For a Modest Fee

By: Freda Jackson

Narrated by: Freda Jackson

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Trained as a nurse and midwife, Elizabeth Evans never wanted to help set up the fledgling town of Aspen Coulee, Alberta, but travels there with her father when he agrees to become the town doctor. Housekeeper at the Evans house, Ann Montgomery hoped to keep all her San Francisco secrets locked in her ancient wedding chest. It is 1907, and the Canadian Pacific Railway is driving the engine of the west. Against the fluid backdrop of the Canadian prairies, For a Modest Fee is a story about the women of the era and the expectations that made them the primary caretakers of not only their own families, but of the entire town. A hundred years ago, choices for women were few; married or single, they all stepped into the roles thrust upon them. For a Modest Fee is a fascinating audiobook that looks at the evolution, in a few short years, of a prairie town from windblown wilderness to a fitting place for flowerboxes and school recitals.

©2010 Freda Jackson (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Narrator ruined it for me

I was interested in the book. The story had potential. The writing wasn’t bad. The narrator’s reading and voice made the book intolerable

Glad it was free

The narrator was hard to listen to. She spoke in a monotone and the story sounded like it was a long run on sentence. Other reviews had said it was a good story, so I stuck it out. The way she wrapped up the ending was odd in my opinion, like she ran out of ideas.

Surprisingly beautiful

A beautiful story representing brave, compassionate, and real people told beautifully and concisely.
Loved the setting, the theme and the characters.

Dry Narration

While I'm sure the book is a good one, I couldn't continue past chapter 2 because of the narration. The narrators voice was monotone and grating.

Not all authors should narrate their stories!!

I liked the story but the narration was dull and monotone!!! Not all authors are meant to narrate their stories.

Such an interesting book.

I loved this book and I will be looking for others by Ms. Jackson. She has an amazing insight into the lives of women pioneers.

The first thing you notice when listening to this novel is that the recording is not of very good quality. It is narrated by the author, herself, and she does a really good job but the production quality is really bad. It seems that no one thought the book deserved a professionally produced recording. That said, this is a VERY good book and it deserves a second release with a more professional quality recording. Even with the amateur sounding recording, it is well worth sticking with it. I think you will find that this book will be one of your favorites.

DON’T BUY THE AUDIOBOOK, BUY THE BOOK. SAVE YOUR EARS.

I cannot stress ENOUGH that the author being the narrator DESTROYS this book. It is the worst book I have LISTEN to. The book itself, is excellent. It is a SHAME audible does not insist on re-recording this book. The author does not read this in a way that makes it easy to discern between dialog between characters, there is a flat affect when excitement or suspense could be added. I kept saying to myself “is this how the author hears it in her head?”. THIS BOOK WOULD HAVE BETTER RATINGS IF AUDIBLE RE-RECORDED THIS WITH A DIFFERENT NARRATOR. It is that bad, sometimes sentences run into each other, the cadence is horrible. It was painful to have to endure this book, as short as it was, knowing the story was very compelling. Do yourself (and your ears) a favor and buy the physical book. This will be a wasted purchase until Audible changes the narrator from Freda Jackson.

Don't Let The Narration Make You Miss This Wonder

This story of strong unwavering women in the wild prairie of 1907 Alberta, Canada is wonderful. I am so glad that I listened!

The only flaw was the decision to have the author narrate the book. This was a mistake. Her voice is difficult listening at first--but gradually I grew use to it. Other reviewers have complained about it. But, I am so glad I didn't listen to them and stuck with the book because the story is a true winner.

Brimming with harsh realities, unending strength and endearing hope this book allows the beauty of the prairie to shine through. It captures frontier life in Canada perfectly. The writing is completely engaging and had me hanging on every word. Definitely worth the effort. Not to be missed!

Performance issues

I enjoy it when authors read their books. This seems a good story. But the author reads it as if at a book reading without inflection or character voices. At times, I don't think she heeded punctuation. Because of this, I only listened for 15 minutes and then deleted the book. This is one to read from the book. (I think I am spoiled by the great Audible performances.)

A narration by the author

A captivating story about two women living in an inhospitable environment. Both women’s stories could each lead to another book, but this was a satisfying end. The narrator is inexperienced at reading aloud but I do acknowledge her effort to share her own writing. I like her voice a lot, but she lack inflection! Didn’t even THINK to turn it off! I will be looking for other books by her.