While this novel stands on its own merit, to fully appreciate NOONDAY, listeners will first want to hear Booker Prize winner Pat Barker's previous books in the trilogy, LIFE CLASS and TOBY'S ROOM. The stellar cast transforms returning characters Elinor, Paul, and Kit into credible people. However, wonderful as the narrators are, the many levels of relationship subtleties can be confusing to a new listener. The story takes place in London during the Blitz. Paul and Elinor are married. Paul is an air-raid warden. Elinor drives an ambulance. Kit, disfigured in WWI, arrives from the U.S. to work for the British government as a German translator. Each performance is a small gem, illuminating the determination of a people that hundreds of Nazi night raids couldn't extinguish.
Pub Date: March 8, 2016
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781504686068
Publisher: Blackstone 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
© 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.
