Mixing English, American, Dutch, and French accents, James Langton has a wonderful time narrating this humorous and insightful historical novel. The story takes the listener from the intrigue of the Restoration court of Charles II in England to the deep woods and Puritan politics of the New World in the early 1660s. Celebrated diarist Samuel Pepys, a secretary of procurement in the King's Navy, is being driven to distraction by his good-humored but utterly unemployable brother-in-law, Baltasar, so he sends "Balty" off on a couple of quick errands across the sea. What could go wrong? With unfailing cheerfulness, Langton take us on a friendly and altogether fascinating romp through some little-known early American history.
Pub Date: 2018
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508255673
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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