Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in Ireland for a long-anticipated vacation from Mitford. When Cynthia is injured, their stay at an Irish B&B is extended, and Tim befriends Liam and Anna Conor, owners of the establishment. He soon becomes confidant and adviser to the entire dysfunctional Conor family. Erik Singer's moving portrayal of Liam's dying mother and her inability to forgive herself for a lifetime of alcoholism is genuine and rich with emotion. However, although he tries to breathe life into a confusing multiplicity of characters, there are too many, too fast, making listeners wonder who's alive and who’s dead. Long and tedious diary segments further take away from the story. Between confusing characterizations, slow sections, and often-hard-to-understand Irish accents, there’s little "Mitford" in this book, except for Father Tim.
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2010
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
There is a graceful style to Rachel Seiffert's writing that contrasts with the brutal story that unfolds, set in the Ukraine in 1941, after the German invasion. Remarkably, Seiffert's prose is almost uplifting, even during scenes that highlight the viciousness and evil of the Nazi invaders, including one featuring an SS death squad. Narrator Mark Deakins's superb performance complements each scene and enhances Seiffert's gripping dialogue. He narrates with patience and a low-key style that allows listeners to follow the story and absorb every nuance of the dialogue. The result is a rarity, a realistic Nazi-era novel that defies expectations by showing the horrors of the regime without depressing the audience.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524782924
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this imaginative story, young Dr. Jakob Sammelsohn is distracted from his amorous adventures when he encounters famed psychologist Sigmund Freud in fin-de-siècle Vienna. Replete with innuendo, discussions of psychoanalysis, and "Freudian slips," Skibell's historical fiction provides a window on Freud's world—his obsessions, patients, admirers, destructive habits, and vanities—and his profound influence. The early Esperanto movement and Jewish spiritualism also make appearances. Jeff Woodman consistently presents the youthful and confused Sammelsohn, whose naïve voice is balanced by the haughty tones of Freud and his colleagues. Woodman excels at dramatizing the tension between Sammelsohn's penchant for scientific rationalism and his exposure to experimental mysticism. A hilarious scene ensues when we hear conversations with Sammelsohn's father, who speaks only in biblical quotes, even for the most mundane utterances.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2010
Duration: 22 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781615735310
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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