The author of the sprawling novel DREAMLAND, set in Coney Island at the turn of the century, brings another pivotal moment in America's history to life. This time, Baker focuses on one of the worst instances of civil disobedience in our nation's past--the Draft Riots of 1863. Told from varying points of view, the story is populated by a believable assortment of hard-drinking, tough-living immigrants, political bosses, and ne'er-do-wells. The deteriorating social conditions that led to the riots are painstakingly woven into an appalling tapestry. Real and fictional people and events flesh out the past with terrible accuracy. Baker narrates with gusto, but his pronunciation mistakes and atonal singing prove distracting. A professional narrator would have better served his brilliant research and compelling characters. S.J.H.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2003
Duration: 23 hrs
Publisher: Harper 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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