Narrator Simon Vance uses a professorial tone as he introduces the wide-ranging stable of authors, from Albert Camus to Howard Zinn, who affected musician David Bowie's evolution. Divided into 100 3-4-minute segments, this audiobook lecture illuminates Bowie's creative process. For example, THE ILIAD is compared to Bowie's work with Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, 1984 is viewed in relation to Bowie's "Diamond Dogs," and THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE is linked to Peter Frampton's father. (You'll need to listen to learn the connections.) Adding to the enjoyment are "pairing" suggestions, which Vance delivers like a sommelier--for example, "Read Anthony Burgess's CLOCKWORK ORANGE while listening to Bowie's 'Scary Monsters.'" The result is a literary mosaic that will satisfy Bowie devotees and possibly create new fans. R.W.S © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781494548148
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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