The Irish Times reviews a selection of audiobooks.
Long Walk to Freedom, By Nelson Mandela, read by Danny Glover, Time Warner Audiobooks, five CDs, 6 hours, £11.99
We're somewhat short on heroes in the world of contemporary politics. What makes Nelson Mandela more heroic than most is his humanity - which emerges in spades from this engrossing, engaging and often surprising autobiography (the full and frank description of the author's childhood circumcision ceremony is, literally, breathtaking). It's a thrilling story, told with the kind of clarity, self-deprecating humour and poetry we have come to associate with Mandela the public speaker. On the subject of speaking there will be those who will quibble with the choice of Danny Glover (of Lethal Weapon fame) as reader; but his warm, American-accented tones are attractive, if not wildly authentic. On the plus side the producers have wisely opted to include a blast of the "real" Mandela, at the incomparable moment of his walk to freedom: and the cheers of the crowd which greeted him. Stop yourself from joining them - if you can.
Wolf Brothe, By Michelle Paver, read by Ian McKellen, Orion Audio, four tapes, 6½ hours, £9.99
Wolves have had a raw deal in literature in general, and in children's literature in particular - but this magical story goes a long way to redressing the balance. Set at a time when human beings were at ease in the forest and unfazed by a bit of ice and snow, it's a quest tale about two kids who set off in pursuit of an enormous bear (who happens to be possessed by a demon, but we won't go into that) in order to save their clans from extinction. The boy/girl psychology is cleverly done, the themes of death and nature effortlessly handled - but the real star of the show is a wolf cub called, well, Wolf. Beautifully written and unflaggingly exciting, Wolf Brother captures the beauty and intelligence of wolf behaviour in a form which will appeal to adults and children alike. Keep a box of tissues handy. I wept buckets.
Birds Without Wings, Louis de Bernières, read by Hugh Bonneville
Random House Audio, four tapes, 6 hours, £12.99
Everybody on earth read Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Have you read Birds Without Wings? Shame on you: it's a much better book. Set in a small town in south-west Anatolia, it's populated by a weird and wonderful bunch of characters - including Ibrahim the Mad, with his repertoire of goat bleats, culminating in "the bleat of a goat with nothing to say". Then comes one of those earthquakes of human history we call war; and these ordinary, yet extraordinary, people are destroyed by the after-shocks. Funny, wry, devastatingly sad, Hugh Bonneville's matter-of-fact delivery - reminiscent of the comedian Ronnie Barker at his straight-faced best - is perfectly suited to this heart-on-the sleeve retelling of history.
Notes on a Scandal, By Zoë Heller, read by Anna Massey, Penguin, three CDs, 3½ hours, £12.99
Shortlisted for last year's Man Booker Prize, Heller's novel opens with the unsavoury details of an illicit affair between an art teacher and one of her more oafish pupils, narrated by her colleague and self-styled "best friend". The real "scandal" of the title, however, emerges only gradually in this tale of two women. As Anna Massey's superbly deadpan reading makes clear, we're in the territory of bitchiness with brio, which makes for utterly addictive listening. You'll hate yourself: but you'll love it.
Millions, By Frank Cottrell Boyce, read by Stephen Tompkinson
Macmillan, five CDs, 6 hours, £12.99
If you found a bag full of money, what would you do with it? The Cunningham kids, Anthony and Damian, decide to spend it; only to find that it's a tricky business, getting rid of vast quantities of surreptitious cash, even when your dad is too preoccupied with getting himself a new girlfriend to ask questions about the sudden appearance of stuffed-crust pizzas and antique Subbuteo sets. The mood of Millions is dictated by its young narrator's strange and, of course, unintentionally hilarious obsession with the lives of the Christian saints. A movie, directed by Danny Trainspotting Boyle, is due to appear in cinemas in March: do your kids a favour and get ahead of the game with this hilariously deadpan reading by Scouser Stephen Tompkinson.
The Statement, By Brian Moore, read by James D'Arcy, CSA Word, four CDs, 5 hours, £14.99
Now for a case where the movie didn't do the book any favours at all. An underwhelming screen adaptation starring Michael Caine shot The Statement straight into oblivion last year - most unfairly. Nobody does thrillers of conscience better than Brian Moore, and this absorbing story, set in France, conducts what amounts to a forensic examination of such themes as culpability, loyalty, hypocrisy and repentance. Condemned to death for crimes against humanity during the second World War, its central character has been sheltered by Church and State for almost half a century - until a new police investigation starts shedding light into some extremely dark establishment corners indeed. It's subtle, but it's a shocker.