Jilly Bond narrates this memoir, written by a Polish-Jewish woman and originally published in 1945. An ardent booklover, Frenkel opened the first French bookshop in Berlin in 1921. When the Nazis rose to power, she fled to France, only to find herself subjected to the restrictions against Jews imposed under the Vichy regime. Bond seamlessly shifts between English and French words, and expertly portrays both sympathetic and oppressive individuals. With subtle vocal shifts, Bond fully inhabits Frenkel's thoughts and emotions as she struggles to save her own life in a fraught political climate. Listeners will sense Frenkel's increasing fear through Bond's expressive narration and varied pacing. A gripping audio presentation of events that should never happen again.
Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797105192
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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