Simon Jones illuminates Vantrease's intricate tale of fourteenth-century England. A diverse group of characters, from religious revolutionaries to lowly serfs, is rendered believable. It is a time of peril, even for the highborn, and widowed Lady Kathryn is fighting to maintain her household despite the demands of king and Church. In order to obtain the protection of a local monastery, she accedes to a request that she provide lodging for Finn, a master illuminator, not knowing that this will bring passion and more danger into her life. This grand tale of power, love, and social change could only be done justice by a grand narrator, and Jones, one of AudioFile's Golden Voices, provides it.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Audio Renaissance
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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