[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with MYSTERIOUS STRANGER AND OTHER STORIES.]--These two Twain titles were recorded in the mid 1980s. INNOCENTS is an early Twain work, expanding on a jocular series of travel articles he wrote on a Grand Tour of Europe and the Holy Land. Without trying to imitate Twain, narrator Prichard, who has recorded a number of titles by the same author, nicely plays the vigor, lightness, and wit of the original. He has a distinctly middle-aged sound, and the sharpish register of his voice cuts through the technical muddiness of the recording. Kent's voice does not. In STRANGER, we hear almost every edit, and there are many in his rendition of eight Twain short stories. The selection represents the author's entire career from the early, ironic "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" to the late, bitter "Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg." Kent's excellent diction ensures that we miss not a word; on the down side, his reading is dry.
Pub Date: 1986
Duration: 21 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Inspiring collections of Angelou reading her poetry. These selections showcase Angelou's smooth, lyrical voice and her warm vitality. Her innate rhythm celebrates her verse and offers the poems to listeners as they should be remembered. Occasionally Angelou comments between the selections, and occasionally she interjects a resonant laugh.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone 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.
