Aping exactly the hauteur of a French aristocrat, narrator Saul Reichlin embodies La Belle Epoque. Dr. Samuel Pozzi (the man in the red coat ) was a climber and a dandy. Vanity, adultery, and the acquisition of rare objects were his passions. Booker Prize winner Barnes sets traditional narration aside to give a pre-COVID embrace to an era that is known--if it all-- by the naughty quotations of the naughty Oscar Wilde. Dueling was safer than surgery, and it seems vital to be sure that the curtains on which Pozzi's blood was splattered were from Liberty & Co. You can reject this production in horror or surrender to the haunting, glorious music of the past.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781980057642
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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