The centuries fly by in this fine audiobook history of the Habsburg family. Rady's evenhanded story is enhanced by narrator Simon Bowie's steady, well-paced delivery. Bowie is a new voice to audiobook listeners, an ideal voice for comprehensive histories like this one, which is elegant but unaffected, mellow but brisk. The story is Europe's own, one of war, revolution, and endless shifts in borders. The Habsburg rise in the 1200s, derived from advantageous marriages and a "Fortinbras factor" of inheritance as Central Europe's warring families wiped each other out. Later Habsburgs married mostly other Habsburgs, at great cost to themselves and all of Europe. Several very good comprehensive audiobook histories of the Habsburgs already exist, but few match this one for fairness, clarity, and insight.
Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2020
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781549156458
Publisher: Hachette 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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