Carlotta Brentan's narration offers all the glamour and sparkle of Rome in the 1960s. After marrying David Shepard, an American diplomat based in Italy, Teddy Huntley Carlyle experiences life in the Euro fast lane. Royalty, film stars, corporate executives, foreign diplomats, Russian spies, and American expats populate her new life. But Teddy has secrets that could destroy everything she's worked for if revealed. Brentan delivers all the glitter of Teddy's life, as well as her discomfort with her overly lush body, uncertainty about what will please her new husband, and obsessively sexual nature. Brentan's characterizations ring true, and her accents are flawless. She makes Teddy's unexpected behavior, the possibility of scandal, and the surprising plot twists understandable and believable.
Pub Date: July 2, 2024
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063354920
Publisher: Harper 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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