Jen Taylor offers a strong reading of Kohler’s parallel autobiographies of Charlotte Brontë and her most famous creation, Jane Eyre. Listeners enter the Brontë world, following Charlotte and her sisters, Anne and Emily, as they walk through parlor and park, reading to one another from their respective novels and poetry, giving each other ideas and criticism, coping with their jealousies, broken love affairs, health issues, their brother Branwell’s dissipation, and their father’s recovery from near blindness. Taylor uses a lush, throaty voice for her narration while creating an impressive range of voices for the dialogue and characterizations. Even high-pitched children’s voices become credible in her skilled performance. This is an intriguing fictionalized look at how much of a writer’s life sometimes makes its way into her novels.
Pub Date: March 22, 2010
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781593165215
Publisher: Listen & Live
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An astonishingly unique historical novel, which begins in Trinidad in the 1940s, this is an example of the best that an audiobook can offer. The two narrators, Ron Butler and Bahni Turpin, are superb choices who move the listener smoothly between the two main characters. Farook and Marcia Garcia are star-crossed lovers who don’t have fate on their side. Turpin evokes the rhythms of English as spoken in Trinidad, lyrical, and rhythmic. Through her confident narrative style, Marica Garcia comes across as a strong, beleaguered young woman. Her trials evoke empathy in the listener. Butler establishes the contorted choices that face Farook as an Indian man who is prevented by racism from marrying his true love. This sprawling tale spans Trinidad and the United States, from the 1940s-1960s.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 13 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this stand-alone novel set during the Hundred Years' War, Thomas of Hookton, hero of Cornwell's Grail Quest trilogy, returns with his band of mercenaries in pursuit of the sword of Saint Peter—a holy relic said to bestow great power. Naturally, others are also in pursuit and are determined to win the sword at any cost. Jack Hawkins delivers a stunning performance of this dramatic novel of political intrigue and military battle. Throughout, he effortlessly distinguishes characters from all over Western Europe through various accents. Hawkins's thoughtful reading reveals the emotions of the characters, enhancing their portrayals. His performance is full of energy during Cornwell's signature battle scenes, offering the listener a visceral experience of war.
Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062209344
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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