In this fictional biography of Marie Antoinette, written as a diary, we learn of the life and loves of the last queen of France. Erickson, who has also written nonfiction about Marie Antoinette, depicts the turbulent time of the French Revolution through the eyes of privilege. Carrington MacDuffie reads the diary entries with energy and enthusiasm. MacDuffie gives an unaccented voice to Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, and most of the other French characters and discernible accents to the rest. From Antoinette's loveless marriage at age 14 to her love affair with Swedish Axel Ferson and her captivity during the Revolution, Erickson shows that Marie Antoinette was a real woman, no matter how infamous.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
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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