THE EMPRESS AND THE ENGLISH DOCTOR How Catherine the Great Defied a Deadly Virus

Malk Williams's amiable manner immediately engages the listener with this history of smallpox inoculation and its adoption in Russia through a collaboration between Catherine the Great and an English physician. Williams's pleasant voice and likable British accent, his fine pacing and attention to sense and detail, make the audiobook clear and easy to listen to. At times, his tone and projection seem more those of an announcer than someone recounting a story, but that becomes an issue only as the text itself loses one's interest through its tiresome repetitions. The history is mostly interesting, and Williams mostly enjoyable, but by the end, the content tries the listener's patience, and even the likable Williams loses some of his appeal. W.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]