Erema
Richard Doddridge Blackmore
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
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
FBL
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...
mikezane
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
benefitsingers
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
McWiggle
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
Dragonflyer
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.
Marilyn Jessup