It's not easy to write a gripping narrative about a physicist, but Kristian Birkeland was no ordinary egghead. The Norwegian at the center of this excellent audiobook was a brilliant theoretician and inventor, and his personal life was filled with arctic and desert adventures, personal rivalries, substance abuse, and a touch of good old-fashioned madness. Birkeland (1867-1917) was decades ahead of his time with his ideas about auroras and other cosmic phenomena, yet he was cheated out of a Nobel Prize by an unscrupulous partner. Michael Cumpsty's narration of this romantic and ultimately tragic tale is warm, controlled, and even, and while the abridgment leaves a few obvious gaps, this is a first-rate scientific adventure.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 6 hrs
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
