Narrator David Thorpe gives a delightful performance of this 1935 novel. He offers perfect character voices for all the members of Carey's Circus, including Lorimer and Loretta, the trapeze artists; Dodo, the clown; and Anton, the tiger trainer. Thorpe is also perfect as Detective Inspector Minto, of Scotland Yard, who happens to be attending the circus when Anton is found dead inside the tigers' cage. Thorpe captures all the wit infused into the clever writing, as well as the suspense of the mystery. His engaged reading enhances each scene as Minto's unorthodox search for Anton's murderer unveils a crime scheme within the circus. Even though this is a classic story, it sounds fresh and relevant.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books /Soundings
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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