Beryl Bainbridge’s historical fiction should be required reading. Her complex portraits of people and events allow us to experience the possibilities of the past. In this novel, we view Robert Scott’s 1912 Antarctic expedition through her incomparable lens. For her facts, she draws upon actual letters, journal accounts, and the memoirs of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, one of the survivors. Gordon Griffin’s performance is masterful. His characterizations imply confusion in the seemingly self-assured and bravery in unlikely heroes. These explorers harbor petty jealousies yet offer the potential for courageous acts. Griffin presents them with little sentimentality, boisterous enthusiasm,and the distinct sense of children boasting. Bainbridge’s mono-logues expose ingrained prejudices and class distinctions, casting light on the shadows found even in good men’s souls.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books /Soundings
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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