Narrator Kate Reading's tone and pacing are perfect for this complex drama spanning the war-torn twentieth century. A delayed train journey in 1927 from Berlin to Prague intertwines the lives of Natalia Faber; her unpredictable mother, Beatriz; journalist Miklós Andorján; and Dr. Magdalena Schaeffer. The stranded strangers begin friendships that last decades, through WWII and its aftermath, withstanding even the cruelest of Nazi atrocities. Reading is a caring, sensitive guide who creates convincing relationships as the story reveals long-buried secrets. She creates real people among the abundance of characters, using believable accents, leading listeners down winding city streets and taking them to country spas, while smoothly navigating characters' vivid, often painful, memories. Reading's performance enhances this historical reflection on an era humanity must never forget.
Pub Date: Dec. 22, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781094121499
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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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