Susan Orlean is a wonderfully accomplished writer. Her voice wears well over time, and those of us who prefer the author’s voice will approve this production. The text itself is outstanding. The life and career of Rin Tin Tin, film’s greatest canine star, are in their way the ultimate dog lover's tale and the ultimate film history wrapped into one. Orlean’s depth of research, eye for detail, and wry humor—which dances beneath the reportorial objectivity of her prose—all come through in her reading but in a way that is less nuanced, less subtle and exact than her writing. This is one of the fall’s most anticipated titles, and justly so. But Orlean may be in that category of prose—seemingly artless but finely calibrated—that requires an equally subtle and practiced narrator.
Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781442344976
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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