Listeners will be caught up in this cat-and-mouse game between a leading Russian capitalist and young Stalin.
Author and narrator Brunt builds unexpected suspense in this lively biography of Emanuel Nobel, Alfred Nobel’s forgotten nephew, who built and owned Russia’s oil industry prior to 1917. Brunt casts Emanuel Nobel’s story against the hapless final reign of the Romanovs and the tumult of war, revolution, and the Bolshevik coup that replaced it. Rising in the new government was a former oil worker and labor agitator with a particular hatred of Emmanuel Nobel—Josef Stalin. Nobel maneuvers to stay on Russian ground but outside Communist territory, and to keep control of Russia’s oil while resisting the Bolsheviks’ invitation to come to Moscow.
Listeners will be caught up in this cat-and-mouse game between a leading Russian capitalist and young Stalin.Pub Date: today
Duration: 9 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668117088
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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