Janice L. Blixt's spirited performance of this first book in the Adventures of Nellie Bly series brings out the grit and gumption of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, better known as Nellie Bly. She was an activist and journalist famous for exposing conditions at the mental health asylum on Blackwell's Island in New York City in the early 1800s. Blixt captures Elizabeth's lively personality and fury at society's unfair treatment of women. Overall, Blixt's portrayal of Elizabeth--ranging from impertinent and fierce to contemplative and empathetic--is well rounded and engaging. Her voicings of secondary characters are less successful. Children's voices are grating, and men's voices are oddly whispery and forced. However, the audiobook's focus is on Elizabeth herself--a remarkable and bighearted heroine whose story still resonates.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2022
Duration: 21 hrs
Publisher: Sordelet 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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