Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's voice is as rich and beguiling as Catherine Banner's tale of the Esposito family of Castellamara, a mythical little island near Sicily. As the story weaves its way from before WWI through the early-twenty-first century, Banner delivers a detailed saga of five generations of memorable characters, family lore, historical events, and a little bit of local magic. Ballerini's subtle shifts in tone and even pacing keep the plot moving, and his skillful application of accents and intensity provides character definition. Overall, Ballerini's masterful presentation adds an extra level of enjoyment to the story.
Pub Date: July 12, 2016
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780451482693
Publisher: Random House 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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