Nicola Barber and Cassandra Campbell share the narration of this spy story set primarily during the Cold War. Twins Iris and Ruth have not spoken in years, not since Iris and her family defected to Russia when her husband was revealed to be a Soviet mole. In 1952, Ruth agrees to travel to Moscow with a U.S. diplomat to try to extract her sister from the USSR. Barber performs the chapters about Iris in a soft, expressive voice, conveying Iris's resignation to a difficult marriage and a life that seems out of her control. Campbell's lively delivery of Ruth's chapters fits the twin's sassier, stronger personality. Both narrators employ believable British and Russian accents and vary their deliveries to fit the mood and action of the story.
Pub Date: June 1, 2021
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063020825
Publisher: Harper 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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