Marlette, who died in 2007, left behind a remarkable novel that is as engaging as his political cartoons and "Kudzu" comic strip. L.J. Ganser carries listeners through the summer of 1964 in Mississippi, as recalled by Carter Ransom. Ganser doesn't vocally characterize all the players in this story of the murders of Civil Rights activists by the Ku Klux Klan. He saves his depictions for the juiciest characters: Southerners imitating Northerners (and vice versa) and the town idiot, who can speak in a perfect Spanish accent at will. The story alternates between the past and the present, but the transitions are difficult to follow. And Ganser's audible intakes of breath are distracting. But the multilayered story of corporate and personal redemption makes these worth overlooking.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2007
Duration: 18 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books/ Southern Voices Audio
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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