Wendell Berry writes prose with the heart of a poet. The words of his novel evoke scenes and emotions the way good poetry does. As a result, this work translates well to audio. Berry takes the listener to Appalachian Kentucky in 1944, when the narrator's namesake, a black sheep uncle, is murdered. Now approaching his sixtieth birthday, the narrator still is coming to grips with the event and the conspiracy of silence that surrounded it. Michael Kramer offers an able reading. Because the narrator is older and looking back, Kramer uses his natural voice, even when quoting the narrator as a child. He gives other youngsters just a hint of youth in their dialogue. For all the characters he delivers a bit of a Mountain accent without being artificial or making the book difficult to listen to.
Pub Date: July 30, 2009
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: ChristianAudio
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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