David Thorpe's narration enlivens this sixteenth outing of Edward Marston's Elizabethan theater series. After a tragic fire nearly destroys their performance venue at the Queen's Head, company book-holder (prompter) Nicholas Bracewell and troupe sail to Denmark with their patron, Lord Westfield. Westfield has agreed to marry a Danish woman he has seen only in a painted miniature. Bracewall solves a murder, stops another from happening, and saves his patron from being bamboozled. Thorpe juggles an assortment of theater types, giving them separate voices and personalities. His timing is superb, and his portrayal of Sigbrit, the reputed beauty, is spot-on. Thorpe is wonderful at delivering Marston's excellent Elizabethan period details and descriptions of the Danish court. Adventure follows adventure in this enjoyable series, and Thorpe doesn't disappoint.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: ISIS Audio Books /Soundings
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
