Thomas Edison's daughter once said that biographies of her father focused on what he did, not who he was. This new audiobook portrait of the famed inventor seeks to rectify that. Arthur Morey offers an able narration, carrying listeners along despite the book's length and sometimes jarring jumps from one technological topic to another. The author relied on corporate archives and family papers to paint an intimate portrait, and Morey's tone suits this. Direct quotations are short, so Morey wisely chooses not to effect particular voices for the speakers. Some of the footnotes interrupt the narrative flow, but this is a small flaw that listeners can easily overlook. In all, this revelatory biography is narrated effectively.
Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
Duration: 25 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593147467
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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