New Reviews: History

Johnny Heller's rough-and-tumble voice is the perfect match for Clavin's stories of Western outlaws and their hideouts. Much of the audiobook is devoted to Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch, but there's room for strange detours. Heller's hearty style can make a reportedly true story, such as the story of a robber whose skin became the shoes worn by a governor, take on the... Read More

In this riveting audiobook listeners learn about a 1929 settlement on a deserted Galapagos island. This true-life account of couples seeking a new Eden illustrates why utopian dreams turn into nightmares. As one islander put it while describing their fruitful, lush, island, "It could be so beautiful on earth if humans weren't animals." Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell... Read More

From the time of Louis XIV's Versailles through the 1930s, the world of fashion was dominated by the French. Gail Shalan narrates this fascinating account of the dramatic and permanent changes in the industry instigated by the Nazi invasion of Paris in 1940. Women were most influential in the birth of New York's Seventh Avenue as the heart of new fashion. Shalan describes the... Read More

Golden Voice Juliet Stevenson's wise, somewhat bemused voice has introduced dozens of British classics to a generation of listeners. Her approach is familiar, subdued, precise. She skillfully builds and shapes this unexpectedly compelling history of the world's most performed piece of music. How Handel's MESSIAH came to be is a story with many twists, but it provides a focus... Read More

Expect to do a certain amount of relistening to this packed audiobook history of the momentous Greek victory over Persia at Marathon in 490 BCE. Ancient history has its vast deserts and dense forests, its unbridgeable gaps and conflicting versions of events. All of those complicate this epic narrative, which devotes only its closing chapters to describing the famous battle.... Read More

The Scopes Monkey Trial was settled almost a hundred years ago, but if you think the issues it raised regarding what can be taught in public schools were settled, you're wrong. Brenda Wineapple's history of the trial, its antecedents, and its aftereffects--ably narrated by Gabra Zackman--ties the trial into continuing themes in American culture and politics. Science and... Read More

The illuminating story of the Women's Liberation movement in the pivotal period of 1963-1973 is powerfully told by multiple narrators who give voice to nearly 150 women activists and nearly 20 men. This inclusive work creates a representative account of Second Wave Feminism by centering contributions from women of color and queer women. Kamali Minter, Janina Edwards, Natalie... Read More

An admittedly limited survey reveals that practically nobody knows who Charlemagne was, or even what millennium he belonged to. If nothing else, this audiobook will correct that. It will also clear up any misunderstandings concerning the purpose and whereabouts of the Holy Roman Empire--the two being, not coincidentally, closely bound. Narrator Paul Bellantoni, whose past... Read More

Julian Elfer narrates this in-depth exploration of life in Paris from the summer of 1870 to the spring of 1871. As Napoleon's monarchy fell, Parisians starved and struggled to survive the bloody street battles of the Paris Commune. Elfer is riveting as he delivers art critic Smee's well-researched account of this chaotic period. Artists Manet, Morisot, and Degas remained in... Read More

Historian Tevi Troy offers listeners an engaging treatise on executive power, in particular, highlighting the use of that power with corporate chief executives over the course of American history. Narrator Timothy Andres Pabon does an outstanding job with a measured yet incisive performance. At times, there were epic historic clashes; at other times, smooth sailing. The CEOs... Read More

If Ben Macintyre ever tires of writing true espionage stories and crazy capers, he can become a professional narrator instead. In 1980, shortly after Margaret Thatcher's election, at the same time that the U.S. was watching its own hostage crisis in Iran, six gunmen captured the Iranian embassy in London, taking more than two dozen hostages. Macintyre's precise British accent... Read More

This audiobook profiles unsung heroes of American history, most of whom you wouldn't recognize. Author Sharon McMahon offers a narration that is almost loving in tone as she tells their stories. Her voice is gentle on the ears and easy to follow. Yet she also captures the drama and significance of each life. McMahon primarily uses declarative sentences, which translate well to... Read More

Samuel Roukin, who has narrated the previous two titles in Dugard's Taking series [TAKING PARIS and TAKING BERLIN] is once again quite splendid in narrating this account of the beginning of WWII, which focuses on The Battle of Britain. Dugard goes into the politics of the situation, portraying the relationships between Churchill, FDR, and Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, in... Read More

Jenn Lee does a serviceable narration of this treasure-trove of stories featuring women who created musicals on and off Broadway. Many women were helped by the men in their families--Mary Rodgers, daughter of composer Richard Rodgers, for example--while others were prominent figures of their time, such as Dorothy Parker, who was known for her biting wit. Lee's precise delivery... Read More