Narrator Rosalyn Landor is a one-woman full-cast production. Alison Weir turns history into flesh and blood. The combination is extraordinary. The story of Henry VIII's fifth wife reminds us how deadly dangerous he was. Before she even imagines going to live in the court, Katheryn Howard--beautiful, young, willful, and from a prominent family--makes several bad choices in men. Cousin to Anne Boleyn (a little foreshadowing?) and niece to the ambitious, throne-obsessed Duke of Norfolk, Katheryn is sent to court to catch the eye of the much-married, obese, and ailing king. Landor captures young Katheryn's joy in youthful pleasures and her delight at the luxurious surroundings of the glittering life at court. When her past is revealed and tragedy is inevitable, Landor makes our hearts ache. Exceptional storytelling. A+ listening.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501905735
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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