Kirsten Potter delivers a spirited performance of this eclectic collection of essays by American fiction writer Ann Beattie. Potter's warm, midrange voice and attentive pacing pull listeners into the closely observed pieces, which range widely from a visit to painter Grant Wood's Iowa hometown to an appreciation of novelist Elizabeth Spencer amd a discussion of Alice Munro's literary oeuvre. Beattie, a PEN/Faulkner Award winner, displays her trademark humor, elegant prose styling, and critical insight throughout the collection. While most listeners will recognize many of Beattie's topics, Potter's excellent performance ensures that even the unfamiliar is interesting. By varying the tempo, speaking conversationally, and projecting an audible smile when a sentence is amusing, Potter keeps listeners engaged throughout.
Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798212325554
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Inspiring collections of Angelou reading her poetry. These selections showcase Angelou's smooth, lyrical voice and her warm vitality. Her innate rhythm celebrates her verse and offers the poems to listeners as they should be remembered. Occasionally Angelou comments between the selections, and occasionally she interjects a resonant laugh.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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