The 1936 abdication of Britain's King Edward VIII gets a full hearing in this absorbing audiobook. Journalist Alexander Larman offers a fresh view--a candid, highly detailed account of what happened and why. Narrator Richard Trinder sounds just like a 1930s British newscaster, and he's most effective pacing a multi-perspective narrative that compares contemporary accounts to private diaries, published memoirs to their unedited versions, and files long sequestered to each other. Trinder's dialogue voices, however, are disappointing. His Edward sounds very much like his Wallis, she with a Southern accent, and his Churchill (a marker for British narrators) is just passable. No matter. The story carries you along, and the better you know it already, the more you'll appreciate Larman's scrupulous reconstruction.
Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2021
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250794734
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Bellantoni’s rich baritone shines the spotlight on a remarkable woman capable of constantly reinventing herself.
Paul Bellantoni’s narration is a treat. This audiobook revisits many of Jane Fonda’s movie successes and some of her lesser films before offering details of her evolution into a force for good. While some attention is paid to the multifaceted Fonda’s early life, the focus is on her political films, including her memorable work in such films as The China Syndrome and Coming Home. Bellantoni’s narration becomes most engaging as he recounts her growth from sex kitten to “Hanoi Jane” to workout queen to political activist. His energy intensifies for anecdotes about her confrontations with Hollywood producers and Washington power brokers.
Bellantoni’s rich baritone shines the spotlight on a remarkable woman capable of constantly reinventing herself.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 31 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228742390
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
Newsom sets the record straight in this above average political memoir.
Newsom’s friendly, solicitous narration of his memoir is especially impressive considering that he suffers from dyslexia, a condition that he wasn’t diagnosed with until he was in the fifth grade. Newsom uses his memoir to clarify and examine his life and to preemptively respond to critics about the myths and faux pas connected with his past, including his connection to the Getty family, his four-year marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, and, most revealing, the fractured patrician and plebian childhood he spent with his divorced parents. His father was a judge and a friend of Gordon Getty, and his mother worked three jobs to keep Gavin and his sister fed and clothed. The memoir makes for an engaging listen, with Newsom’s rise to governor taking a back seat to his surprising self-examination.
Newsom sets the record straight in this above average political memoir.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 57 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217070619
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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