I have heard Gabrielle on other recordings and she does the same on this one as the others, there is a breathy rush to complete the chapters in the fastest possible time, which completely destroys all the efforts of the author to tell the story with conviction and passion, while the listener has to make a super-human effort to comprehend the barrage of incomprehensible verbiage thrown at them by Gabrielle. I think she had just got braces on her teeth or something, you can hear her struggling to speak clearly round them. The first reader, Mike Harris, is second to none his recordings are clear and professional and his voice, with its mellow accent and rounded depths of tone is superb, he could read the ingredients off a ketchup bottle and make them sound interesting and important! Sadly, Mike Harris has one fault, he is so good that all the other readers suffer in comparison, in particular Miss Gabrielle C (the reader of the last few chapters and victorious finale). Henty once again presents highly accurate historical research in a very easily understood form. A storyteller who specialized in blending authentic historical facts with exciting fictional characters, Henty produced more than 140 books and achieved a reputation as 'The Prince of Storytellers.' Immensely popular and widely used in schools for many years, Henty's novels continue to fire young imaginations with their spirited tales of adventure amid exciting historical eras.A ripping good yarn set around Scotland's struggle for independence. In Freedom's Cause is one among the many historical novels for young readers by George Alfred Henty. Archie forms a group of scouts to fight alongside the legendary Scottish chieftains (who were memorably portrayed in the film Braveheart) for their country's independence.

Readers join their company alongside a fictional protagonist, young Archie Forbes, whose estates have been wrongfully confiscated. This gripping tale of courage, loyalty, and ingenuity recounts their deeds within an accurate historical context.

Time has burnished the feats of these great heroes to mythic proportions, but Wallace and Bruce were real people. In Freedom's Cause recounts the Scots' desperate but ultimately triumphant struggle in the face of overwhelming odds - a hard-fought series of battles conducted under the leadership of William Wallace and Robert Bruce. At the end of the thirteenth century, the oppressed people of Scotland rebelled against their despised English ruler, Edward Longshanks.

In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty