For seventy years history had been overshadowed by the fictions of the Soviet empire. Then in 1990 history returned with a vengeance. Combining meticulous historical scholarship with on-the-spot journalism, David Remnick takes his readers all over the former empire, weaving together the heroic stories of those who risked their lives to gather records, those who challenged the system, and those who conformed but waited for the opportune time to act. The result is a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the fascinating transition from party dictatorship to hard-won freedom. This is an important book, and Michael Prichard's reading pays tribute to that importance. It is careful and thoughtful, yet fraught with excitement. When Yeltsin mounts the tank outside the Russian parliament building, Prichard's voice mirrors the tension and triumph in Remnick's prose. The audio production is a flawlessly clear yet moving vehicle for the author's work, and as honest a way to read history as having the print copy in hand.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 31 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A fresh look at Europe’s long, contentious history.
Hearing all of European history compressed into 14 hours could be comparable to seeing Earth from outer space. Everything is familiar, yet wondrous and new. Even those familiar with the history will find this audiobook to be a unique listening experience. Actor and narrator Alisdair Simpson is a familiar voice from dozens of British documentaries, and his performance here is highly polished, exacting, and attuned to every word. History compressed becomes history clarified. Drama is lost—the Huns, Charlemagne, the fall of Constantinople, all here and gone in a minute. At the same time, patterns emerge. Simpson’s flawless voice carries listeners effortlessly into a wider and more timeless perspective.
A fresh look at Europe’s long, contentious history.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 10 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668656204
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
Buruma’s subtle and effective narration style is essential to this chronicle.
Bard College historian Buruma has a personal link to WWII-era Berliners, his Dutch father having been a forced laborer in wartime Berlin. Buruma’s account highlights instances of the survival and rescue of Jews and of the Berlin residents who came forward to assist them. But of most Berliners, he says, “Their main aim was to stay out of trouble.” Buruma’s performance as both historian and narrator is a model of restraint and reliance on fact. He shapes a powerful narrative around Germany’s defeat at Stalingrad and year-by-year shifts in civilian morale. As deprivation and disillusion with the Nazi regime set in, the struggle for survival extended to all Berliners.
Buruma’s subtle and effective narration style is essential to this chronicle.Pub Date: March 17, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282210
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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