Listeners hear about the lives of two sisters through a whimsical performance by Ari Graynor and Beth Malone. Jo, an athlete and aspiring writer, and Bethie, an elegant socialite, grew up in a Jewish household in Detroit during the 1950s. However, their lives drastically changed after they experienced traumatic events, including sexual assault and issues relating to sexual identity. Jo becomes a young mother living in Connecticut, and Bethie turns to the hippie free-love movement of the '60s. Malone and Graynor put the listener in a dreamlike trance during the story's long flashbacks. The sisters' reflections are engaging, with clear expression of the emotions they felt during disappointing situations. Although both narrators sound quite similar, Jo and Bethie's perspectives and experiences are unique and easily distinguishable.
Pub Date: June 11, 2019
Duration: 16 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508251804
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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