The very word "Belle Epoque" is melodious to the ear. Not surprisingly, a particular appeal of this richly detailed history of France's most fabled era, beginning in 1871, is narrator Paul Daintry's deft rendering of proper names such as Eiffel, Toulouse-Lautrec, Clemenceau, and Proust. Daintry's voice is not the most silken, but he effectively delivers the clamor of a divided society that was destroying itself from within. The narrative covers art, architecture, and the role of women. But its center is novelist mile Zola's historic defense of the wrongly convicted Alfred Dreyfuss for treason. Daintry's gruff sophistication reflects the tumult, as well as the fertility, of that transitional era, whose contradictions would be resolved only by the outbreak of war in 1914.
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
Duration: 14 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668616956
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
MODERN | HISTORY | WORLD | ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
Author Baconi is the best choice to narrate his memoir of family and political upheaval. The emotional undercurrent he projects suits a story spanning Haifa, Beirut, Amman, and London. His delivery gives clarity to the family history he recounts--his grandmother Eva's flight from Haifa in 1948, his mother Rima's escape from Beirut during the civil war, his own displacement, and a deepening love for his childhood friend, Ramzi. As Baconi moves into his London years, his narration highlights his search for belonging, his emerging political awareness during the Iraq War, and his effort to understand himself across cultures. His voice brings cohesion to these interwoven timelines. Baconi guides listeners through an intimate exploration of identity, inheritance, displacement, and return.
Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668114834
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author and narrator of this lively book about how money evolved over the millennia is an Irish economist and journalist. McWilliams shows how civilizations have used money in different ways that suited their needs at the time. Today, for example, mobile phones are used to safely move money around in African countries. McWilliams also posits that the hot investment in developed countries, cryptocurrency, may be no more than "a financial lobby group." Besides being opinionated and having a sense of humor, McWilliams makes us reevaluate long held beliefs. To wit, Darwin's theories might not have been based solely on the animal kingdom; he may have tied in elements of economic behavior. McWilliams is a terrifically energetic narrator with a perfect Irish lilt.
Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250417688
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
