This ambitious audiobook by the author of THE ROMANOVS offers a comprehensive global history in the tradition of Toynbee and Wells. It's a polished, richly detailed narrative that any one of the half dozen best members of this unwieldy ensemble, or a compatible three or four, could have made memorable. Instead, the listener encounters a bewildering variety of voices and accents, presumably reflecting the global scope of the narrative but that are highly uneven in talent and experience. Adding to the difficulty, narrators change frequently, often in the middle of episodes and following no apparent purpose or design. These constant arbitrary shifts in accent, pace, and aptitude shatter the narrative and tire the ear.
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
Duration: 68 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593627662
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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