She Would Be King
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Wayétu Moore
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By:
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Wayétu Moore
About this listen
Sarah Jessica Parker and the American Library Association Book Club Central Official Selection
A novel of exhilarating range, magical realism, and history - a dazzling retelling of Liberia’s formation
Wayétu Moore’s powerful debut novel, She Would Be King, reimagines the dramatic story of Liberia’s early years through three unforgettable characters who share an uncommon bond. Gbessa, exiled from the West African village of Lai, is starved, bitten by a viper, and left for dead, but still she survives. June Dey, raised on a plantation in Virginia, hides his unusual strength until a confrontation with the overseer forces him to flee. Norman Aragon, the child of a white British colonizer and a Maroon slave from Jamaica, can fade from sight when the earth calls him. When the three meet in the settlement of Monrovia, their gifts help them salvage the tense relationship between the African American settlers and the indigenous tribes, as a new nation forms around them.
Moore’s intermingling of history and magical realism finds voice not just in these three characters but also in the fleeting spirit of the wind, who embodies an ancient wisdom. “If she was not a woman,” the wind says of Gbessa, “she would be king.” In this vibrant story of the African diaspora, Moore, a talented storyteller and a daring writer, illuminates with radiant and exacting prose the tumultuous roots of a country inextricably bound to the United States. She Would Be King is a novel of profound depth set against a vast canvas and a transcendent debut from a major new author.
©2018 Wayétu Moore (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"[Narrator Wayétu] Moore's soothing, restive, and contemplative tones give listeners a sense of the mystical realm of spirits while allowing us to envision the complex threads of the narrative. Her delivery adds to listeners' desire to see if the three characters will find freedom as their new country seeks to be liberated from the shadow of American influence." (AudioFile)
“Moore skillfully reconsiders the idealism of the early African-American settlers through their interactions with the indigenous peoples and braids together intimate story lines centered around universal themes: falling in love, defying familial expectations and the difficulties of doing the right thing.” (The New York Times)
“An ambitious, genre-hopping, continent-spanning novel.... Moore is a brisk and skilled storyteller who weaves her protagonists' disparate stories together with aplomb yet is also able to render her sprawling cast of characters in ways that feel psychologically compelling. In addition, the novel's various settings - Virginia, Jamaica, and West Africa - are depicted so lushly that readers will find themselves enchanted.” (Kirkus Reviews)
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By: Kim Wilkins
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Island of a Thousand Springs
- By: Sarah Lark
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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London, 1732: Nora Reed, the daughter of a merchant, falls hopelessly in love with her father's clerk, Simon. Despite their differing social class, the star-crossed lovers dream of a future on a tropical island - until tragedy strikes, and Nora must face a life without her soulmate. Hopeless, Nora enters a marriage of convenience with Elias Fortnam, a widower and sugar planter in Jamaica. Even without Simon, she is determined to somehow fulfill their tropical fantasy.
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Sarah Lark is my new favorite author!
- By Private on 08-30-15
By: Sarah Lark
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Lazaretto
- A Novel
- By: Diane McKinney-Whetstone
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Isolated on an island where two rivers meet, the Lazaretto quarantine hospital is the first stop for immigrants who wish to begin new lives in Philadelphia. The Lazaretto's black live-in staff forge a strong social community, and when one of them receives permission to get married on the island the mood is one of celebration, particularly since the white staff - save the opium-addicted doctor - are given leave for the weekend.
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Mediocre
- By atlfolk on 02-20-17
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The Blue Between Sky and Water
- By: Susan Abulhawa
- Narrated by: Jennifer Woodward
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1947, and Beit Daras, a quiet village in Palestine surrounded by olive groves, is home to the Baraka family. Eldest daughter Nazmiyeh looks after her widowed mother, prone to wandering and strange outbursts, while her brother, Mamdouh, tends to the village bees. Their younger sister, Mariam, with her striking mismatched eyes, spends her days talking to imaginary friends and writing.
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Horrible pronunciation
- By Debra Sabah Press on 11-08-18
By: Susan Abulhawa
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When the Lion Feeds
- The Courtneys, Book 1
- By: Wilbur Smith
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the 1870s, and twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney are born into the wilds of Natal. They could not be more different, and fate, war and the jealous schemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. But as history unfolds, a continent is awakening. And on the horizon is the promise of fortune, adventure, destiny and love.... When the Lion Feeds is the best-selling novel that launched Wilbur Smith's stellar career and the first in the riveting saga of the Courtney brothers.
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What did you do with John Lee?
- By SAM on 04-03-19
By: Wilbur Smith
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Rena's Promise
- A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz
- By: Rena Kornreich Gelissen, Heather Dune Macadam
- Narrated by: Heather Dune Macadam
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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"I do not hate. To hate is to let Hitler win." - Rena Kornreich Gelissen. On March 26, 1942, the first mass transport of Jews - 999 young women - arrived in Auschwitz. Among them was Rena Kornreich, the 716th woman numbered in camp. A few days later, her sister Danka arrives and so begins a trial of love and courage that will last three years and 41 days, from the beginning Auschwitz death camp to the end of the war.
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Excellent Content / Horrible Production
- By Simone on 07-23-15
By: Rena Kornreich Gelissen, and others
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Season of Wonder
- The Remnants, Book 1
- By: Lisa T. Bergren
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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After years of training in stealth and warfare, Andriana and her Knight protector, Ronan, are finally ready to answer the Call and begin the life they were designed for. But as they embark with the other Remnants on the first of their assignments, they quickly discover that the world beyond the protected Valley is more dangerous than they imagined.
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Next
- By Louise Thurman on 02-23-23
By: Lisa T. Bergren
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The Taker
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Have you ever loved someone so much that you'd do anything for them? When Dr Luke Findley turns up to his hospital shift in the small town of St Andrews, Maine, he's expecting just another evening of minor injuries and domestic disputes. But instead, Lanore McIlvrae walks into his life - and changes it forever. For Lanny is a woman with a past...Lanny McIlvrae is unlike anyone Luke has ever met.
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Not my kind of book
- By Valerie on 03-23-12
By: Alma Katsu
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Desired
- The Untold Story of Samson and Delilah
- By: Ginger Garrett
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gallagher
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Three women loved him. Two betrayed him. One fulfilled his destiny. Desired tells the story of the legendary strongman through the eyes of the three most important women in his life. The fiercely loving Jewish mother who nags him toward greatness … and rebellion. The impoverished Philistine girl, Amara, who becomes Samson’s bride. And the emotionally damaged seductress—the legendary Delilah—who becomes the instrument of his destruction and the key to his tragic triumph.
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really cool perspective on this story
- By Lisa on 02-11-13
By: Ginger Garrett
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Lamentation
- The Psalms of Isaak, Book 1
- By: Ken Scholes
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Scott Brick, William Dufris, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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In Lamentation, the first entry in the Psalm of Isaak series, an ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir. From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, sees the horrifying column of smoke rising. He knows that war is coming to the Named Lands. Nearer to the Devastation, a young apprentice is the only survivor of the city—he sat waiting for his father outside the walls, and was transformed as he watched everyone he knew die in an instant. Soon all the Kingdoms of the Named Lands will be at each others' throats.
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Highly Enjoyable
- By RB on 05-15-09
By: Ken Scholes
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The Autumn Castle
- By: Kim Wilkins
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Berlin in autumn: Christine Starlight lives in an artists' colony with her lover Jude, whose patience and beauty have eased her battle with chronic pain. But Christine begins to be haunted by childhood recollections of a little girl's disappearance and the flapping of a blackbird's wings. Then her world is rocked by the return of a childhood friend... Mayfridh rules over a land where a wolf is the queen's counsellor, fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf and mortals feel no pain.
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Great Story, Horrible Narration
- By KathyDB on 03-24-15
By: Kim Wilkins
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Like a River from Its Course
- By: Kelli Stuart
- Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope. The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the listener on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.
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Outstanding narrator of a compelling story.
- By DB on 05-07-18
By: Kelli Stuart
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Dessa Rose
- A Novel
- By: Sherley Anne Williams
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Abridged
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This is the story of an extraordinary friendship between two remarkable women, both caught in the shadow of slavery in the 19th-century South. One is an escaped black slave under sentence of death; the other is white, yet committed to end the horrors her neighbors accept as a matter of course. Ruby Dee's passionate and sensitive readings gives a poignant sense of reality to this magnificent novel of courage, daring and love.
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One Star from Perfect
- By Marty on 01-26-18
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The Voice
- An Ephemera Novella
- By: Anne Bishop
- Narrated by: Cassandra Morris
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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In a small village outside the city of Vision, the people know no sorrow or grief. But this seemingly idyllic community is hiding a terrible secret. As a young child, Nalah did not know why she was told to bring a cake to the mute girl known as the Voice whenever she was upset, only that doing so made her feel better. Now grown, Nalah understands the dark truth, and yearns to escape from the oppressive village that has been her life-long home.
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Doesn't hold up
- By Tianaran on 05-22-13
By: Anne Bishop
What listeners say about She Would Be King
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Larisa DiMarco
- 03-13-19
Lovely, wanted more closure at the end.
Written beautifully, found myself rewinding some parts because the writing was so enjoyable to listen to. Really strong character development as well. I cannot imagine reading this however because the timeline was disjointed. Also would have love some more closure at the end.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Joan
- 10-09-19
OH MY GOSH HOW AMAZING !!!
There are really not words to express how much I loved this selection ! Everything about it was perfection. From the characters , to the narrator's interpretation, to all that was left unsaid but still was heard. Everyone needs to read this book !
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- Anonymous User
- 12-02-19
Officially my favourite book!!!
I really wish everyone would read it. Such an amazing moving story. Well read too!
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- April M.
- 03-18-19
One of a kind!
I really enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end! I will definitely listen to it again. The characters and story are so complex that I felt like I missed some parts. I wasn't sure what was going on in the beginning which made me want to listen even more. This book and story is so unique and I loved it!
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- Cml
- 10-20-18
I didn't want it to end.
The storytelling is amazing but I was just caught up in thinking though and learning more deeply about Liberia's history. Wow.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Martha
- 08-24-21
Captivating and Important
These stories that are alive, and that need to be told, are presented compellingly.
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- Stephanie G. Lewis (she,her)
- 09-10-19
Reap what you sow
A herstory of a manufactured country that lays bare the corruption that colonizers visited upon a continent.
It also shows the taint the returned American slaves carried with them back to Africa and into Liberia's future.
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- Bekah Schneider
- 07-14-22
Wonderful narrator
The story is hard to follow at first but worth it. Beautiful story but the narration is what really brings it to life and makes it great.
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- Deborah
- 04-01-24
Amazing…
The historical background intermixed with magic, love and pain creates an unforgettable story. Loved it!
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- Regina
- 06-15-20
Historic Fiction with a Twist
How did I not know about Liberia? I was somewhat aware of the recent stuff: civil wars, charges of corruption. But I never knew its origins. Having listened to this as the Black Lives Matters movement raises our awareness, I am reminded again, what a terrible job our education systems has done in providing the whole history.
I had a tough time following the story early on as the characters and their locations are introduced. Maybe I was just distracted, but I even replayed sections a time or two. But, the story develops and unfolds almost mystically into a beautiful tale. It reminded me of The Water Dancer.
The narration was amazing. I usually shy away from author read books. No need to here. She does a masterful job.
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