Narrator Julia Whelan delivers a smart, sassy pair of cousins who share a love of aviation. In the summer of 1937, in Big Coulee, Montana, 14-year-old Houston "Huck" Finn crashes his glider into a trout stream while trying to teach himself to fly. In the water he finds a dead man who is wearing a valuable Lindbergh watch. Huck reports the crime but takes the watch--an act that has repercussions. When 18-year-old cousin Annelise arrives, it turns out she can pilot the airplane Huck is building. Whelan makes the youngsters believable and likable. Her portrayals of the other characters, especially Huck's mom, are also standouts. Superb writing and a terrific narrator, as well as gangsters, cowboys, and airplanes, all make for enjoyable listening.
Pub Date: June 8, 2021
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone 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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