A full cast of narrators stays true to the strong voices of this novel and works well to differentiate the characters and their multiple points of view. Their accents blend convincingly to convey the remote Tennessee setting as each performer accomplishes a credible portrayal. Heroine Myra Lamb, a charismatic blue-eyed beauty, is rendered by Emily Janice Card. As a joyful child, Myra thrives under the care of her grandmother, whom narrator Lorna Raver depicts as tender and caring. Through the eyes of her children, we watch the changes that take place in Myra as her abusive marriage to John Odom unfolds. Portraying Myra's twins, Jesse Bernstein and Rebecca Lowman convey confusion and a yearning for stability. Richard McGonagle plays an older John, who, having resolved his life, fittingly concludes the story.
Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2010
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
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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