Coal Black Lies
An Appalachian Novel
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Coal Black Lies
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Narrated by:
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A.W. Miller
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By:
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Cindy Sproles
About this listen
Believing the bitter lies you tell yourself leaves little room for the sweetness of truth
Coal miner Joshua Morgan managed to do the impossible-he broke away from the stranglehold of the iron-fisted Barton family and the Company Store, to whom all the miners in the Appalachian Mountains are indebted. But it cost him the life of his young daughter, who was run down by a posse led by Thomas Barton while coming to collect Joshua's payment to the store.
Five years later, a sweet but slow-witted young girl lands on his doorstep, and Joshua's desire to protect her from the clutches of the Bartons increases his thirst for vengeance. Joshua sets out to discover where the girl came from in order to take down the Barton family once and for all.
His journey leads him to the truth about the day his daughter died, a reality he finds hard to accept. But when confronted by Thomas Barton himself, Joshua is forced to rethink the dark lies brewing in his heart. If he broke away, could Thomas have also? Despite his misgivings, can Joshua join forces with a man he once despised to free the miners from the tyrannical Barton family and forge a future of peace for both the young girl and himself?
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
When Minerva Jane Jenkins was just 14 years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her was filled with gold. And when he died 50 years later, he made her promise to keep his secret. She is to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contains. Now 94, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she's kept that secret. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Engaging story
- By Melissas Bookshelf on 07-13-23
By: Cindy K. Sproles
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What Momma Left Behind
- By: Cindy K. Sproles
- Narrated by: Erica Sullivan
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 99
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 92
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
Worie Dressar is 17 years old when influenza and typhoid ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1877, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie’s mother has been secretly feeding several of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when tragedy strikes, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Good to the end!
- By Paula E. on 07-03-20
By: Cindy K. Sproles
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Appalachian Song
- By: Michelle Shocklee
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 292
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 270
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 270
Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.
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5 out of 5 stars
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You Just Have to Read This Story!
- By Phyllis R on 11-14-23
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Running on Red Dog Road
- And Other Perils of an Appalachian Childhood
- By: Drema Hall Berkheimer
- Narrated by: Bailey Carr
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 206
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 175
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 176
Gypsies, faith-healers, moonshiners, and snake handlers weave through Drema's childhood in 1940s Appalachia after her father is killed in the coal mines, her mother goes off to work as a Rosie the Riveter, and she is left in the care of devout Pentecostal grandparents. What follows is a spitfire of a memoir that feels like a novel with intrigue, sweeping emotion, and indisputable charm. Drema's coming of age is colored by tent revivals with Grandpa, poetry-writing hobos, and traveling carnivals, and through it all, she serves witness to a multi-generational family.
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5 out of 5 stars
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real life
- By Richard M. on 10-05-22
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Hill Women
- Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains
- By: Cassie Chambers
- Narrated by: Cassie Chambers
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 743
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 658
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 655
After rising from poverty to earn two Ivy League degrees, an Appalachian lawyer pays tribute to the strong "hill women" who raised and inspired her, and whose values have the potential to rejuvenate a struggling region - an uplifting and eye-opening memoir for fans of Hillbilly Elegy and Educated.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Too Political
- By Mary V on 04-17-20
By: Cassie Chambers
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Whispering Winds of Appalachia
- By: John Ellington
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Nestled between the smoky, rolling peaks of Southern Appalachia lies the town of Brevard, North Carolina. When Chris Avery's family moves to Brevard in the early 1970s, Chris quickly becomes immersed in a world untouched by the mire of life outside the mountains.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Haunting & Tender
- By Tessa on 04-03-25
By: John Ellington
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Kinfolk
- A Novel
- By: Sean Dietrich
- Narrated by: Sean Dietrich
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 416
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 393
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Story5 out of 5 stars 393
1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The most beautifully written book I have ever read
- By Kindle Customer on 04-24-24
By: Sean Dietrich
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If the Creek Don't Rise
- By: Leah Weiss
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte, Kate Forbes
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 743
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 664
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Story4 out of 5 stars 668
In a North Carolina mountain town filled with moonshine and rotten husbands, Sadie Blue is only the latest girl to face a dead-end future at the mercy of a dangerous drunk. She's been married to Roy Tupkin for 15 days, and she knows now that she should have listened to the folks who said he was trouble. But when a stranger sweeps in and knocks the world off-kilter for everyone in town, Sadie begins to think there might be more to life than being Roy's wife.
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3 out of 5 stars
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The story never fully evolved
- By Samantha Russell on 08-14-19
By: Leah Weiss
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They Call Her Dirty Sally
- By: Amy Matayo
- Narrated by: Sean Cordry, Dana Dae
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 164
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 148
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 147
For years, the town of Silver Bell, Arkansas has quietly mourned the hospital fire that claimed the lives of nine of its residents—the town doctor, a young expectant mother, and seven infants. So, when journalist Finn Hardwick is assigned the story as part of a national thirtieth anniversary memorial service, he arrives at the town ready to interview its residents, thinking they’ll be ready to share and eager to make headlines. He isn’t prepared for the resistance. Or for what appears to be a collective unwillingness to answer his questions.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good story
- By Amazon Customer on 05-15-25
By: Amy Matayo
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Coal River
- By: Ellen Marie Wiseman
- Narrated by: C. S. E. Cooney
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 398
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 343
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Story4 out of 5 stars 342
As a child, Emma Malloy left isolated Coal River, Pennsylvania, vowing never to return. Now, orphaned and penniless at 19, she accepts a train ticket from her aunt and uncle and travels back to the rough-hewn community. Treated like a servant by her relatives, Emma works for free in the company store. There, miners and their impoverished families must pay inflated prices for food, clothing, and tools while those who owe money are turned away to starve.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best book I've listened to all year.
- By Nathan Vidrine on 03-25-16
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He Should Have Told the Bees
- By: Amanda Cox
- Narrated by: Stephanie Cozart
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 315
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 278
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Story4 out of 5 stars 278
Beekeeper Beckett Walsh is living her dream, working alongside her father in their apiary, until his untimely death sends her world into a tailspin. She suddenly finds she must deal with a new part owner of the family business—one who is looking to sell the property. Beck cannot fathom why her father would put her into the position to lose everything they built together.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely love this book!
- By Anne-Marie Lindsey on 09-29-23
By: Amanda Cox
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The Saints of Swallow Hill
- By: Donna Everhart
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 560
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 497
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 492
During the Great Depression, labor camps crop up in remote areas throughout the American South. Destitute workers live under terrible conditions. Trapped in these isolated locations, workers are entirely dependent on the often greedy, abusive camp owners who provide food and housing at grossly inflated prices. But for the most desperate among America's vast unemployed, these camps are often the last and only option.
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5 out of 5 stars
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great story
- By Chrysta Hiser on 02-27-22
By: Donna Everhart
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All We Thought We Knew
- By: Michelle Shocklee
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 44
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Author’s Ability to connect us to the people and times, and to God’s love.
- By Michael Steedley on 10-26-24
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The Life She Was Given
- By: Ellen Marie Wiseman
- Narrated by: Lori Gardner
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,632
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,496
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,497
On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly isn't allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. She's never even ventured beyond her narrow room. Momma insists it's for Lilly's own protection, that people would be afraid if they saw her. But on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time - and sold to the circus sideshow.
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1 out of 5 stars
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If you're sensitive to animal cruelty don't listen
- By Emily on 08-08-17
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These Tangled Threads
- A Novel of Biltmore
- By: Sarah Loudin Thomas
- Narrated by: Libby McKnight, Nick Mills, Pilar Witherspoon
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4 out of 5 stars 36
Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of the great Vanderbilt mansion. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt’s 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn’t have the creativity needed. But there’s an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her—if only she knew where to begin.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful characters
- By Ann on 04-10-24
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The Jackal's Mistress
- A Novel
- By: Chris Bohjalian
- Narrated by: Marni Penning, Chris Bohjalian
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 70
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
Virginia, 1864—Libby Steadman’s husband has been away for so long that she can barely conjure his voice in her dreams. While she longs for him in the night, fearing him dead in a Union prison camp, her days are spent running a gristmill with her teenage niece, a hired hand, and his wife, all the grain they can produce requisitioned by the Confederate Army. It’s an uneasy life in the Shenandoah Valley, the territory frequently changing hands, control swinging back and forth like a pendulum between North and South, and Libby awakens every morning expecting to see her land a battlefield.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Just ok
- By Gwen on 03-20-25
By: Chris Bohjalian
Anger, prayer, repent. Repeat.
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