Narrating in a warm and soothing voice, historian and former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff offers a series of essays ruminating on the age-old search for consolation. Beginning his quest with Job, a man whose comfortable, faithful life is upended in a wager between God and Satan, Ignatieff spends some time with biblical subjects, referring to the Hebrew prophets as the "originators of consolation" and examining the psalms and Saint Paul's letters. Ignatieff moves on to classical figures such as Cicero and Marcus Aurelius, coming at last to more modern times of political upheaval, chaos, and war. Where the text is particularly dense, his melodious tones and unhurried pace can become a bit soporific, but overall his narration makes a difficult topic pleasantly approachable.
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250807267
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will find much worth discovering in the lives of these vanguards of American intellectual life.
Kevin R. Free’s voice is the perfect vehicle for this fascinating portrait of a remarkable group of artists, philosophers, abolitionists, and social reformers who all happened to live in Concord, Massachusetts in the 19th century. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott and her father, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, and many others called themselves transcendentalists and became the first truly American philosophical movement. With his genial delivery, Free is up to the task of narrating this complicated account of many intersecting lives; his inflections add character to the correspondence and inject life into the often formal writings the Circle left behind.
Listeners will find much worth discovering in the lives of these vanguards of American intellectual life.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 53 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668132777
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
Petkoff’s lively performance will enhance listeners’ interest in and enjoyment of this thought-provoking book.
While he’s no longer a Christian, religious studies professor Erhman argues that the adoption, spread, and social application of altruism in the West was due to the teachings and example of Jesus. He bases his argument on an examination of history, classical philosophy, Judaism, and the Christian canon. An audiobook that might occasionally become dry is kept engaging by Robert Petkoff’s energy and expressiveness. He delivers the text as if it’s his own; one might forget that it’s not the author narrating. Petkoff’s tone and phrasing are appropriate, and he’s especially adept at providing just the right level of emphasis where it’s called for.
Petkoff’s lively performance will enhance listeners’ interest in and enjoyment of this thought-provoking book.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668102978
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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