This well-researched audiobook resembles a thriller with its fast-paced action and multiple cliff-hangers, but it's the biography of a real-life French spy in WWII. The subject of the title, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, led the Alliance, a network of three thousand agents who repeatedly risked their lives gathering intelligence in an effort to rout the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators from France. Narrator Kimberly Farr has clear diction and a grasp of French and German pronunciation, but her peppy tone doesn't always match the gravity of the story, and her attempts at men's voices seem half-hearted. Nevertheless, the story is a riveting one, as Fourcade's group was able to supply the British and American military with, among other intelligence, materials from submarines and a detailed map of the beaches where the Allies would land on D-Day.
Pub Date: March 5, 2019
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781984885173
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.
