Captain Eric DeHaan thinks himself “good as any man, better than none . . . He had big hands, appreciated by women . . . ” Called ashore for a secret meeting, he is asked to throw the tramp freighter NOORDENDAM against the Nazis. And so--like many ordinary men and women in war-torn Europe--DeHann must prove himself to be a coward or an unlikely hero. Many thrillers have nothing to do with life as we know it. Furst’s characters battle a world as grotesque, beautiful, and ordinary as the one you and I struggle through today. George Guidall’s golden voice is exquisitely fitted for this job. Terrible odds, proud enemies, beautiful lost women . . . all are narrated in the gravelly tones of a man who is still intoxicated and outraged by life, but no longer surprised.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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