The 1899 Boer siege of the title town in South Africa is more than just background for this novel. It is a major player, with all its privation, noise, and gore. Various fictional characters--Boer, Brit, Irish, Zulu--interact with young officer Winston Churchill and stretcher-bearer Gandhi. Here is an opportunity for veteran actor Christian Rodska to display his facility with accents and his talent for vocal mimicry. The story is told from various points of view and provides plenty of poignant moments. Families are torn apart literally and figuratively; a soldier is forced to kill his cherished horse because everyone is starving. Not the least of Rodska's challenges is to make a long description of a cricket game interesting. Foden follows the survivors into the future, completing this satisfying and educational saga.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
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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