Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s work is part memoir, part history of the elephant protection efforts in Kenya in which her husband, David, was instrumental. It’s a mixed bag. Sheldrick provides a richly descriptive portrait of the various rescue animals she fostered throughout the years, efforts that culminated in the foundation of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for elephants and rhinos. Narrator Virginia McKenna adequately portrays Sheldrick's affection for these animals, though the book’s descriptions tend to become repetitive. The story of the animals is interspersed with personal details of Sheldrick’s own life and loves, delivered by McKenna with an excessive degree of drama. The over-the-top quaver in her voice detracts from the story.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2012
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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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