Vale of Tears
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Vale of Tears
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Narrated by:
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Matt Addis
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By:
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Sarah Hawkswood
About this listen
April, 1144. A body is found floating in Fladbury Mill leat, a man in green who has been stabbed but not robbed. The lord sheriff’s trio discover him to be an Evesham horse dealer, who has a beautiful young wife who ‘strays’. Did the wife or one of her lovers get rid of him? What is the connection with the lord of Harvington, who wed the man’s sister, and how did that lady meet her death? The trio have to work seamlessly together to unravel the thread that links seemingly disparate deaths before even more people die, and in the process keep Walkelin from the noose.
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
When the peat-cutters came to report the dead man, Gil Cunningham was up in the roof-space of his mother's house, teaching his new young wife swordplay. They believe the corpse to be that of a local missing man. His wife and the widow who runs the local coalmine are sure the body belongs to someone else, but then they find themselves accused of having killed him by witchcraft. And if the corpse is not the missing man, who is it? Gil and Alys try to get to the heart of the matter.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable Historical Mystery
- By Marie on 06-15-13
By: Pat McIntosh
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The Stolen Voice
- Gil Cunningham Mysteries
- By: Pat McIntosh
- Narrated by: Andrew Watson
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
“And you are telling me,” said Gil Cunningham, “that David Drummond vanished away forty years ago and is now returned, seemingly not a day older?” “That’s about the sum of it,” agreed Sir William Stewart. In Sir William’s remote part of Scotland it seems almost possible that a young boy could have been stolen away by the fairies and returned forty years later, no older – and if he isn’t Davie Drummond, who is he? And then he suffers a succession of near-fatal ‘accidents’.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Disregard those treacly, earnest covers.
- By Paul Sullivan on 07-02-17
By: Pat McIntosh
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The Unquiet Bones
- By: Mel Starr
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,480
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,330
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,317
Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cesspit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful!!!
- By AKowalczyk on 01-05-20
By: Mel Starr
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A Vision of Light
- A Margaret of Ashbury Novel, Book 1
- By: Judith Merkle Riley
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 134
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 121
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 120
Margaret of Ashbury wants to write her life story. However, like most women in 14th-century England, she is illiterate. Three clerics contemptuously decline to be Margaret’s scribe, and only the threat of starvation persuades Brother Gregory, a Carthusian friar with a mysterious past, to take on the task. As she narrates her life, we discover a woman of startling resourcefulness.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Old fashioned heroine
- By Margaret on 06-22-13
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Death and the Maiden
- Mistress of the Art of Death
- By: Samantha Norman, Ariana Franklin
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 181
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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Story4 out of 5 stars 156
England. 1191. After the death of her friend and patron, King Henry II, Adelia Aguilar, England's vaunted Mistress of the Art of Death, is living comfortably in retirement and training her daughter, Allie, to carry on her craft—sharing the practical knowledge of anatomy, forensics, and sleuthing that catches murderers. Allie is already a skilled healer, with a particular gift for treating animals. But the young woman is nearly twenty, and her father, Rowley, Bishop of Saint Albans, and his patron, the Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, have plans to marry Allie to an influential husband.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Wanted to love it
- By Jeffrey J. on 02-15-21
By: Samantha Norman, and others
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The Black Rose
- By: Thomas B. Costain
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 81
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 70
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
Walter of Gurnie, bastard son of an English peer, is forced to flee from Oxford for his part in the university riots of 1273. Inspired by Friar Bacon, he determines to travel to China. With his friend Tristam, he fights his way to the heart of the fabulous Mongol Empire and returns famous, to find that he must choose between the first love he thought lost and the exotic flower that he found in the East.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book
- By Jean on 03-09-13
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A Mortal Bane
- By: Roberta Gellis
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 658
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 486
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 489
Magdalene la Batarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. She and her women are expected to engage in a number of sinful activities, but bloody murder isn't one of them until Baldassare, the messenger, dies. Though Baldassare isn't a regular client of the Old Priory Guesthouse, Magdalene and her women refuse to allow his death to go unavenged. Of course, their efforts aren't completely altruistic.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Delightful
- By Jim on 08-25-05
By: Roberta Gellis
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The Innocent
- By: Bertrice Small
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 104
Deceptively fragile-looking, Eleanore of Ashlin had promised her life to God...until fate intervened. With her brother's untimely death, Eleanore - known as Elf to those who love her - becomes the heiress of an estate vital to England's defenses. She is ordered by royal command to wed one of the king's knights rather than take her final vows. With resistant heart, but ever obedient to King Stephen's will, she complies.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Well written!
- By CHW on 03-06-21
By: Bertrice Small
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A Plague of Heretics
- By: Bernard Knight
- Narrated by: Paul Matthews
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story5 out of 5 stars 25
Following a series of murders which appear to be linked to a revival of heresy, some of the cathedral canons begin a crusade against this danger to the Church. When Sir John is accused of being too sympathetic to the heretics, the coroner finds himself having to seek sanctuary in order to save his own life. Can he survive long enough to unmask the real killer?
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Fond Farewell to Crowner John
- By Marie on 09-07-13
By: Bernard Knight
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Master of Desire
- Brotherhood/MacAllister Series, Book 1
- By: Kinley MacGregor
- Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
Beautiful Lady Emily dreams of the rapture of love and the joys of marriage. The youngest daughter of an English lord at war, she is shaken by the arrival of a mysterious stranger to her father's castle. Could this breathtaking man be Emily's yearned-for lover? Indeed, Draven de Montague, earl of Ravenswood, has come for Emily...but romance has nothing to do with it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I enjoyed the story
- By Cielle on 02-14-21
By: Kinley MacGregor
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The Outlaws of Sherwood
- By: Robin McKinley
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 63
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
Young Robin Longbow, subapprentice forester in the King's Forest of Nottingham, must contend with the dislike of the Chief Forester, who bullies Robin in memory of his popular father. But Robin does not want to leave Nottingham or lose the title to his father's small tenancy, because he is in love with a young lady named Marian - and keeps remembering that his mother too was gentry and married a common forester. Robin has been granted a rare holiday to go to the Nottingham Fair, where he will spend the day with his friends Much and Marian.
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3 out of 5 stars
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A great story paired with the wrong narrator
- By Gail N. on 11-01-19
By: Robin McKinley
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The Road to Jerusalem
- Crusades Trilogy Series, Book 1
- By: Jan Guillou
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 117
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 117
Born in 1150 to a noble Swedish family and coming of age at a monastery under the tutelage of a Cistercian monk and a former Knight Templar, young Arn Magnusson is sent to fulfill his destiny beyond the cloister walls. But the world awaiting him is a place at odds with his monastic ways. And when the murder of a king engulfs Western Götaland into a whirlwind of intrigue and ruthless power plays, headstrong and naive Arn is forced to leave the woman he loves behind and take up arms to battle infidels in the Holy Land.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Went looking for trashy historical fiction...
- By Anonymous User on 02-01-22
By: Jan Guillou
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Dragon's Child
- The King Arthur Trilogy, Book 1
- By: M. K. Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 89
The future of Britain is at stake. In the turbulent times of the Dark Ages, the despotic Uther Pendragon, High King of Celtic Britain, is nearing death, and his kingdom is being torn apart by the squabbling of minor kings. But only one man can bring the Celts together as a nation and restore peace - King Arthur. Artorex (Arthur) doesn't yet seem like the great man he will grow into. We meet him as a shy, subservient twelve-year-old living in the foster home of Lord Ector, who took in Artorex as a babe to protect him from murderous kin.
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1 out of 5 stars
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A Dry, Dull Tale, Marred in "Realism"
- By Steven on 09-21-15
By: M. K. Hume
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A Brightness Long Ago
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 835
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 754
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 756
In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count - and soon learned why that man was known as the Beast.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Another Masterpiece from Mr. Kay
- By Craig Cassar on 06-01-19
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
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The Midwife's Tale
- A Mystery
- By: Sam Thomas
- Narrated by: Leila Birch
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 96
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 84
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Story4 out of 5 stars 82
It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Only so so
- By Marie on 11-13-13
By: Sam Thomas
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The Rose of York
- Love and War
- By: Sandra Worth
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 70
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4 out of 5 stars 59
Set in Malory's England during the Wars of the Roses, this acclaimed winner of a remarkable nine awards tells the true story of two star-crossed lovers - Richard of Gloucester and Lady Anne Neville - before they become King and Queen of England. A stirring tale of romance and intrigue.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Marvelous.
- By Cinders on 11-07-13
By: Sandra Worth
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Crowner Royal
- By: Bernard Knight
- Narrated by: Paul Matthews
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 34
London, 1196. At the command of Richard the Lionheart, Sir John de Wolfe has left his beloved West Country for the Palace of Westminster, where he has been appointed Coroner of the Verge. But with the king overseas, embroiled in a costly war against King Philip of France, Sir John is dismayed to discover that the English court is a hotbed of greed, corruption and petty in-fighting.
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5 out of 5 stars
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good
- By Wadie on 02-05-10
By: Bernard Knight
What listeners say about Vale of Tears
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
- Mississippi Malka
- 04-12-24
Another great Bradicutt and Catchpoll mystery!
First, I want to give credit to the narrator, who knows how to pronounce Saxon names like Leofwine and his nephews’ name (slips my mind just now) correctly! Aelfric, I think. Wonderful!
Additionally, this book continues to show great depth of the realism imparted to the characters. The addition of Waitland (hard to know spelling with an audiobook), as he grows more and more skilled and confident, makes the cast of main characters even more delightful (as does Christina, Bradicutt’s wife, but she doesn’t play a large role in this novel). Bradicutt’s continued meditations and guilt about his first marriage also adds verisimilitude to his character.
All of these books display detailed understanding of the lives of the English during the reign of King Stephen. We see that the war between him and the Emoress Matilda (the rightful heir to the throne) not only brings the possibility of destruction and violence, but the way the various factions interact politically. I also enjoy Hawkswood’s inclusion of the religious figures that were certainly present and the honest, simple belief of the villagers.
Religion, especially Catholicism, has a not so good reputation these days. So when I (an Orthodox Jew) read about the characters of the priests who believe in the practices of all good religions with good faith, and we do see some of the religious who aren’t so holy), I find it very gratifying. The people who dedicated themselves to the worship of G-d and performed great acts of kindness to others, should be recognized.
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