Corbett channels the fierce rivalry between the women and the needy men they champion.
Clare Corbett gleefully dishes the dirt in this novel, a gossipy retelling of Britain’s most famous royal scandal. In the 1930s, David, Prince of Wales, becomes obsessed with married, twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. Fragile Prince Albert, Bertie, relies on his indomitable, intelligent wife, Elizabeth, to help him through the crisis as David decides to abdicate the crown for the woman he loves. A reluctant Bertie becomes King George VI. Corbett is deliciously snide handling the women’s polite eviscerations: Elizabeth worries that Simpson will Americanize England, serving hot dogs for tea, while Wallis nastily notes Elizabeth’s pudginess. The Windsor men, on the other hand, seem to be easily manipulated.
Corbett channels the fierce rivalry between the women and the needy men they champion.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593787861
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 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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