As the unrelenting heatwave of 1976 frays everyone's nerves, Robert Riordan leaves home one morning and seemingly disappears. When his wife of 40 years calls their grown children home to help find him, each returns harboring a secret and long-held resentments. Narrator John Lee's lyrical cadence sets the mood for this affecting story of cultural expectations and family relationships. Lee adapts his pacing, energy, and native British accent (tinged with an Irish lilt) to fit each character—from the Galway-native parents to their London-born children—helping listeners understand their different personalities. While the Riordans search for Robert and personal crises heat up, Lee subtly increases the emotional tension—until everything boils over, forcing the family to face their truths.
Pub Date: June 18, 2013
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780804120685
Publisher: Random House 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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