A fascinating dual biography of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt provides intimate details of their personal and professional relationships during the War years. This unabridged version is recommended with reservations. An intelligent, well-paced reading is marred by technical problems--frequent variations in volume bothered several listeners (particularly car listeners) who tested it. Goodwin's voice tends to drop to a whisper at the ends of phrases. She also tries to suggest the various voices of the principal figures (many of whom are familiar to listeners) with varying degrees of success. Her vocalizations of Eleanor, Franklin, and Churchill come off well, but why use stagy German accents for Goebbels and Hitler?
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 30 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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