When you've finished listening to Elisabeth Rodgers narrate this fictional memoir of a real woman, you'll know what the word "riveting" really means. Rogers completely disappears into the character of Rosalie Rayner, a scientist who is the wife of behavioral psychologist John B. Watson. Rosalie begins as Watson's graduate assistant, performing hundreds of disturbing tests on newborns--exposing them to loud noises, rats, and other stimuli provoking a fear response--to prove his theory that almost all behavior is conditioned. Rosalie is mesmerized by the great man, eventually giving up her career, marrying him, and yielding to the traditional role of wife and mother. Some moments, especially those with the babies, are emotionally difficult to listen to, but Rodgers develops an authentic performance of a woman whose life reflects the thinking of her time.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2016
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490699103
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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