Listeners who can suspend their disbelief will appreciate this historical fantasy, which takes place in plague-ridden Florence in 1348. The author, a gemologist, fashions her story around a kind witch named Ginevra who uses the healing power of gemstones to cure plague victims. Golden Voice narrator Soneela Nankani tells this tale of sorcery, superstition, and sophistry with conviction and passion. Ginevra is tasked by religious leaders in Florence to catch a relics thief and return the bones he stole to the churches where they belong. When listening to this audiobook, one must accept the efficacy of curses, evil spells, and the evil eye. Citizens in the fourteenth century believed in many strange phenomena--so, apparently, do many people today.
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488231759
Publisher: Harlequin 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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