This complex and powerful tale of survival in Estonia under the Soviets won the Nordic literature prize in 2010 for Oksanen. The plotting cuts back and forth in time until events in the past fully illuminate the present, which is effective unless you miss the title for any section telling where you are in time and place. If you do, you are lost far longer than if you could flip back a page, and it happens more than it should because the sound levels in this production veer widely from fine to dramatic but inaudible whispering. Sian Thomas’s performance is excellent, although I wonder if an Estonian accent should really sound so Swedish, but inaudibility, whether a performance or a production flaw, is a problem.
Pub Date: 2011
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781743105498
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Part of the joy of Tom Clancy novels is one's belief that the stories could come true. His latest entry stretches that some as we find international terrorists building a nuclear bomb which is used to set Americans and Russians against one another. Jay Robertson reads with a newscaster's voice, crisp and clear with a light touch of drama. However, he does little to help listeners identify Clancy's huge cast of characters, and dialects seem difficult for him as he occasionally slips in and out of character. Nonetheless, patient listeners are rewarded as the plot unfolds. This will be a welcome addition to any library justifying the price of the multi-cassettte volumes.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Grisham's story of the murder of two disparate Supreme Court Justices has a scope that could make abridgment difficult. Fortunately, all the plot threads are in place here: the sexual trysts, the murder investigation, and the political maneuverings which extend from the White House to the cloistered halls of the Supreme Court itself. A story this big has to be fun, and it is. While the reading seems tight at first, actor Anthony Heald soon warms to the material. Or perhaps the breakneck pace of the story takes over. The tapes are crisp and clear, and occasional music accentuates the suspense--adding to the fun.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 0553750933
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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