Erema


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(3.9 stars; 15 reviews)

A few years before the great Civil War, a young English woman and her father, having left the security of their wagon train, are lost in the unforgiving Californian desert, looking in vain for the landmark that marks the short-cut across those last western mountains which would lead them to the home of an old friend. George Castlewood gives all the water and rations he has to his daughter, Erema, and dies just a short distance from help. Rescued by kind Sampson “Uncle Sam” Gundry, the family friend they had been seeking, Erema lives for a time at his sawmill. One day, one Mr. Goad, a bounty-hunter from England, arrives at the mill, offering $10,000 for proof of Lord Castlewood’s death and custody of his young daughter. Lord Castlewood had been accused of the crime of patricide 15 years earlier, escaped from jail and been on the lam ever since. Erema, believing her father’s innocence and determined to clear his good name, returns to England to discover the long-lost secrets of her family and the cloudy circumstances of the murder of her grandfather.
Told by Erema herself, this is a grand story of mystery and the coming of age of an independent and courageous woman. Set in Victorian England and the throes of the Civil War, the story is replete with twists and turns of plot in every chapter. (Summary by Linda Dodge) (17 hr 42 min)

Chapters

01 - A LOST LANDMARK 10:49 Read by Linda Dodge
02 - A PACIFIC SUNSET 12:12 Read by Neeru Iyer
03 - A STURDY COLONIST 14:06 Read by Neeru Iyer
04 - THE 'KING OF THE MOUNTAINS.' 14:44 Read by Linda Dodge
05 - UNCLE SAM 11:51 Read by MaryAnn
06 - A BRITISHER 15:59 Read by MaryAnn
07 - DISCOMFITURE 10:53 Read by MaryAnn
08 - A DOUBTFUL LOSS 9:12 Read by MaryAnn
09 - WATER-SPOUT 18:47 Read by MaryAnn
10 - A NUGGET 13:29 Read by MaryAnn
11 - ROVERS 17:47 Read by Linda Dodge
12 - GOLD AND GRIEF 16:27 Read by Linda Dodge
13 - THE SAWYER'S PRAYER 13:05 Read by Linda Dodge
14 - NOT FAR TO SEEK 19:55 Read by Linda Dodge
15 - BROUGHT TO BANK 15:47 Read by Linda Dodge
16 - FIRM AND INFIRM 18:06 Read by Linda Dodge
17 - HARD AND SOFT 18:47 Read by Linda Dodge
18 - OUT OF THE GOLDEN GATE 18:15 Read by Linda Dodge
19 - INSIDE THE CHANNEL 17:14 Read by Linda Dodge
20 - BRUNTSEA 19:54 Read by Linda Dodge
21 - LISTLESS 14:13 Read by ezragoldschlager
22 - BETSY BOWEN 16:21 Read by Linda Dodge
23 - BETSY'S TALE 18:22 Read by Linda Dodge
24 - BETSY'S TALE CONTINUED 15:29 Read by Linda Dodge
25 - BETSY'S TALE CONCLUDED 27:41 Read by Linda Dodge
26 - AT THE BANK 25:09 Read by Linda Dodge
27 - COUSIN MONTAGUE 21:15 Read by Linda Dodge
28 - A CHECK 17:30 Read by Linda Dodge
29 - AT THE PUMP 15:41 Read by Linda Dodge
30 - COCKS AND COXCOMBS 18:23 Read by Linda Dodge
31 - ADRIFT 21:57 Read by Linda Dodge
32 - AT HOME 20:28 Read by Linda Dodge
33 - LORD CASTLEWOOD 26:29 Read by Linda Dodge
34 - SHOXFORD 18:45 Read by Linda Dodge
35 - THE SEXTON 25:47 Read by Linda Dodge
36 - A SIMPLE QUESTION 15:42 Read by MaryAnn
37 - SOME ANSWER TO IT 17:53 Read by MaryAnn
38 - A WITCH 17:19 Read by MaryAnn
39 - NOT AT HOME 16:59 Read by MaryAnn
40 - THE MAN AT LAST 16:47 Read by MaryAnn
41 - A STRONG TEMPTATION 15:30 Read by MaryAnn
42 - MASTER WITHYPOOL 23:23 Read by Linda Dodge
43 - GOING TO THE BOTTOM 19:15 Read by Linda Dodge
44 - HERMETICALLY SEALED 17:20 Read by Linda Dodge
45 - CONVICTION 17:40 Read by Linda Dodge
46 - VAIN ZEAL 14:43 Read by Elli
47 - CADMEIAN VICTORY 17:14 Read by Elli
48 - A RETURN CALL 22:52 Read by Elli
49 - WANTED, A SAWYER 24:35 Read by Linda Dodge
50 - THE PANACEA 19:15 Read by Linda Dodge
51 - LIFE SINISTER 24:13 Read by Linda Dodge
52 - FOR LIFE, DEATH 17:10 Read by Linda Dodge
53 - BRUNTSEA DEFIANT 25:44 Read by Linda Dodge
54 - BRUNTSEA DEFEATED 28:18 Read by Linda Dodge
55 - A DEAD LETTER 18:26 Read by Linda Dodge
56 - WITH HIS OWN SWORD 29:03 Read by Linda Dodge
57 - FEMALE SUFFRAGE 11:04 Read by Linda Dodge
58 - BEYOND DESERT, AND DESERTS 21:26 Read by Linda Dodge

Reviews

stick with the words


(1 stars)

a fabulous tale, made ridiculous by another reader who must add so much to prose that needs nothing. I will try to find more by readers that are content to let the words be. The primary reader , ( I had to skip 3 exciting chapters as I could not understand a word of another,) made every word so strident that the heroine appears hysterical throughout. Do those who record for Librivox listen to their recordings? Dreadful.

Its Okay...


(3 stars)

But it seems to be a bit long and drag out a bit. It also gets kind of preachy. Erema is a young lady who's father takes her to the US at the cost of his own life. She is taken in and raised by a friend. As she gets older, people come to where she lives in an attempt to steal her away from her foster home. As she gets older, she decides it is time to uncover the secret her father kept. So she travels to England, where her family was originally from. She knows her father was accused of murder, but why did he flee from that if he was innocent? What is the secret surrounding her family? I have to say, I kind of struggled listening to this book. It is long, a bit dry in some spots, and a few of the chapters are read by someone with a distracting accent. It is an okay book.

Just ok


(3 stars)

The story was rather long in some parts. The end sort of left me going huh? I never could figure out what Erema did with the estate in England, or whether she married. I just felt like things were not tied up well. Also the narration of this book overall was really rather poor. One narrator I could not understand one word she said. Linda Dodge's narration was clear but just so dull.

Entertaining


(3.5 stars)

The author's style enjoys keeping his readers guessing w twists in various sub-plots. It's true he didn't end w usual "they married & lived ..." etc. Instead, his chosen twist in parting was to leave the plot open for your imagination to complete & savor. Did the man pull his head together & ask her, or ...? What were the results for each party? Can the story then continue in your reflections? 8-)

English and American Experience


(4 stars)

I enjoyed listening to the book and thought it had an interesting and entertaining plot. It did get tedious describing a few events, and there were a few chapters that I resorted to reading online as the speaker was too difficult to understand.

Very good story. Exciting and uplifting.


(5 stars)