The Story of an Africa Farm | Olive Schreiner [read by Melanie Walker's Digital Twin]
On a lonely farm in the Karoo, three children grow up under an enormous sky. Lyndall is fierce and clever and wants a life no woman of her time is allowed. Waldo is a dreamer who carves, questions and builds, and has everything he loves taken from him. Em is gentle and steady and expects very little. Around them move the formidable Tant' Sannie and Bonaparte Blenkins, one of the great frauds in fiction.
First published in 1883 under the pen name Ralph Iron, The Story of an African Farm was a sensation in London and is still called the first great South African novel. Olive Schreiner wrote about faith, freedom, love and the right of a woman to choose her own life, decades before those questions were safe to ask. It reads as boldly today as it did then.
This is Solid Gold's new, complete and unabridged recording of Schreiner's original text, which is out of copyright. It is read by Melanie Walker's Digital Twin: a licensed digital voice of the South African broadcaster. A short note at the start explains the recording and the pen name.
20 Oct 2026
The Gift of the Magi | O Henry [version 3 with Melanie Walker]
First published in 1905, this short story tells the tale of a young couple, Jim and Della, who are very poor but want to buy each other meaningful Christmas gifts.
This is another UPDATED demonstration (version 3) of a digital twin voice.
This version featuers Melanie Walker.
9 Oct 2026
Adventures of a Boer Family | Victor Pohl [read by Malcolm Gooding]
This is a sensitive, faithful, amusing account of the unique experiences of a Free State farming family during the Anglo-Boer War.
From the author’s mother being mistaken for an English lady by a British officer, to his own imprisonment as a thirteen-year-old at Green Point POW camp; from his three older brothers’ exploits on commando, to General De Wet’s address – in a voice ‘shaken with emotion’ – to his men after the war was lost; from his younger brothers’ experiences as favourites with the soldiers at a British military camp where they were detained, to the whole family’s hope and courage in the aftermath of war – this book is a true delight.
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
47
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
27
Host of Audiobook Samples from Solid Gold?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
