The action of this story races across Europe and America, covering many historical events of the 1800s. While focusing on five main characters, the book's minor cast includes dozens. Narrator Charles Leggett becomes a one-man band. He sings. He speaks English and French. He does accents: British, Irish, French, German, as well as American regionals from Brooklyn to California. He portrays men, women, and children. And he does it all well. Although this reviewer found the singing and some of the accents a bit strained, Leggett is to be commended for guiding listeners through all the personalities, settings, and plot twists of this complex historical novel.
Pub Date: March 1, 2007
Duration: 27 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780792748380
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
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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