It doesn't seem to be working for 17-year-old Alan. His mother, living in a romantic world of her own, has grown to despise his ineffectual father, who barely manages to keep food on the table, while his 15-year-old sister sneaks off nights to visit her German soldier before he is sent back. Nothing makes sense, and Alan can't even concentrate on his own studies. The glue that keeps the family from disintegrating, however, is the intense love and faith that Alan lavishes on each of its members. Mark McGann's reading is alive with their myriad voices--shrill, gruff, and petulant by turns--and Alan's world takes life from McGann. But most of all the reading resonates with the narrator's deep affection. It is the earnest cockney voice of a schoolboy pained at his family's collapse but helpless to prevent it. Bainbridge has created a quiet life that moves the heart.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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