In 1943 Hitler attempted to kidnap Pope Pius XII so the Germans could occupy the Vatican. The Nazis were also planning to deport the Roman Jews to Auschwitz. SS General Karl Wolff, Heinrich Himmler's chief aide, was charged with carrying out these orders. George Wilson reads this WWII history in an even and engaged tone, effortlessly recounting each action of the convoluted plot, which Kurzman researched, in part using primary sources. The result is unexpected international intrigue as Wolff attempts to forestall both the kidnapping and the mass deportation while the Vatican tries to reign in the Reich's growing power through political and religious edicts.
Pub Date: June 1, 2007
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780792749691
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
GENERAL HISTORY | WORLD | HOLOCAUST | HISTORY
A hint of hijinks in sleepy Königsberg sets ears ablaze.
The obscure uproar so vividly portrayed in this brief audiobook couldn’t be farther from today’s media commotions—or nearer. This “small vortex of turbulence” sounds like a stage farce: It’s set in backwater Königsberg, capital of East Prussia, in the 1830s, during the lull between the Napoleonic wars and the 1848 Revolution. Take a preposterous but compelling religious cult and two guileless but strikingly handsome Lutheran clergymen, add only a hint of fornication, and gossip does the rest. Vidish Athavale’s measured, finely nuanced narration gives edge and authority to a narrative without a wasted word or useless detail. And he clearly relishes the polysyllabic 19th-century German names.
A hint of hijinks in sleepy Königsberg sets ears ablaze.Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282234
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
Andoh gives a magnetic performance for fans of Wild Swans and anyone interested in learning about China.
British actress Adjoa Andoh’s robust, smooth voice elevates Chang’s follow-up to her bestselling 1991 book Wild Swans, resulting in an engrossing and thought-provoking listen. Chang chronicles her life after 1978, when she became a British citizen and began researching and writing about China and Mao Zedong. She reflects on China’s political shifts and on her mother’s guidance as Chang navigates a suspicious and sometimes hostile government. Andoh narrates the more academic passages with a measured pace. In more personal sections, such as Chang’s battle with breast cancer and her recollections of her father’s imprisonment, Andoh ups the emotion.
Andoh gives a magnetic performance for fans of Wild Swans and anyone interested in learning about China.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063480070
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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