A biography of a major literary figure stuffed full of literary excerpts could have proved a daunting audiobook. However, Claire Tomalin’s clear and brutally honest portrayal combined with Alex Jennings’s smooth voice and intelligent, engaging style results in a superb listening experience. Charles Dickens was a complicated man. He had an astonishing work ethic, helped poor friends and children, set up a home for prostitutes, and skewered the grasping and dishonest. Yet he was also a terrible husband and father, wished his brother were dead, and really couldn’t write female characters. Jennings is a master at distinguishing the narrative of Dickens’s life story from the primary sources of letters, speeches, and novels by softening his voice subtly but clearly. Jennings also produces credible American accents for Dickens’s trips to the U.S. in this outstanding performance.
Pub Date: June 18, 2012
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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