Beginning in Nieuw Amsterdam ( Southern Manhattan) in 1661, this mutigenerational saga runs right through the American Revolution. A brilliant surgeon named Lucas and his homely poppy-growing sister, Sally, come together to the New World and struggle agains the superstitions of their times. These gifted healers are thrown in with black slaves, lusty Jews, and even murdering Indians. Gabrielle de Cuir doesn't alter her voice dramatically for the different characters, but her breathless telling hits exactly the right note. Chock-full of convincing detail, this historical soap opera informs as it entertains. This can't be how they lived, though, anymore than we live on the set of "As the World Turns."
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Audio Literature
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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