As narrator, Ellen Barkin brings across the uniqueness of Martha Gellhorn, a pioneering American journalist, feminist, and activist. Barkin narrates this collection of Gellhorn's letters with the precision of an expert archivist. Her contralto voice creates a bygone vocal persona that echoes the 1930s-40s, the years featured in this audiobook. Barkin carefully presents Gellhorn's selected correspondence to dozens of international luminaries, such as Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Ingrid Bergman, and, of course, Ernest Hemingway, Gellhorn's husband of five years. We feel as though we are hearing from Gellhorn herself as Barkin balances the tension, drama, and affection that passed between Gellhorn and her intended recipients. The author provides context that stitches the various excerpts into seamless glimpses of Gellhorn's fascinating life.
Pub Date: May 18, 2021
Duration: 20 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593455845
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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