Xe Sands's low, gravelly voice shines in this historical novel inspired by the life of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Barbara McClintock. Kate Croft arrives at Cornell in 1920 with a fierce love for science, but soon learns how hard it is for a queer woman to succeed as a biologist. Though she's constantly ignored and ridiculed by the men in her field, Kate persists. Xe Sands's narration is so intimate that listening sometimes feels unbearable. Sands captures the pain and injustice of every slight and every rude comment. But she also captures Kate's curiosity, her voice overflowing with wonder and excitement at each new discovery. This is a quiet, beautiful audiobook about the courage it takes to chart one's own path.
Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781666160901
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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