Angela Dawe's sparkling narration supplies the needed kick to a debut novel that is more melodrama than drama. Beethoven taught piano to the families of nobility. He fell in love with Josephine Brunsvik, one of his pupils, but because of class differences, no deeper connection was possible. However, Josephine's friend Julie, also a countess and Beethoven's piano student, fell in love with their short, homely tutor. Their affair resulted in Julie's pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage, inspiring Beethoven to compose MOONLIGHT SONATA and dedicate it to her. Dawe delivers Julie's melancholy whenever she hears the piece; she makes Beethoven's irascible nature credible, and she does wonders with accents and gender. However, even with Dawe's performance, most of these characters lack substance, and the plot is oddly disappointing.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781799770794
Publisher: Brilliance 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.
