Gibney, who reads his own introduction, takes listeners into the kitchen of an upscale city restaurant, showing the unglamorous world of a professional sous chef. Although the author's intro is lackluster, narrator Fred Berman's enthusiastic performance not only emphasizes the nonstop action and drama of working the line but holds listeners' attention as the cooks prepare for the evening service. This day-in-the-life approach covers the gamut of the sous chef's responsibilities, including prepping food, overseeing the line cooks, explaining the menu to the wait staff, and maintaining the quality of the dishes. Berman sustains his energy and expressiveness even throughout the descriptive passages that focus on restaurant minutiae, and his pronunciations of the technical and foreign terms are generally spot-on.
Pub Date: March 25, 2014
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780804192101
Publisher: Random House 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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