The search for the mythical land of milk and honey in post-Civil War America sweeps from the North to the South to the Wild West. Narrators Tom Stechschulte, Alyssa Bresnahan, and Carine Montbertrand weave a tumultuous tale between the time of Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865 and the massacre of federal troops by Sioux warriors at the Little Big Horn in 1876. Much of the story is lovingly told by a Santee woman named She Goes Before, who finds love with an ex-slave. Listeners may feel dust in their nostrils as the Indians attack Custer's soldiers, and few hearts are so cold that won't be warmed by the story’s ending, wonderfully portrayed by Stechschulte.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2008
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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