Those who count the works of David McCullough among their richest listening experiences will welcome what is sure to be one of this year's most popular and lauded audiobooks. As narrator, John Bedford Lloyd possesses many of McCullough's familiar virtues, in particular, a deep-throated calm and a balanced tone free of dogma and bias. Lloyd shows what a skilled narrator can do working with simple pacing, inflection, and moderation of tone. The result is a highly measured performance that's defined by the text, rather than imposed upon it. The history of the post-Revolutionary War drive into the Ohio Territory is an American drama on an epic scale, a reconstruction of events and personalities equal to McCullough's great histories of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal--a feast for the ear, the mind, and the heart.
Pub Date: 2019
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508279099
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
With his deep voice, capable of a rumble here and there, narrator David Colacci is well suited to this quintessential American story. Journalist David Philipps offers a look at our nation's wild horses and their future outlook. Their survival depends on the clarifying of myth and history and a clear-eyed examination of government policies. Though billed as a history of the mustang, in many ways, this is a story about wildness, belonging, and the right to be free. As such, Colacci's unhurried, thoughtful performance effectively balances detailed research, targeted investigation, and personal reflection, providing an engaging listen that highlights the significant challenges of modern-day conservation efforts and government policy.
Pub Date:
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781681688503
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Alex Chadwick's lightly dramatic voice keeps listeners focused on a fascinating story. Soichi Sakamoto's Three-Year Swim Club in Maui hoped for glory in the 1940 Tokyo Olympics, a goal thwarted by WWII. Julie Checkoway dives into the past for accounts of swimming records, training innovations, and the swimmers themselves. These branches flow into a larger story of growing global tensions, Olympics history, and Japanese-Americans in Hawaii. It's occasionally poignant, as when a club member encounters a German P.O.W. he once met in competition. When the account turns to swim meets, Chadwick's voice sounds wonderfully like vintage radio coverage. There's athletic triumph, but the war's toll on those hopes hits home.
Pub Date:
Duration: 14 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781619693838
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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