The Confederate entrepreneur H.L. Hunley designed and built an eponymous eight-man submarine—a death trap that drowned all three crews who sailed in her, including H.L. himself. Because the boat disappeared after her first victory, questions remained, creating a cult of interest in her history. Taciturn narrator Barrett Whitener keeps himself in the background, letting the obscure story be the main character. He builds the archiving of the ship's contents to a swell of sentiment as he describes the finding of a lucky twenty-dollar gold piece on the corpse of one of the Rebel sailors. As enlightening as the performance may be, listeners—although well stocked with the author's description—will find themselves yearning to see the Civil War contraption.
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2008
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Tales of the rescued don’t diminish the sorrow for the millions lost.
Jim Meskimen’s authoritative voice and evenhandedness carry a narrative with many highs and lows and steeped in tragic irony. As Nazi attacks on Jews worsened in the 1930s, a group of poker-playing friends in Manila, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, conceived a plan to repatriate German Jews to the Philippines. Hundreds of people were subsequently saved, but antisemitism bothin the U.S. and the Philippines blocked a full effort. Most effectively, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the Pacific theater and subsequent independence of the Philippines—and on the careers of two men at the table, one of whom almost became a U.S. president, and one of whom did.
Tales of the rescued don’t diminish the sorrow for the millions lost.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 13 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228966093
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: today
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
