Narrator Gordon Griffin captures the empathy, frustration, and passion of Dr. Stephen Westaby, a pioneering heart surgeon in Britain. Westaby has conducted all manner of high-risk surgeries, including implanting artificial heart pumps before any other British doctor had done so. (The patients have no pulse afterwards!) He is snarky about bureaucrats who are more interested in keeping down costs than in doing anything new or investing in technology that save lives, and he has plenty of insults for the National Health Service. Griffin's narration is wonderful--lively and expressive, with an accent that suggests Westaby's working-class background. Griffin's timing and tone perfectly capture Westaby's wry, almost curmudgeonly, sense of humor--he quips that a patient is so sick he is unlikely to survive a haircut, but after an artificial heart is implanted, he lives for several years.
Pub Date: June 20, 2017
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478920267
Publisher: Hachette Audio
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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