There really was a Tom Sawyer? Yes—and the beginning and end of this book recount who he was and how Mark Twain befriended him. The middle, longest, part of the volume covers San Francisco’s Gold Rush-era fires and the men who started and fought them. However, the two parts connect by only a thread, and Robert Graysmith’s narration of his own work suffers from a similar chasm between his skill as an author and his skill as an oral storyteller. Graysmith’s peculiar phrasing and blatant mispronunciation of many common and proper nouns confound any attempt to make sense of the story. Perhaps this book is better in print.
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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