Towards the end of WWII, a Russian submarine torpedoes a German ship packed with refugees. As the ship goes down, one of the rescued passengers gives birth to our hero, who is now a middle-aged journalist assigned to investigate the sinking. He finds a neo-Nazi Web site where the incident is discussed in terms of ethnic hatred and discovers that his own 16-year-old son is the perpetrator. Meanwhile, his Marxist mother nags him with her own interpretation. George Guidall, who superbly narrated the Nobel-winning author's classic TIN DRUM, does journeyman's duty here with a rapid staccato style that gives one a vivid sense of the protagonist's discomfort over his nation's past and his family.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2003
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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