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Elizabeth and Elizabeth

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Elizabeth and Elizabeth

By: Sue Williams
Narrated by: Eveline Benedict
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About this listen

'I've waited for this moment so long, dreamed of it, prepared for it, I can barely believe it's finally here. But it is. And it is nothing like I expected.'

There was a short time in Australia's European history when two women wielded extraordinary power and influence behind the scenes of the fledgling colony.

One was Elizabeth Macquarie, the wife of the new governor Lachlan Macquarie, nudging him towards social reform and magnificent buildings and town planning. The other was Elizabeth Macarthur, credited with creating Australia's wool industry and married to John Macarthur, a dangerous enemy of the establishment.

These women came from strikingly different backgrounds with husbands who held sharply conflicting views. They should have been bitter foes.

©2021 Sue Williams (P)2021 Bolinda Publishing Fiction Historical Fiction Marriage
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave great insight into early colonial Australia, and the role played by the significant figures from a very different perspective.

Excellent historical fiction

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In crafting this review for the audiobook of "Elizabeth and Elizabeth" by Sue Williams, it's important to acknowledge the nuanced enjoyment derived from the narrative's core. However, a couple of aspects diminished the overall listening experience. Primarily, the pacing of the narration presented a challenge. The delivery often veered towards an excessively slow tempo, occasionally bordering on tedium. This pacing issue detracted from the storytelling, impeding the fluidity and engagement one anticipates in an audiobook experience.

Furthermore, the narrative occasionally indulged in extraneous details that did not serve to advance the plot or deepen character understanding. A notable example of this was the repetitive exchange of greetings and expressions of admiration between the two Elizabeths. Such interactions, though intended to underscore the burgeoning friendship and mutual respect between the protagonists, instead felt redundant and inane. The strength and authenticity of their relationship were already effectively communicated through the storyline, rendering these repetitive moments unnecessary. These aspects of the narrative, rather than enriching the listener's immersion, instead imposed a sense of redundancy, undermining the story's otherwise compelling depiction of historical friendship.

The story of two well known Colonial women

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.