Any nonfiction account of royalty can be tricky--complex family trees and complicated names of people and places can be stumbling blocks for readers. Happily, the audio version of Antonia Fraser's study of Louis XIV is in the capable hands of Rosalyn Landor, whose brisk, efficient reading makes short work of a long history. True to its title, this history chronicles the lives of the Sun King's female influences, from his mother to his mistresses. Landor's resonant, precise enunciation easily navigates Louis's lineage and delivers any name with aplomb. Hers is an animated, pleasant voice for a nonfiction text, and, combined with Fraser's trademark skill with language, the history unfolds with grace.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2006
Duration: 13 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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