Along with its many other pleasures, this engaging audiobook demonstrates how vast and, at the same time, how very intimate five centuries can feel. John Telfer narrates the story of England's Hampton Palace with gusto, grace, and fine enunciation, clearly relishing the narrative's rich historical and sensory detail and its many points of high drama. As a focal point, Hampton Court is an effective anchor for compressing the long, tangled history of the British monarchy. For instance, two successive owners, Cardinal Wolsey and Anne Boleyn, frame a familiar chapter in the reign of Henry VIII. But however familiar the tale, the sharpness of detail and the narrator's high spirits breathe new life into the telling and make this exceptional listening.
Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797169149
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A personal performance of a spiritual journey.
Vance narrates a spirited discussion of his departure from Christianity and religion generally, as well as his subsequent return. His commanding performance is moving, solid, authentic, and sincere. Vance’s deep voice is enhanced by his precise enunciation and is measured and appropriate to the material. In what could be considered a sequel to his 2016 autobiography, Hillbilly Elegy, listeners hear his evolution as a human being, family man, and leader. The consistently absorbing and entertaining narration pays tribute to his mentors, friends inside and outside the military, and most emphatically his wife, Usha, who practices Hinduism.
A personal performance of a spiritual journey.Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063575080
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
A doyenne of American literature, Godwin, now 89, adds to her distinguished body of work.
Rosemary Benson has narrated Godwin’s work before, and she conveys the contemplative and appalled tone of this brief memoir. Her performance reveals the author’s disappointment in the country’s state of political affairs during the 2024 election. Godwin sees then-candidate Trump as an emblem of corruption, and she painstakingly analyzes his debate with Kamala Harris and the idea of citizenship, quoting liberally from Brian Tangury’s blog Working-Class Scribbler. Other sections show the arc of Godwin’s long career, recalling her life in the 1960s working for the U.S. Travel Service and her ill-considered marriage.
A doyenne of American literature, Godwin, now 89, adds to her distinguished body of work.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 16 mins
DD ISBN: 9781639739004
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
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