If Ben Macintyre ever tires of writing true espionage stories and crazy capers, he can become a professional narrator instead. In 1980, shortly after Margaret Thatcher's election, at the same time that the U.S. was watching its own hostage crisis in Iran, six gunmen captured the Iranian embassy in London, taking more than two dozen hostages. Macintyre's precise British accent is compelling, his timing creates growing tension as the denouement approaches, and his sense of humor at some of the narrative's quirky details is on subtle display. From the gunmen's demand that a province in Iran become independent to the interruption of a snooker final in order to show the SAS raid on live TV--Macintyre keeps his foot on the gas.
Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593913673
Publisher: Random House 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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