Donna VanLiere does a superior job dramatizing her story in THE CHRISTMAS HOPE. She is professional, but her Midwestern and Southern roots slip into her delivery from time to time (mostly in the thoughts of the female lead character), adding background to the characterization. Her writing isn't as good as her acting--the plot is predictable, the story unfolds slowly, and a number of the phrases are clichéd. But the core story of a child healing a broken family at Christmas is still heartwarming, and she has a fine eye for realistic detail in her descriptions. Sentimental listeners will enjoy evident VanLiere's affection for her characters.
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2005
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Audio Renaissance
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
There is a graceful style to Rachel Seiffert's writing that contrasts with the brutal story that unfolds, set in the Ukraine in 1941, after the German invasion. Remarkably, Seiffert's prose is almost uplifting, even during scenes that highlight the viciousness and evil of the Nazi invaders, including one featuring an SS death squad. Narrator Mark Deakins's superb performance complements each scene and enhances Seiffert's gripping dialogue. He narrates with patience and a low-key style that allows listeners to follow the story and absorb every nuance of the dialogue. The result is a rarity, a realistic Nazi-era novel that defies expectations by showing the horrors of the regime without depressing the audience.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524782924
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this imaginative story, young Dr. Jakob Sammelsohn is distracted from his amorous adventures when he encounters famed psychologist Sigmund Freud in fin-de-siècle Vienna. Replete with innuendo, discussions of psychoanalysis, and "Freudian slips," Skibell's historical fiction provides a window on Freud's world—his obsessions, patients, admirers, destructive habits, and vanities—and his profound influence. The early Esperanto movement and Jewish spiritualism also make appearances. Jeff Woodman consistently presents the youthful and confused Sammelsohn, whose naïve voice is balanced by the haughty tones of Freud and his colleagues. Woodman excels at dramatizing the tension between Sammelsohn's penchant for scientific rationalism and his exposure to experimental mysticism. A hilarious scene ensues when we hear conversations with Sammelsohn's father, who speaks only in biblical quotes, even for the most mundane utterances.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2010
Duration: 22 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781615735310
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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