James Rottger presents this timely story with verve, his Scots accents reflecting its varied locales. When thoughtful Dr. Neil Anderson is misunderstood by a student, a serious complaint results. After he discovers his girlfriend's unfaithfulness, he retreats to the Isle of Mull, rather than defend himself. Rottger lustily utters the strong feelings of longtime friend James, who's outraged by Neil's calm acceptance of misfortune. Life in Mull strongly contrasts with Edinburgh. Rottger sparkles at showcasing the voices of the island's locals: Shakespeare-quoting Maddy, who adores her goats, and vet Katie, who's compassionate with her patients and has caught Neil's eye. Animal cruelty, radical feminism, and political correctness are provocative yet handled with restraint. Because the characters are natural storytellers, audio is a must.
Pub Date: July 29, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798894866062
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After her divorce, Roberta Jewett, with her three daughters, returns to Camden, Maine, to start a new life. Such an independent move in 1916 brings difficulties with her mother, her in-laws and the townspeople. Dukes's performance, while skillful, sometimes suffer in scenes of emotional content. His pace slows, and his reading acquires the peculiar emphasis of someone trying to get instructions across to a non-English-speaking person. The effect is disturbingly laughable. When he resumes his normal pace, the story revives and personalities emerge again, but the awkwardness remains as an odd interruption to Spencer's drama of pain and love, dispelling Dukes's carefully constructed characterizations.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A young Southern woman marries into an aristocratic Boston family and spends her summers at a vacation community on the Maine coast. Heavy-handed abridgment reduces this novel to an outline which denies the listener any character development. Judith Ivey offers stereotypical dialects which are discordant to a New Englander's ear. In her interpretation the Down East Mainers speak like thugs in raspy voices. Her presentation of a Boston accent is phonetically erratic and also spoken in gruff tones. The color and flavor of Maine are missing from this tasteless rendition.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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