Audiobooks Like This Tender Land

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Scott Brick narrates This Tender Land with the expansive quality the material calls for — Krueger's Depression-era river journey through 1930s America has the tempo of a road novel, and Brick's authoritative baritone gives the landscape and the characters equal weight across 14 hours. Five of the recommendations also feature Brick's narration, all of them nonfiction histories, which speaks to how his voice handles American geography and historical weight regardless of genre.

10 audiobooks for fans of This Tender Land

  1. 1
    Dead Wake cover

    Dead Wake

    by Erik Larson

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    4.32 ABR Score (177.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.13 Goodreads (163.2K) ★ 4.46 Audible (14.3K)
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    Scott Brick's measured intensity transforms this into a genuine page-turner: Larson weaves together the doomed ship's final voyage with the U-boat hunt closing in, building tension that grips you across 13 hours.

  2. 2
    The Devil in the White City cover

    The Devil in the White City

    by Erik Larson

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    4.21 ABR Score (796.0K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (764.6K) ★ 4.34 Audible (31.4K)
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    Scott Brick's narration transforms this dual narrative into pure suspense: his voice captures both the architect's visionary grandeur and the killer's chilling menace with such distinct intensity that you'll forget you're listening to nonfiction.

  3. 3
    Salt cover

    Salt

    by Mark Kurlansky

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    3.77 ABR Score (80.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (77.3K) ★ 4.16 Audible (3.2K)
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    Scott Brick's measured, curious delivery transforms what could be dry history into genuine narrative pleasure—you'll hear the intrigue in how salt shaped empires, trade routes, and wars across millennia.

  4. 4
    The Frozen River cover

    The Frozen River

    by Ariel Lawhon

    Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer, Ariel Lawhon

    4.71 ABR Score (610.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (594.0K) ★ 4.7 Audible (16.2K)
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    Maine, 1789: midwife Martha Ballard investigates a body frozen in the Kennebec River, using her detailed diary of births, deaths, and town secrets. Jane Oppenheimer's narration captures the cold grip of frontier justice.

  5. 5
    In the Heart of the Sea cover

    In the Heart of the Sea

    by Nathaniel Philbrick

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    4.24 ABR Score (123.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.17 Goodreads (119.9K) ★ 4.43 Audible (3.6K)
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    Scott Brick's measured, gripping narration transforms this true whale-hunt survival story into pure disaster cinema. It's the kind of audiobook that makes a commute disappear.

  6. 6
    Brethren cover

    Brethren

    Foundation of the Dragon Series • Book 1

    by Robb Pritchard

    Narrated by Scott Brick

    3.75 ABR Score (400 ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (395) ★ 3.6 Audible (5)
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    Celtic warrior Cadwal's journey from devoted father to enslaved fighter to freedom seeker unfolds against Rome's expanding empire.

  7. 7
    The Nightingale cover

    The Nightingale

    by Kristin Hannah

    Narrated by Polly Stone

    5.00 ABR Score (2.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.65 Goodreads (2.2M) ★ 4.84 Audible (116.4K)
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    Two French sisters choose vastly different paths of resistance during Nazi occupation, with Polly Stone capturing both their desperation and courage.

  8. 8
    The Women cover

    The Women

    by Kristin Hannah

    Narrated by Julia Whelan, Kristin Hannah

    5.00 ABR Score (1.7M ratings)
    ★ 4.59 Goodreads (1.6M) ★ 4.84 Audible (56.8K)
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    Following nurse Frankie McGrath from suburban comfort to Vietnam's chaos, Julia Whelan captures the protagonist's evolution with raw emotional authenticity.

  9. 9
    The Things We Cannot Say cover

    The Things We Cannot Say

    by Kelly Rimmer

    Narrated by Ann Marie Gideon, Nancy Peterson

    4.86 ABR Score (319.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.54 Goodreads (284.0K) ★ 4.76 Audible (35.9K)
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    A modern woman discovers her Polish grandmother's wartime secrets while struggling with her own family crisis involving her autistic son. The dual timeline structure works beautifully in audio format, connecting past trauma to present-day healing through intimate family bonds.

  10. 10
    The Rose Code cover

    The Rose Code

    by Kate Quinn

    Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

    4.85 ABR Score (406.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.44 Goodreads (381.4K) ★ 4.8 Audible (25.6K)

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

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