AudioFile Reviews
A sensitive, skillful narration elevates this E L James novel, an obvious departure from her bestselling 50 Shades series. A newly minted earl, Maxim Trevelyan mourns the loss of his elder brother while becoming romantically involved with his housekeeper, Alessia, a victim of human trafficking. Narrator Dominic Thorburn uses an aristocratic British voice for Maxim, managing to gently express his wonder while eschewing earnestness. Thorburn almost overcomes the tedium of Maxim's expletives. Narrator Jessica O'Hara-Baker treads the fine line between Alessia's na•vetŽ and ignorance as she moves capably through an unremarkable plot. Volume levels transition seamlessly between narrators, although the switch from Maxim's first-person narrative to Alessia's third person is disconcerting. Both narrators differentiate British, Polish, and Albanian accents with admirable care. Piano music performed by Alessia plays softly behind the text, adding another layer to the audiobook. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
AudioFile Reviews
In a rich, warm timbre, Michelle Obama treats us to reminiscences and reflections on her life as though we were friends seated in her living room. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, the insights of "the other Obama" are interesting due to the sheer fact of her uniqueness. Her signature quiet confidence comes through every word as she narrates her story. From growing up on the South Side of Chicago to becoming America's first African-American first lady, Mrs. Obama is steady, measured, and detailed in her recollections. We accompany her from her family's home, full of extended family members and closeness, into the arms of a charismatic community organizer. Her words are laced throughout with a steely determination, the same quality that likely helped her weather Internet trolling and personal losses. This intimate listening experience allows us behind the public exterior and into the warm embrace of private revelations by one of our nation's most beloved role models. M.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
BookPage Reviews
Audio: February 2019
The title of Michelle Obama's blockbuster bestseller, Becoming, lets you know that you'll get the answers to many of the questions you've had about this extraordinary woman. You'll find out how a kid who grew up in a cramped apartment on Chicago's South Side graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law to ultimately become our first African-American first lady and one of the most admired women in the galaxy. More importantly, you'll understand how she kept her authenticity, grace and sense of self while in the glare of an unrelenting media spotlight, where everything you say and do and wear is scrutinized. Obama is candid and frank, talking about the problems in the early years of her marriage, about being a mother, her dislike of politics and her distress with the current administration. She reads in her warm, familiar voice, and you'll be swept up in her story, her triumphs and her trials. She's lived a version of the American dream, but one shadowed by the very American nightmare of racism and prejudice.
It's been much too long since I spent time with Precious Ramotswe and her colleagues at the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, and it's always a quiet joy to return. Colors of All the Cattle, Alexander McCall Smith's 19th installment in his bestselling series, wonderfully narrated again by the liltingly voiced Lisette Lecat, transports us to the sunny charms of Botswana and Mma Ramotswe's unshakable belief in "old-fashioned" Botswana kindness. Though she's taken on a difficult case for a victim of a hit-and-run accident, Mma Ramotswe has been pushed into reluctantly running for city council by her friend, the formidable matron of the local "orphan farm." Smith and Mma Ramotswe never let us down—modesty and honesty trump bravura, and keen but gentle detecting skills solve the case.
A private investigator went missing in 2006, his body never found, the case marred by mistakes and innuendos of corruption. That cold case heats up when some kids come across a red VW in a remote, wooded park, with a handcuffed skeleton in the trunk. That's for openers in Ian Rankin's 24th Rebus novel, In a House of Lies, performed by James Macpherson in an authentic Scottish burr that's still soft enough to be easily understood. Though John Rebus is officially retired from Police Scotland's Major Crime Division, he was on the case 12 years ago and is as eager as ever to get involved again. And with his former protégé, Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke, assigned to the investigating team, that's not hard to accomplish. Pay close attention—Rankin's in great form, and there's a lot going on in this intricately plotted police procedural.
This article was originally published in the February 2019 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
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