The Cartiers

Hattie Morahan’s narration is the frosting on this decadent historical cake. She doesn’t just read the dialogue—she inhabits it, shifting seamlessly from the clipped precision of a Cartier heir to the weary pragmatism of a jeweler navigating a family meltdown. Her voice for Jeanne Toussaint, the fiery designer who defied the brothers’ expectations, is especially magnetic, dripping with equal parts charm and menace. The pacing is brisk, which is good because the first half occasionally meanders through the brothers’ early years, but once the Cartier brand starts flexing globally, the story becomes a high-stakes soap opera. My only quibble? Brickell’s occasional penchant for overly florid descriptions can feel indulgent when she’s detailing a tiara’s craftsmanship—like a museum docent who can’t resist a thesaurus. Also, the audiobook’s runtime feels every minute of its 23 hours; a tighter edit might have trimmed some of the more granular historical tangents. Still, Morahan’s performance alone justifies the marathon, and the rare moments where she drops into a flawless French accent feel like a secret gift to the listener.