Elizabeth Barlow Rogers has devoted much of her adult life to restoring and preserving New York City's Central Park according to designer Frederick Olmstead's vision. Narrator Erin Bennett's rich voice is clear and expressive, with a lively pacing that maintains the listener's attention even when Rogers goes deep into the weeds of the history of Central Park. Rogers charms rich benefactors, soothes politicians, and travels to parks around the world, including a serene moss garden in Japan. Bennett seamlessly adopts a slightly softer tone when Rogers includes a smattering of details of her personal life--growing up in Texas, attending college in the Northeast, earning a master's degree in city planning while her husband was studying law, and moving to New York City.
Pub Date: May 15, 2018
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780525588948
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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