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Fortune's Wheel
- The Meonbridge Chronicles, Book 1
- Narrated by: Alex Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
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Fortune's Wheel
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Summary
How do you recover from the havoc wrought by history's cruellest plague?
It's June 1349. In Meonbridge, a Hampshire manor, many have lost their lives to the Black Death, among them Alice atte Wode’s beloved husband and Eleanor Titherige’s widowed father. Even the family of the manor’s lord and his wife, Margaret de Bohun, has not entirely escaped.
But, now the plague has passed, the people of Meonbridge must work together to rebuild their lives. However, tensions mount between the de Bohuns and their tenants, as the workers realise their new scarceness means they can demand higher wages and dictate their own lives.
When the tensions deepen into violence and disorder, and the men – lord and villagers alike – seem unable to find any resolution, the women – Alice, Eleanor and Margaret – must step forward to find a way out of the conflict that is tearing Meonbridge apart.
If you enjoy well-researched, immersive historical fiction, set in a turbulent and challenging time, with strong but credible female characters, you’ll love Fortune’s Wheel, the first of the MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLES.
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Critic reviews
“A thoroughly researched book, with care given to ensuring that the characters have 14th century attitudes and knowledge…gives a strong sense of the reality of the past.” Catherine Meyrick, author of Forsaking All Other
What listeners say about Fortune's Wheel
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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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
- Susan Birch
- 11-05-24
An Audiobook Convert
As a quick and voracious reader who likes to become immersed in plot-line and character revelations as soon as possible, I always shied away from audiobooks, believing I would have to wait too long for it to be the case. That was until I was fortunate enough to be offered a code from 'Fortune's Wheel' author Carolyn Hughes to listen to the newly released audiobook version of her 2019 novel free of charge and, if I wished, submit a review.
My scepticism was overcome within the first chapter of this engrossing text, perhaps unsurprising as I have already enjoyed subsequent offerings in the Meonbridge series. The length of 'Fortune's Wheel,' at almost twelve hours, was an initial stumbling block. I wondered how I would find time to listen. Yet, once begun, I searched for opportunities to sneak extra minutes.
The novel begins in June 1349, following the passing of the Black Death, in which a number of people from the area of Meonbridge died. We trace three women of different social status as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the loss of family members and work through multiple challenges and tensions. The novel is a vivid historical commentary concerning the issues surrounding the Black Death, showcasing how remaining tenants on the de Bohun land were in a strong position to dictate pay and conditions. Protagonists Margaret, Alice and Eleanor realise they must unite in order to resolve these conflicts and bring peace to the village once more.
Narrator Alex Lee has a pleasant reading voice, making for easy, relaxed listening. She gives a credible performance when local accents or male dialogue is required, bringing secondary characters into focus. This helps encourage empathy for the people and their concerns, as if they existed in real life.
A captivating audiobook, 'Fortune's Wheel' is rich with fourteenth century detail and atmosphere. Not to be missed.
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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
- Geoffrey T. Mears
- 22-08-24
Life after the plague
How after the plague life couldn’t return as before with shortages of population to cultivate the land and the lords of the manor’s unwillingness to accept change
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