Narrator David Colacci's voice is always sonorous, but the energy and verve he normally brings when reading fiction seems absent in this biography of noted American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author's reputation has waxed and waned over the decades, and Brown's biography is the latest attempt to set his life and work in a historical context. Fitzgerald lived a remarkable, if short and frequently unhappy, life. He published his first novel at the age of 23 as the nation entered the Jazz Age (a name he coined) and eventually succumbed to alcoholism at the age of 44 in 1940. Brown's comprehensive biography gives a lot of attention to the author's complicated relationship with his wife, Zelda. Colacci's narration is too languid, doing little to enliven the text.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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