There is no better narrator for this exotic story than Aghdashloo, whose gorgeously accented English and mellifluous timbre match the novel's lush language and style. Set in seventeenth-century Persia and filled with drama and poetic description, THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS will attract a variety of listeners who will be enchanted by Aghdashloo's performance. Listeners who crave a work of historical fiction or an inspirational story of an individual crafting her own independent life will appreciate this fascinating work. Aghdashloo's smooth tones inspire close listening to the author's prose. Those who are so inspired will appreciate the text for its imagery and beauty, as well its intriguing family saga.
Pub Date: June 5, 2007
Duration: 13 hrs
Publisher: Hachette 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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