One of the purposes of audiobooks is to allow us to listen to stories of love, family, and tragedy in the care of a narrator who can bring them all alive. In this book, the author has written a love letter to his father, and in having done so, he treats us to a slice of history. Narrator Martin Jarvis uncannily captures the mood of this book with his inflections, pacing, and subtle character voices. His British accent and crystal-clear diction transport us back to the pre-WWII era, when snappy language and local pronunciations defined one’s place in the social order. It sounds as though Jarvis has a perpetual smile on his face while reading, losing it only when we come to the event that profoundly changed Frayn’s father’s life.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: AudioGo
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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