With comfortable Southern charm, narrator George Newbern, a Little Rock native, delivers this decades-spanning account of Hot Springs, Arkansas, when it was the uncontested gambling and sin capital of North America. From the 1870s through the 1960s, bookies, mobsters, hookers, and card sharks flocked to the home of the "healing waters" to chase their fortunes. The audiobook concentrates on locals like Dane Harris, a bootlegger's son who worked his way up to "boss gambler" and built The Vapors, the most elaborate and successful gambling joint on the strip. Newbern reflects the author's easy humor when mentioning the likes of Babe Ruth, mobster Frank Costello, the Andrews Sisters, and even a young Bill Clinton as occasional visitors and performers. A wonderful slice of Americana.
Pub Date: July 7, 2020
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781713500599
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
As America celebrates its semiquincentennial, it’s enlightening to look back at how the country celebrated its...
The Great Centennial Exhibition was designed to celebrate a century of U.S. history and progress and to make a statement that the country was a technological and diplomatic world leader as the globe looked toward the 20th century. Author Bordewich frames his chronicle of the exhibition by focusing on four key figures—President Rutherford B. Hayes; Alexander Graham Bell; railroad magnate Tom Scott, who spearheaded the fair; and sculptor Edmonia Lewis, whose work broke racial and gender barriers. Narrator Sean Patrick Hopkins’ conversational tone perfectly suits the material. He adds a bit of lilt for humorous and ironic passages. His pace makes it easy to follow the material, and the author’s writing style adapts well to audio.
As America celebrates its semiquincentennial, it’s enlightening to look back at how the country celebrated its centennial.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 12 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217340187
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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