A frightening portrayal of what the flu pandemic of 1918 was like-and, therefore, what we may be facing today-is one reason this novel is compelling. Set against the backdrop of the early labor movement and the U.S. involvement in the war in Europe, the story is about how the residents of a fictional Pacific Northwest lumber town try to protect themselves from the deadly flu by imposing a quarantine on their community. Henry Stozier's down-home narration captures the rural setting of the story. Speaking quietly and deliberately, he gives no warning that terrible events are about to unfold. By continuing in that vein as the utopian community falls apart, he makes the story all the more moving.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2006
Duration: 15 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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