This is the audio that accompanies the book that accompanies Ken Burns’s documentary film. Twice as long as the public television original, it elaborates somewhat upon the biographical and critical material that the movie only touches upon. Nonetheless, it is no less superficial, compared to the several superb biographies, popular and scholarly, that have appeared since the author’s death. It’s Twain 101, presented in a jocular, informal narrative, with liberal quotes from its subject’s own writing. The whole relies not a whit on the film’s audio, except for a bit of music. The text is read--superbly--by Bill Meisle. Possessed of a very pleasant, mature voice and employing a conversational volume, he trots through the prose a bit too briskly, perhaps so that the material will fit on no more than six cassettes. Even so, he misses none of the meaning and nicely transitions from narration to quotation. Where he must slow down, he does. He displays, in fact, a fine ear for timing--not necessarily to bring a joke home, but to make the narrative as a whole musical and attractive. Y.R Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2003 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 8 hrs
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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