A story that includes violence, suicide, and murder in Belle époch Paris should be thrilling, but this story drags due in part to Rebecca Night's lackluster narration. It takes a while for the plot to develop, and Night's reading doesn't have the edginess necessary to keep listeners engaged. Maud, an impoverished art student at the women's Académie Lafond, is nearly starving. A wealthy Russian named Tanya befriends her, but it's Yvette, a model, who realizes Maud's dire straits. The women intervene, and Maud becomes a paid companion to Christian Morel's ailing sister, Sylvie. When Maud learns disturbing truths about the Morels, she's reluctant to give up her newly acquired creature comforts. Night's voice is sweet, and she does well with accents, but the characters' true personalities remain hidden behind her overly genteel delivery.
Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2014
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427251961
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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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