Roger Willoughby - A Story of the Times of Benbow by William Henry Giles Kingston AUDIOBOOK

William Henry Giles Kingston, celebrated for his evocative tales of seafaring and adventure, turns his attention to the age of Admiral Benbow in "Roger Willoughby: A Story of the Times of Benbow." This finely rendered historical novel situates its youthful protagonists amid the brisk winds and uncertain fortunes of England’s Dorset coast during the Restoration period. Kingston paints a vivid tableau of rural life, domestic conventions, and boyhood aspirations beneath the weight of both parental expectation and the lure of distant horizons.

The scene unfolds across the rugged cliffs and undulating downs between Lyme and Bridport, a landscape richly described and animated by Kingston’s keen eye for natural detail. At the heart of the story is Roger Willoughby, spirited and imaginative, drawn irresistibly both to tales of seafaring exploits and to the mysterious ships that beckon from the Channel. Together with his friend Stephen Battiscombe, whose own dreams lean toward legal grandeur, Roger embodies the restless curiosity of youth—a longing for adventure delicately balanced with familial duty and the norms of their Puritan community.

Kingston’s narrative is infused with period atmosphere, from the precise attire and manners of his young gentlemen to the realities of manor houses, parish feasts, and the ever-present dangers that shadow both land and sea. The interplay between aspiration and caution, tradition and exploration, creates a work that reflects not only the spirit of an era, but also the universal journey from youth into responsibility. Readers and listeners will find themselves drawn into a world marked by wonder and decorum, poised on the brink of transformation, rendered with all the detail and empathy that marks Kingston’s finest work.

Audiobook time & format : 9h4m15s, OPUS, 424 Mo
Audiobook free extract time & format : 5m (see below to listen), WAV
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