Regal and direct, Angela Lin's performance suits this audiobook's spare and simple style. The tale itself, however, offers the unexpected twists and revelations one might expect from a novel about a spy. Lin becomes protagonist Lilian Shang, whose father was a notorious agent for the CIA. When Lilian delves into her father's complex history, unexpected secrets come to light. Lin offers a steady pace and a consistent tone during narrative sections. She's at her best when she creates the dialogue of the many varied characters. In presenting distinct and honest voices that sound alive and realistic, both her voice and her interpretation of the text shine.
Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781490636023
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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