Jolene Kim brings just the right tone to this book about nineteenth-century Chinese history. She pronounces Chinese names and phrases with a Mandarin accent that adds to the atmosphere. But her skilled reading cannot overcome the author's sometimes stilted writing. This is a book written for the eye, not the ear. The writing style may be due to the fact the author, currently a British resident, was born in China. The book tells the fascinating story of how a bright but initially illiterate concubine is able to rule through her young son and effect a transformation in China. Listeners will come away with a better understanding of China as it prepared to enter the twentieth century.
Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2013
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780804149037
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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