British actress Carla Mendonça narrates a charming story of the oft forgotten Bennet sister from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. While Elizabeth and Jane Bennet have received their happy endings, their plain and somber sister, Mary, is often cast aside as an afterthought. This new audiobook imagines a world in which Mary throws off the poisonous scorn of her mother and through her own explorations discovers strength within herself. As she stays with various characters from the beloved Austen novel, Mary soon learns that companionship is far more important than a marriage proposal. Mendonça's narration is delightfully bubbly and well paced. She gives the characters distinct personalities and makes listening a delight.
Pub Date: March 31, 2020
Duration: 18 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427297228
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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