Robertson's memoir of her efforts to save and be saved by the land during the Depression is especially poignant in these days of high unemployment and back-to-the-land movements. Gallagher's reading is excellent and compensates somewhat for the incompatibility of her gentle voice with the feisty character she portrays. She reads with sensitivity and genuine involvement. The conclusion by Robertson's granddaughter smoothly covers the abrupt ending of the journal. Ragtime music, bracketing the story, strikes a note discordant to the struggle in THE ORCHARD. Such a "period" touch threatens the delicately timeless mood set by both writer and reader.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1995
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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