This stiff, pretentious account of the dashing lad who claimed to be the murdered Richard Plantagenet is twice as long as it should be. The case is not even a historical footnote. Richard was presumed murdered by his evil uncle, Richard III. But during the reign of Henry VII, a pretender came to the fore, urged on by Henry's political rivals. The kid was hanged in 1499 at the age of 25, after six years of notoriety. The author says nothing in one word when she can use ten. Compounding the matter, Josephine Bailey sounds like a Victorian "paid companion" reading a long, humorless novel to a shut-in. She has poise, she has perfect Eliza Doolittle elocution, but she has little interest in the book, and neither will you. Y.R.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 25 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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