With a shrewd eye toward the spoils, Wallace Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor, dedicated herself to years of hobnobbing and the occasional double-crossing of true friends to climb to the top of the social ladder. Samantha Bond is a regal-sounding British performer whose voice is strong enough to portray Wallace’s deliberate escape from her drab days in the middle class. Bond portrays Wallace’s strategies of enchanting businessmen, artists, dignitaries, and aristocrats while carelessly using many of those who cared for her. Elegantly, Bond describes details of Simpson’s early life as well, her relationship with her parents and her marriages, affairs, and exotic rendezvous, capturing the essence of what made this complicated yet transparent woman tick.
Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427222855
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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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