Cynthia Barrett’s witty, intelligent narration enlivens Marshall’s 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Margaret Fuller. Fuller, a lesser-known writer during the Transcendentalist Movement, was a precocious child, a remarkable young woman, Emerson’s close friend, and Thoreau’s first editor. She was a fierce advocate for women’s rights, a tireless worker for prison reform, and, as a journalist for Horace Greeley’s New-York Tribune, wrote many front-page editorials denouncing the terrible conditions in mental hospitals. Barrett’s consistently listenable narration turns Fuller’s private journals and letters into insightful cultural commentary on the period. Barrett brings humanity to Marshall’s impeccable research, introducing an extraordinary woman whose life was shaped by her struggle for gender equality and touched by joy, scandal, and tragedy.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2014
Duration: 19 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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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