-
Valour and Vanity
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $22.46
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Of Noble Family
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Robin Miles, Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy - then Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies. His brother, who manages the estate, is overwhelmed, and no one else in his family can go. Grudgingly, out of filial duty, the couple decide to go.
-
-
A Masterpiece!
- By Benjamin Griffin on 05-20-15
-
Ghost Talkers
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Hartshorne, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force. Each soldier heading for the front is conditioned to report to the mediums of the Spirit Corps when they die so the corps can pass instant information about troop movements to military intelligence. Ginger and her fellow mediums contribute a great deal to the war efforts, so long as they pass the information through appropriate channels.
-
-
A very atmospheric, fast read!
- By kara-karina on 09-04-16
-
The Calculating Stars
- A Lady Astronaut Novel
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the East Coast of the US, including Washington, DC. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the Earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space and requires a much-larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York’s drive to become the first lady astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
-
-
Fizzles After a Great Start
- By Jim N on 02-04-19
-
The Original
- By: Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end.
-
-
Good story, but something ruined it for me...
- By jturner on 09-16-20
By: Brandon Sanderson, and others
-
The Midnight Bargain
- By: C. Polk
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a world reminiscent of Regency England, women's magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.
-
-
I wanted to love this
- By Cass Kachel on 03-25-21
By: C. Polk
-
Changeling
- A Novel of Sorcery and Society
- By: Molly Harper
- Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s. Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor....
-
-
Other reviewer totally nailed it
- By Amazon Customer on 04-13-19
By: Molly Harper
-
Of Noble Family
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Robin Miles, Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy - then Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies. His brother, who manages the estate, is overwhelmed, and no one else in his family can go. Grudgingly, out of filial duty, the couple decide to go.
-
-
A Masterpiece!
- By Benjamin Griffin on 05-20-15
-
Ghost Talkers
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ginger Stuyvesant, an American heiress living in London during World War I, is engaged to Captain Benjamin Hartshorne, an intelligence officer. Ginger is a medium for the Spirit Corps, a special Spiritualist force. Each soldier heading for the front is conditioned to report to the mediums of the Spirit Corps when they die so the corps can pass instant information about troop movements to military intelligence. Ginger and her fellow mediums contribute a great deal to the war efforts, so long as they pass the information through appropriate channels.
-
-
A very atmospheric, fast read!
- By kara-karina on 09-04-16
-
The Calculating Stars
- A Lady Astronaut Novel
- By: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the East Coast of the US, including Washington, DC. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the Earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space and requires a much-larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York’s drive to become the first lady astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
-
-
Fizzles After a Great Start
- By Jim N on 02-04-19
-
The Original
- By: Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 3 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Holly Winseed wakes up in a hospital room, her memory compromised and a new identity imposed on her, a team of government agents wastes no time stating their objective. With intent to infiltrate and defeat the terrorist group ICON, the agents tell Holly that she is now a Provisional Replica and has one week to hunt down and kill her Original for the murder of her husband, Jonathan. If she succeeds, she’ll assume her Original’s place in society. If she fails, her life will end.
-
-
Good story, but something ruined it for me...
- By jturner on 09-16-20
By: Brandon Sanderson, and others
-
The Midnight Bargain
- By: C. Polk
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a world reminiscent of Regency England, women's magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.
-
-
I wanted to love this
- By Cass Kachel on 03-25-21
By: C. Polk
-
Changeling
- A Novel of Sorcery and Society
- By: Molly Harper
- Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she’ll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell’s. Except Cassandra Reed’s real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical “Snipes” are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter’s favorite vase in the parlor....
-
-
Other reviewer totally nailed it
- By Amazon Customer on 04-13-19
By: Molly Harper
-
Rosemary and Rue
- An October Daye Novel, Book 1
- By: Seanan McGuire
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world of Faerie never disappeared: it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own. Secrecy is the key to Faerie’s survival—but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, these second-class children of Faerie spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations.
-
-
Meh...
- By Page on 11-30-15
By: Seanan McGuire
-
Midnight Riot
- Rivers of London, Book 1
- By: Ben Aaronovitch
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale....
-
-
Unique story
- By Christopher Nelson on 09-21-17
By: Ben Aaronovitch
-
All Systems Red
- By: Martha Wells
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All Systems Red is the tense first science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans.
-
-
Good...but...
- By Steve on 07-20-18
By: Martha Wells
-
Spellbreaker
- Spellbreaker, Book 1
- By: Charlie N. Holmberg
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Joel Froomkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain.
-
-
Interesting read/listen
- By Roderica Ruddle on 12-21-20
-
A Curious Beginning
- By: Deanna Raybourn
- Narrated by: Angele Masters
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry - and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.
-
-
Incredibly self-indulgent of the author
- By Michelle on 09-18-19
By: Deanna Raybourn
-
Crowbones
- The World of the Others
- By: Anne Bishop
- Narrated by: Alexandra Harris
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep in the territory controlled by the Others - shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings - Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others. But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble.
-
-
Great characters, suspenseful story set in the intricate world of the Others
- By Kelly R on 03-10-22
By: Anne Bishop
-
Just One Damned Thing After Another
- The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1
- By: Jodi Taylor
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Madeleine Maxwell is recruited by the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research, she discovers the historians there don't just study the past - they revisit it. But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And she soon discovers it's not just History she's fighting....
-
-
Lightweight imitation of Connie Willis
- By Margaret on 11-18-14
By: Jodi Taylor
-
A Useful Woman
- A Rosalind Thorne Mystery, Book 1
- By: Darcie Wilde
- Narrated by: Sarah Nichols
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The daughter of a baronet and minor heiress, Rosalind Thorne was nearly ruined after her father abandoned the family. To survive in the only world she knew, she began to manage the affairs of some of London society's most influential women, who rely on her wit and discretion. So when artistocratic wastrel Jasper Aimesworth is found dead in London's most exclusive ballroom, Almack's, Rosalind must use her skills and connections to uncover the killer.
-
-
Give this a chance
- By James on 05-28-17
By: Darcie Wilde
-
A Dead Djinn in Cairo
- A Tor.Com Original
- By: P. Djèlí Clark
- Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Egypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine. What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi leads her through the city’s underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and plot that could unravel time itself, in P. Djèlí Clark's Tor.Com Original, A Dead Djinn in Cairo.
-
-
Imaginative, captivating, amazing!!!
- By 2560431 on 11-09-19
By: P. Djèlí Clark
-
Truth and Other Lies: A Loki Norse Fantasy (The Nine Worlds Rising Book 1)
- By: Lyra Wolf
- Narrated by: Casey Eade
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nothing is trickier than the truth. All Loki the trickster god of Asgard wants is a peaceful life where he's free to stir up a bit of harmless mischief. But when he's struck by a painful vision of blood, ash, and death he knows his fun has run out. Refusing to have his life obliterated by some stuffy prophecy, Loki feels he must save Asgard. Except the gods stand in his way. They don't trust the God of Lies, which means his only hope is to return to Odin, the man he wished to forget thanks to their complicated history.
-
-
A fun listen
- By Michelle L Wayte on 01-06-22
By: Lyra Wolf
-
The Wizard's Butler
- The Wizard's Butler, Book 1
- By: Nathan Lowell
- Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For five grand a month and a million-dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn't care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year. But they didn't tell him about the pixies.
-
-
I LOVED this book!
- By Kristin Butner on 04-24-21
By: Nathan Lowell
-
Gutter Mage
- By: J.S. Kelley
- Narrated by: Tanis Parenteau
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a kingdom where magic fuels everything from street lamps to horseless carriages, the mage guilds of Penador wield power equal to the king himself. So when Lord Edmund’s infant son is kidnapped by the ruthless Alath Guild, he turns to the one person who’s feared by even the most magically adept: Rosalind Featherstone, a.k.a. the Gutter Mage. But as Roz delves into the circumstances behind the child’s disappearance, she uncovers an old enemy from her traumatic past and a long-brewing plot that could lead to the death of countless innocents.
-
-
Refreshing
- By Scott C. Simmons on 10-10-21
By: J.S. Kelley
Publisher's Summary
Acclaimed fantasist Mary Robinette Kowal has enchanted many fans with her beloved novels featuring a Regency setting in which magic--known here as glamour--is real. In Valour and Vanity, master glamourists Jane and Vincent find themselves in the sort of a magical adventure that might result if Jane Austen wrote Ocean's Eleven.
After Melody's wedding, the Ellsworths and Vincents accompany the young couple on their tour of the continent. Jane and Vincent plan to separate from the party and travel to Murano to study with glassblowers there, but their ship is set upon by Barbary corsairs while en route. It is their good fortune that they are not enslaved, but they lose everything to the pirates and arrive in Murano destitute.
Jane and Vincent are helped by a kind local they meet en route, but Vincent is determined to become self-reliant and get their money back, and hatches a plan to do so. But when so many things are not what they seem, even the best laid plans conceal a few pitfalls. The ensuing adventure is a combination of the best parts of magical fantasy and heist novels, set against a glorious Regency backdrop.
More from the same
What listeners say about Valour and Vanity
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Hope Johnston
- 05-22-14
Author narrates a great tale
Mary Robinette Kowal is an experienced audiobook narrator as well as a gifted writer. She also works another of her creative talents, as a puppeteer, into the novel's plot. The storyline is built on the witty premise that two highly skilled illusionists find themselves cozened by con artists who excel at making people believe in false appearances. The Vincents quickly find themselves far from home in Italy with no funds at hand and no fortune at all after the thieves clean out their bank accounts. Yet not all hope is lost: Jane finds help at a local convent among nuns who are indignant when they learn of the couple's plight, and several plucky characters prove to be capable allies when the illusionists undertake a daring plan to trick the tricksters and bring them to justice. Reading the previous books would be advisable to understand references made in the novel to past events. This is another enjoyable addition to the series.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sandra Young
- 04-14-15
Intriguing series!
This is book 4 in a series of 5 (so far). Definitely start from book 1. The series follows Jane and Vincent's lives (the main characters). When I read the first book, I thought it was just a spoofl on J. Austin's books. This series is much more than that. I've thoroughly enjoyed the series. Ms. Kowal has gone past the Austen reference and created a wonderful series all her own. There's romance, plot twists, and intrigue. Even though some spots are irksome, on the whole, the series is great and I'm looking forward to the next book.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tammie
- 12-30-14
Best book so far!
Valour and Vanity is the best book in the Glamourist Histories. Each book is better than the previous one. Can't wait for the next book by Mary Robinette Kowal!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anne Newman
- 08-11-14
Great Story, Performance Issue..
What made the experience of listening to Valour and Vanity the most enjoyable?
This is a fun read. So far, my favorite of the series.
How could the performance have been better?
However, the reader CANNOT do accents. She's great at the uppercrust brit accent, but they encounter Italians and Venetians, and she tries to do an accent. It's terrible.
Any additional comments?
This is a great book, but better read than listened to.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nancy A.
- 03-07-21
A little something...
This book in the series wasn't quite as enjoyable for me until the end. I was in it for the entertainment, not to be stressed out by the character's circumstances. Vincent seemed like a whiney boy, not Jane's hero. The ending didn't quite make sense, as if the whole story was written one way, and then turned out to be another way. Kind of a poor execution imho. I had also figured out who the villan was within the first 2 chapters.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MOMof14
- 07-30-20
Captivating!
I didn’t want to put this book down, but instead to keep reading all the way through.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Silas
- 06-18-14
Better as author than reader
I read and liked the first three books in this series, and was pleased to buy the fourth. I liked the story, but I kinda wish I'd read it rather than listened. Mary is a great writer, and has a good voice, but I came out liking this a little less than previous books. I think its simply the change in format: I got used to the experience of reading, so switching to listening made me dislike it. Also, she reads a little slower than I prefer, which can be slightly annoying.
Summary: listen if you listened to the previous ones and liked them. Don't switch from reading to listening halfway through the series.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 02-10-19
still loving the series
still loving the series and performance was great :) . characters were all interesting and ending good.