Natasha Soudek performs this horror story from Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk. In 1913, a young Polish man suffering from tuberculosis arrives at a health resort in the Silesian mountains. There he meets other men with similar conditions, each of whom is sure the mountain air will cure him. But when they learn about all the men who have gone missing from the resort, their whole world is turned upside down as they fear they will meet the same mysterious fate. Though the novel lags in the middle, Soudek does her best to maintain listeners' interest. As the story picks up, Soudek uses her skill to advance the suspense of the sinister happenings.
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593914236
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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