Alison Weir writes a splendid historical fiction with this story of Lady Jane Grey, who becomes the XX of Henry VIII's eight wives. Multiple talented narrators are well chosen for voices and viewpoints that collaborate to tell the story. Davina Porter's cold tones portray Jane's shrewish mother, Frances Brandon, who can't forgive her daughter for being born female. The regal-accented Gerald Doyle portrays self-interested John Dudley, who uses Jane as a political pawn, and Bianca Amato plays Queen Mary, who responds coldly to this political threat but melts later in compassion. In contrast are Jenny Sterlin's kindly nurse, Mrs. Ellen, and Stina Nielsen, who shows us Jane's development from dutiful child to contemplative girl at court and finally the 16-year-old young woman who faces execution with grace.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2007
Duration: 18 hrs, 15 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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