A fascinating, well-conceived history.
In a series of highly focused but expansive chapters, author Willetts shows how a society reveals itself through its night life. That focus proves especially dramatic in revealing the anxieties underlying the surface gaiety of Paris' belle epoque and Berlin's Weimar Republic. Earlier examples, such as Japan’s floating world and Georgian London’s pleasure gardens, seem more elegant and more genuinely pleasurable as compared to Willetts’ studies of more recent cases, such as Warhol’s Factory and Studio 54 in New York. Narrator Emily Pennant-Rea has a British accent and a tendency to crowd her words. But the narrative is absorbing enough to reward close listening.
A fascinating, well-conceived history.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668192160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Karen Chilton's fluid alto is a good fit for this biography of Thomas Jefferson. The authors are more or less successful in their attempt to present the third president in the context of his times. What we are presented with is a very human being--possessing great intellect, filled with flaws and contradictions, and still immensely fascinating nearly three centuries after his birth. Chilton's pacing and inflection are never off. She narrates with a calm demeanor, competently affecting various accents for quotes and ably giving subtle expression to the narrative. It all adds up to an enjoyable listening experience.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2016
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501909993
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It's hard to imagine that the horror of 9/11 took place within a window of a mere 102 minutes, but indeed it was so. Be prepared for harrowing and heroic accounts gleaned from every possible source--phone messages, police and fire department communications, personal accounts, even the media--delineating the details at Ground Zero. Reader Ron McLarty handles the job with strong characterizations and the intensity the material demands. Listeners will find it hard to turn away from the nightmare but will find redemption in some of the stories of self-sacrifice that saved many lives. D.J.B. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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