The often marvelous John Lee makes a regrettable choice in delivering this memoir from the Irish novelist John Banville. Banville is a dryly elegant stylist, but Lee chooses to perform his text as if it were a series of tales being told by a loudmouth in a pub, or a comic Irish character on stage, with dramatically rolled "r"s, and a pacing as if Banville's memories, reflections, and nuggets of history were stories with punch lines. By chewing the scenery in this way, he sends a message that he thinks the text needs all the dramatic help an actor can give it. It does not. Banville's memories of his youth in Wessex and his adult life in Dublin have all the interest and charm they need.
Pub Date: March 27, 2018
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780525595724
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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