After 12 years of the Napoleonic Wars, the monarchs and ministers of Europe met in Vienna in 1814 to slice up the territorial pie. In a months-long circus of intercourse, intrigue, balls, banquets, and nefarious negotiations, lands were played for like pieces on a chess board. At first, narrator Mel Foster's hesitant speech seems stilted, but his exceptional skill with French and German exposes a broad linguistic strength. With time he relaxes and lets the raucous proceedings take the spotlight, enjoying himself with the occasional poetry. Since the author's attributions make the sources of quotations clear, Foster needn't use any accent or theatrical character. The extensive lesson in geography, politics, history, and biography would satisfy anyone's desire to learn more about this event.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Duration: 14 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A story of survival through unthinkable tragedy that the wistful little girl in the portrait could never have imagined.
Narrator Jenn Lee brings a storyteller’s flair to this true saga of the Renoir portrait La Petite Irène, painted in 1880 and stolen by the Nazis during WWII. Irène Cahen d’Anvers was the daughter of a wealthy Jewish banking family who were targeted and destroyed during the occupation of Paris. But Irène survived by changing her religion and remarrying, eventually recovering the painting. The survival story of the portrait is equally dramatic and full of twists and turns in the world of underground art dealings. Lee’s talent for French is evident in her pronunciation of names, locales, and expressions, adding a vivid sense of place and atmosphere.
A story of survival through unthinkable tragedy that the wistful little girl in the portrait could never have imagined.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659656
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
A troubled history haunted by discord, imperialist blunders, and heartbreaking might-have-beens.
A steady voice is required for tracking the past century and a quarter of turmoil in the Middle East. With restraint and composure, British narrator Leighton Pugh unravels a knot of ancient rivalries and long-lasting violence that defies all efforts at peacemaking. Montefiore’s narrative is excellent—succinct, accessible, and providing insight into character and motive. With the awful fatefulness of Greek tragedy, Pugh’s narration follows the sequence of events that led to the creation of borders that served foreign interests but ignored historical boundaries. Sadder still are the decisions not made and the solutions that might have worked.
A troubled history haunted by discord, imperialist blunders, and heartbreaking might-have-beens.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 20 hrs, 10 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217340194
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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