Cassandra Campbell and Barrie Kreinik bring this historical novel's two timelines to life. In 1890, Annie, an Irish maid for a wealthy family, is deceived by love and wrongly accused of theft. Sentenced to prison, Annie is subjected to sexual harassment and acts of violence. Injustice drives her to revenge. In 1972, Judy, an aspiring photographer, spies Annie's mug shot and becomes obsessed with investigating her story while escaping her abusive husband. Kreinik as Annie and Campbell as Judy take their characters full circle from fear to strength and conviction. Male characters by both narrators have just enough villainy to make them terrifying but believable. Both narrators hit their emotional targets with precision and distinction.
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593827529
Publisher: Penguin 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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