Author Mark Thompson examines the causes, context and combat of Italy's war against Austria-Hungary and Germany in WWI. Without maps or biographies, newcomers to the subject may feel overwhelmed from the beginning by the avalanche of names. Thompson also uses many political terms of the period that few without prior knowledge will understand. Narrator Gerard Doyle delivers each sentence as an isolated thought—he seems unable to make them flow into a comfortable narrative. Faced with a work of obfuscating organization and prodigious gravitas, he adds not even a touch of personality to make his performance entertaining. On the positive side, Doyle has a welcome talent with the abundant European languages, especially Italian. His slow pace comes with a careful pronunciation of the vast vocabulary.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2009
Duration: 19 hrs
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
GENERAL HISTORY | WORLD | MILITARY | HISTORY
This fact-packed account of the apprenticeship and career of a master restorer is an unexpected listening pleasure.
Author and narrator Warrack’s modest subtitle barely suggests his audiobook’s range of interest. Equal parts autobiography, travelogue, and cabinet of curiosities, his rich personal history of monument restoration is also a treasure-trove of offbeat facts. How does Venice, built on a salt marsh, supply its fresh water? What’s the best method for removing pigeon excreta from the outside of a cathedral? Warrack’s rich narrative and unpretentious style are fully engaging and immersive. By the end, the listener knows exactly how to clean and repair Rome’s Tivoli Fountain—and longs fervently to have worked there alongside Warrack.
This fact-packed account of the apprenticeship and career of a master restorer is an unexpected listening pleasure.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318583803
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
Utterly fascinating.
Narrator Soneela Nankani ushers listeners around the globe and through time in this sweeping survey of how humans use information to understand, interpret, and control. Author Risam begins her exploration 43,000 years ago and ends it with tantalizing peeks into possible futures. Ranging back and forth both geographically and temporally, she examines data collection and its use (or misuse) in the 23rd-century B.C.E. Akkadian Empire, Han-era China, 14th-century C.E. Mali, and elsewhere. Given this mammoth scope, the account could easily lose listeners along the way, but Nankani’s understated delivery is its perfect vessel. Voice rising and falling naturally, with emotion applied sparingly and skillfully, Nankani allows listeners full access to the argument Risam builds from the data she has so meticulously researched.
Utterly fascinating.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 59 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063430358
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
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