Stonehenge

A Novel

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the tale of three brothers and of their rivalry that created the mysterious Stonehenge.

One summer’s day, a dying stranger carrying great wealth in gold comes to the settlement of Ratharryn.

The three sons of Ratharryn’s chief each perceive the great gift in a different way. The eldest, Lengar, the warrior, harnesses his murderous ambition to be a ruler and take great power for his tribe. Camaban becomes a great visionary and feared wise man, and it is his vision that will force the youngest brother, Saban, to create the great temple on the green hill where the gods will appear on earth. Saban’ s love for Aurenna, the sun bride whose destiny is to die for the gods, finally brings the rivalries of the brothers to a head. But it is also his skills that will build the vast temple, a place for the gods, certainly, but also a place that will confirm for ever the supreme power of the tribe that built it.

©2022 Bernard Cornwell (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Uhhh....

Very underwhelming. Paints a good picture of ancient society in which there is little information so that was cool.
As a 17 hour listen I was expecting a little more excitement from a fiction novel. However it became more of a tutorial of how to build a monolith mixed with a journal.

Performance by the voice actor was great. Very immersive, but you can only do so much with what you're given.

Overall, I wouldn't expect much from this and certainly wouldn't use an audible credit on it alone. If it was free, or included as part of a set it is worth a listen while you mow the grass or some menial task.

Honestly I would have put this one on the DNF shelf, but after 12 hours I was too committed.

Not Cornwell’s best story

Cornwell took what we know of Stonehenge and wove a story, but in many places it was unconvincing and seemed too far fetched to really follow. Not his best work.

Very interesting take on the construction of Stonehenge.

Very long, but a very interesting take on the way Stonehenge could have been constructed. Since no one living was there and there are no written records...

fantastic window into the past

I don't why some people don't like this book I think it's a fascinating look into ancient pagans and how they lived and fought I really love this book 😃

WOW! Amazing story!

before this book I just completed listening to another author's version of Stonehenge but I don't think he has much of an imagination for culture and what drives people's motives. I really appreciate Bernard Cornwell's ability to take the facts that are known and weave together strands that take shape in a powerful story like this. Other authors might be driven just by telling stories of battles and fighting but Mr Cornwell digs deep into the selfish and altruistic motives of individual characters that shape the conflict and thus drives historical shifts through the ages. Obviously this is a work of fiction, but is it true work of art! Also loved all the books about Uhtrid!

Much better than Harlequin

Instead of never-ending battle scenes, this one has some characters and some very interesting interactions among them. it takes a while to figure out the players but soon enough. It becomes clear. As usual there are no happy endings or easy answers.

Details that Cornwell writes are always excellent

The entire book is informative, now I will have to look up the details that are factual, and those that are inferred

Not his best work

Narrator was outstanding. Story was not Cromwell’s best but still a great fiction story about how the stones of Stonehenge were constructed.

Riveting

I have been to Stonehenge... it is easy to imagine that it was built the way this story goes...
The author keeps you intrigued until the end.

The reader performance

The overall story was a bit underwhelming, with the storyline dragging at points. I was expecting a more compelling story for Stonehenge, and maybe it was all centered around blood and sacrifice but it would have been nice to focus a bit more on the daily life of the period. I liked the love relationships developed, but the storyline was predictable at key points.