Narrator Mary Jane Wells draws the listener into the world of the British aristocracy. When wealthy Tom Severin meets Lady Cassandra Ravenel at her sister’s wedding, he feels an immediate attraction. But Severin prides himself on having precisely five emotions, and love is not one of them. Wells voices him with a calm, cool arrogance. Cassandra, on the other hand, wants to marry for love. Wells does an excellent job with the various secondary characters—from Cassandra’s upper-crust family to the young urchin, Basel, whom Severin takes under his wing. When Cassandra’s reputation comes under attack, Severin steps in to save her. As he comes to realize his love for her, Wells brings additional warmth to his character. S.B. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062996695
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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