Narrators Anais Chase and Joel Froomkin enliven a prank-riddled historical romance with snarky energy that listeners will enjoy. Violet and James have been married for five years, four of them spent apart after a fight that resulted in an estranged relationship. But now their feelings have changed, and they fake injuries, illnesses, and affairs in order to get each other's attention and fall in love all over again. Chase is the star of this performance as she provides a variety of identifiable characters and a soft tone that conveys emotions across the spectrum. Froomkin offers a strong masculine counterpoint that highlights both the haughtiness of the upper crust and the more vulnerable emotions of other characters.
Pub Date: April 7, 2020
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797105284
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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