Narrator Bruce Mann's voice commands attention from the first moments of Allison and Owen Pataki's carefully researched, if ponderous, novel of the French Revolution. French citizens shouting liberty, equality, and fraternity have overthrown the monarchy of the most reviled king, Louis XVI, and his detested queen, Marie Antoinette. Aristocrat André Valière's father is guillotined. André himself avoids execution by joining the new army. Combined with André's story is the the tale of Jean-Luc, a lawyer, and Sophie, a young widow who is terrified of the unrelenting, bloody chaos. Famous personalities such as Robespierre and Alexandre Dumas populate the lengthy story, and Mann's narration is precise and appropriate. He delivers the vivid, often graphic images of the turbulent period from 1792 to 1804 without overdramatizing. A challenging but worthwhile listen.
Pub Date: July 11, 2017
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780525494645
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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