Condensing eight hundred pages and several hundred centuries into four tapes leads inevitably to a loss of detail, but the listener of this abridgment isn't left wanting. The book itself is crammed with the trivia of history, from the time of the Druids to the last decade of the twentieth century. Even with this condensed form, the listener is held spellbound. Prebble's British accents range from royal to cockney, and his narration is peppered with various Celtic brogues, all distinguishing a complex cast of characters and cameo appearances by the likes of Chaucer and Shakespeare. Rutherfurd is a master storyteller, and the quality of his craft is in no way diminished through abridgment.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1997
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Random House 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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