While Mark Griffin's carefully researched story of Rock Hudson's life is not very enjoyable in the usual sense because of its multilayered sadness, Jeremy Arthur's skillful narration makes the biography quite moving. While shedding little new light or additional information, it is still a cut above many other Hudson bios in its refusal to exploit scandal or salaciousness. Arthur accomplishes the greatest narration task of all--he disappears into the story. The volume's title refers to one of Hudson's breakthrough dramatic roles, after which Hollywood studios and audiences began to take him more seriously. Arthur's inflection and tonality are quite consistent and without much acting out of the roles. The film icon's tragic life as a semi-closeted gay man naturally unfolds. Perhaps the greatest of the concluding points is a discussion of how Hudson's death would bring attention to the AIDS crisis. This audiobook is well worth a sobering listen.
Pub Date: Dec. 4, 2018
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062866851
Publisher: Harper 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
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