Based on newly translated archives, Shorto tells the story of the Dutch settlement of Manhattan in great detail, including all the European back story, through the English takeover. Unfortunately, the book is as overwritten (sometimes comically) as the title is overblown. L.J. Ganser's voice--sharp-edged, harsh, and nasal--takes a long time to get used to. His pronunciations of foreign words is awkward and strained (especially the frequent Dutch). But the wealth of information and the cogent, if repetitive, arguments for the influence of this cosmopolitan, multicultural, liberal colony on the future U.S. outweigh the faults of the book and the reading. W.M. 2005 Audie Award Winner © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
More than 35 hours long, this comprehensive biography of Random House founder Bennett Cerf is equal to a workweek for many listeners. Cerf nurtured a roster of the 20th century's most consequential authors and was nationally known as a television panelist. His story is a fascinating panorama of American arts and society over 50 years, scrupulously researched but overburdened and slow. Listeners who've never heard of William Styron or Dorothy Kilgallen or the Famous Writers School will be fully educated here. Narrator Lisa Flanagan keeps a steady, unfussy pace that carries her listeners over the longueurs. But hers is a channel swim rather than a leisurely stroll through Central Park. This paunchy biography needed a stronger editorial hand.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 35 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217346448
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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