The Bells (by Richard Harvell)
THE BELLS by Richard Harvell (unabridged) is presented by Blackstone Audio and comes with what is perhaps the best audiobook app available (see FEATURES, below).
“Astonishing in its originality, epic in its scope, luminous in its richness, The Bells is a novel to be savoured page by glorious page.” (Cathy Marie Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author)
Recounting his birth in the 1700s in a belfry in the Alps to his appearance on Europe’s greatest stages, this epic novel is the story of the greatest ears on earth—from a deaf mothers cries, to the beating of a forbidden lovers heart, to the arias of Viennas greatest opera house, and the deadly booming of the worlds loudest, most glorious bells.
Self-contained, this audiobook app is perfect for your commute, on a trip, or while relaxing. Based on a library-quality recording, this app was built especially for your iPhone and iPod Touch. No unreadable text, no endless scrolling on a tiny screen. The audio is of higher-than-normal quality, making for a great listening experience that will not tire your ears or grate on your nerves.
NOTICE: This app includes the exact same 5-star recording offered elsewhere at much higher prices. It was professionally recorded by Blackstone Audio’s Earphones® Award-winning narrator, Paul Michael Garcia. You are not buying yet another amateur or volunteer narration. No clicks, background noises, throat clearing, mispronunciations, tinny voices or monotones will be found here.
•EXPERIENCE. About 16 hours of narration. Created as a Folium enhancedAudio™ edition, this book includes extra functions and features not found on lesser players.
•PLAYER CONTROLS. Includes listen (play), pause, multi-speed fast forward/reverse, jump ahead/back, chapter skip, volume control, one-touch chapter- and bookmark browser. There is also a “scrub” bar that finds any point inside the chapter with just a tap.
•SLEEP TIMER. Have you ever fallen asleep watching TV or listening to a book? If so, youll love this feature. Once set, the book will stop, place a bookmark, and allow you to jump back to where you probably began dozing.
•CLEAR & ELEGANT DESIGN. Simple, clean, intuitive, and smarter than average.
•CHAPTER TIMINGS. Always know how much time it will take to finish a chapter. Plus, the progress bar at the top of the screen shows how far into the book you’ve come.
•OFFLINE LISTENING. You are airplane-ready! Once downloaded, listen uninterrupted without threat from a lost network connection. Downloads are usually just 5-10 minutes, but depend upon your network speed.
•AUTO-BOOKMARKING. The player remembers where you stopped listening and returns to that exact spot when you open the book again.
•TELL-A-FRIEND. An easy way to recommend the book to your friends or Twitter feed.
•FEEDBACK. Share your ideas for books, functions, and features. We are very responsive to our listeners and appreciate all feedback and ideas.
RATING: Suitable for adults who enjoy tales of the arts in renaissance Europe or stories about monastic orders.
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Moses Froben was born in the eighteenth century in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps, the bastard son of a deaf-mute woman, banished to the church tower to ring the abbey bells. His life is simple but content, until the day his father recognizes Moses’ singular sense of hearing and its power to expose sins. After finding refuge in a great abbey where he becomes a star singer, he is forced to undergo castration. Under the apprenticeship of the great Gaetano Guadagni, the help of two noble friends and a secret lover, he survives the intrigues of Mozart’s Vienna as he rises to become Europe’s most celebrated star, Lo Svizzero. But the most astonishing feat of all is how he came to raise a son who, by all rights, he never could have sired.