Green Darkness Audiobook By Anya Seton cover art

Green Darkness

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Green Darkness

By: Anya Seton
Narrated by: Heather Wilds
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About this listen

Green Darkness is the story of a great love, a love in which mysticism, suspense, and mystery form a web of good and evil forces that stretches from Tudor England to the England of the 20th century. The marriage of the Englishman Richard Marsdon and his young American wife, Celia, slowly turns tragic as Richard withdraws into himself and Celia suffers a debilitating emotional breakdown.

A wise mystic realizes that Celia can escape her past only by reliving it. She journeys back 400 years to her former life as the servant girl Celia de Bohun during the reign of Edward VI - and to her doomed love affair with the chaplain Stephen Marsdon. Although Celia and Stephen can't escape the horrifying consequences of their love, fate (and time) offer them another chance for redemption.

©1972 Anya Seton Chase (P)2014 Tantor
Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Marriage
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Critic reviews

"Anya Seton has a knack of vividly painting the glory, cruelty, passion, and prejudice of long-ago days." ( Hartford Courant)

What listeners say about Green Darkness

Highly rated for:

The Story Of Green Darkness, Set In Tudor England, Blends Historical Fiction With Elements Of Paranormal Romance And Reincarnation. While Praised For Its Well-researched Historical Details And Engrossing Timeless Love Story, Some Found The Pacing Slow, Characters Underdeveloped, And The Obsessive Romance Off-putting. The Novel Explores Themes Of Forbidden Love Between A Priest And A Woman, Religion And Spirituality, As Well As Madness And Obsession Against The Backdrop Of Tudor History.
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Reread it every couple of years

I owned a paperback copy of this book since I was in high school (a long, long time ago). I loved it so much that I would reread it every couple of years until it literally fell apart. The story of a priest falling in love is poignant and heartbreaking. Their deaths are tragic, 200 years later their love culminates in the lives of 2 young people who do not understand how the past can influence the present and future.

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One of my favorites!

Would you consider the audio edition of Green Darkness to be better than the print version?

I've re-read this book many, many times but this was the first time I listened to it on Audible and I loved the reader/performer's accents and pronounciation. In many ways I prefer the audio version because it's so easy to get lost in the story when you don't have to wonder how to pronounce places and things.

What does Heather Wilds bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Heather Wilds did a wonderful job - she brought an old favorite back to life for me.

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    5 out of 5 stars

My absolute favorite book

This book hastens you in right from the beginning. It is historical romance but of a superior quality. It has all the ingredients of the occult, but so perfectly done. It's about a forbidden love affair and the ultimate horror caused by it. It explores reincarnation, astrology, witchcraft and jealousy, that severe emotion. I read this book 3 times since it came out in 1973. I loved the original book cover, a monk and a young woman in the green darkness of the woods. But the woods do not protect them. Kathleen Collins

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Green Darkness

I first read this story in short form in 1972. I loved it so much I wanted to read the whole thing so I bought The complete book this has been my favorite since I first read it so many years ago. I've read it I don't know how many times and now I'm glad to have it in my audible library.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Narrator ruined this for me

I love Anya Seton's books and I think this one was good and well written. The narrator completely ruined the experience for me and made it hard to listen to. I believe if this were to be re-recorded with a better narrator ( possibly Corrie James who read The Wintrop Woman) it would be a great success. I did not finish listening to the book and moved on.

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Love Anya Seton!

Have read this multiple times thru the years. A mix of historical fiction and reincarnation. I always enjoy it

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Absolutely LOVE this book!

I read this book when it first came out in the seventies and wanted to see if it withstood the test of time, I’m thrilled to day it did! I’ve read other books by this author but this continues to be my favorite. It’s one of the few books I’ve re-read and it just keeps my interest, it’s just that good.
The strong love felt by Celia and Steven in the fifteenth hundreds left such mark in their souls that they’re forced to repeat it in this lifetime, would they have a different result?

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Meh, it's okay.

The story was entertaining, but never really more than surface deep. The characters always fell flat and seem to have little substance. Predictable but not unenjoyable. The narrator sounds like a British version of "Snapped" narrator. Meh.

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In a past life, I loved just as much…

I found this book in our library decades ago in my small catholic school. The story and concepts made a significant impact upon my life. My own Stephan was introduced into my life a year later and now, can’t in and out if my life throughout decades and now I have convinced him to read this book as well. I enjoyed the story yet again and cannot wait to hear his thoughts as it resonates upon his soul.

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Timeless

This book was referred to me by my boss years ago and said it was a good read. Picked up a paperback copy for myself. She was right. I’ve read it several times and I am delighted that I have it on audiobook. For me this story never gets old.

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