The heartbreaking story of former slave and midwife Mariah Reddick is intelligently presented by narrator Adenrele Ojo. Mariah navigates the shifting relationships between Southern owners and former slaves during the the Reconstruction era. Ojo reflects Mariah's joy at her newly won freedom and the fear and horror she suffers as her only son exercises those new rights. A tone of regret and anger creep into Ojo's voice as Mariah seeks justice. Tenderly portrayed by Ojo, a chaste romance between Mariah and a sniper seeking redemption elevates this potential potboiler into an effective historical novel. Fans of Hicks's bestselling WIDOW OF THE SOUTH will find some of the same characters here, now accepting new roles as the South changes.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478940586
Publisher: Hachette 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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