It doesn't seem to be working for 17-year-old Alan. His mother, living in a romantic world of her own, has grown to despise his ineffectual father, who barely manages to keep food on the table, while his 15-year-old sister sneaks off nights to visit her German soldier before he is sent back. Nothing makes sense, and Alan can't even concentrate on his own studies. The glue that keeps the family from disintegrating, however, is the intense love and faith that Alan lavishes on each of its members. Mark McGann's reading is alive with their myriad voices--shrill, gruff, and petulant by turns--and Alan's world takes life from McGann. But most of all the reading resonates with the narrator's deep affection. It is the earnest cockney voice of a schoolboy pained at his family's collapse but helpless to prevent it. Bainbridge has created a quiet life that moves the heart.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this fascinating coming-of-age portrait, Thomas Black Bull's journey from the child, Bear's Brother, to the fearsome rodeo rider, Killer Tom Black, is painted with compassion and insight. Forced to learn the White Man's ways, Tom reaches adulthood consumed by rage. Read with great vigor by Norman Dietz, the recording bursts with the energy of rodeo circuit and transports the listener to the southwest. The accurate portrayal of Tom's Ute ancestry and way of life, the sorrow and frustration of losing his heritage, and his angry retaliation at the world make this an excellent listening choice for adults and teenagers. It would also be a wonderful addition to high school units on the Native American experience.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
George S. Irving adopts Patrick McManus's characters with gusto. Sit back and listen to yarn after yarn. Irving relishes each story, whether it's fishing stories, such as "Claw of the Sea-Puss" or "To Filet or Not to Filet," or the escapades with McManus's wary but vulnerable neighbors. Irving has the jocular chuckle down pat, and the low comedy satire comes off without a hitch. Listeners can imagine Irving tipping back a chair at the country store swapping lies with cronies and entertaining any comers with these hilarious tales. His repertoire of more than eight collections of McManus stories encourages this kind of ownership!
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: DH Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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