Will Dance, an engineer in 1880s Australia, has the gift for finding water. Descended from generations of water seekers in England, Dance has his job cut out for him in the shining sands of Australia's western desert. Paul English narrates this historical tale in soft tones with suitable accents for the story's many characters. Male and female, rough and cultured clash in the rough-and-tumble gold- mining camps in the desert. Dance's challenge is to construct a 35-mile aqueduct uphill to the camps. English works hard to engage the listener as he continually transitions from historical exposition to narrative and dialogue in depicting the stories of those who worked to survive in a hot, dusty land.
Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2013
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Bolinda 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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