits.
I think the last part of the book relies rather heavily on coincidence but many disparate threads are ingeniously tied up in the process.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Magnificent.

I like the Falco stories, but they are light-hearted fun and here Lindsey Davis strikes a more serious note. Her cast of characters is wide and gives natural scope for exploring all sorts of angles in the war. Great battles, the putney debates, Cromwell in Ireland, the Levellers, The New Model, Fairfax, The King's execution, the rump parliament and a scores of other things are all easily explained alongside the stories of her magnificent cast.This book gives life to the ideas, hopes, motivations and dreams of the men and women alive in the English civil war. I have listened with great pleasure to all 29 hrs.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Holds the listener

I really enjoyed this book. Not only for the characters that were encountered along the way - but I also learnt something about the Civil War.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

took a few false starts but finally I got into it

so this book is a tough one. I really like Lindsey Davis but the style of rebels and traitors is very history textbookesque. I found Sean Barrett's voice at first also incredibly boring and much too slow so I did let this one slide a few times. Finally I finished it and found it very interesting. His range of voices is incredible and I absolutely fell in love with the characters.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Would definately recommend

Highly enjoyable. Great value. Maybe the story was a bit slow moving at times. I definately feel I learnt quite a lot about the Civil War.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely recommended

A marvellous story, with excellent characters and plot weaved together with skill. The end, though inevitable contained intrigue and excitement leading to, personally, regret that we would learn what would happen to this new loving family, predicted to be affected by the final scene. I would like more!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 20-10-22

29 hrs of the most dreary narration

I tried twice to listen to this book and twice I gave up. It is over 29 hrs of the most dreary, boring, mind numbing dirge.
Whoever dishes out the contracts for narrators of books at Amazon should have their P45 dished out to them.
God!!! It’s awful!!!!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very detailed, very well researched

Rich in details, with a plot to take you through the period without the book seeming stilted or contrived. Gives the points of view of both the Royalists and the Parliamentarians, so you get a good idea why they fought and what was important to each of the two sides. I read a review by Hilary Mantel of this book that doesn't do it justice. It isn't a Romeo and Juliet romance, it is a look at the lives of various people living during this period and how the war affected them, what it was like to support one or the other side. Meanwhile it also paints a picture of the other factions around at the time, and paints this all without ridiculing anyone, or forgetting that these people, like all people, are subject to whims and fancies, moods and dreams, and by the end of the book you know them and care for them. The only small criticism is that the end of the book seems abrupt.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen - historical fiction at its best

Full of facts and information above everything else this is a superb story bringing to life the trauma and horrors of ordinary lives lived during the Civil War. It’s all delivered with a performance that does justice to the narrative. If you like good historical fiction or like me want to know about the impact of the Civil War, this is for you.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Research over Story

Impressive in its extensive research and historical content and sweeping in scope.. but all that is at the expense of a story. The plot doesn’t hold together enough to maintain interest.. it just becomes a somewhat dry historical account interspersed with loose updates on the story. A huge shame.

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2 people found this helpful