Listeners are transported to 1930s New York City, where refugees fleeing a Nazi Germany on the eve of war are trying to forge new lives. Suzanne Toren rises to the challenge of narrating a novel with many different characters and accents. The stories weave together romance, tragedy, mystery, and sadness as the characters find themselves starting afresh in a completely different culture and environment. Toren's narration helps to distinguish the key protagonists and creates a sympathetic backdrop for this poignant listen. She makes it easy for listeners to feel the anxiety of the refugees as they try to build new lives in an unfamiliar and sometimes suspicious society. Theirs is a roller coaster ride of despair, hope, and joy.
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478916574
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dara Rosenberg returns to narrate Meltzer's latest heartwarming novel, a second-chance romance peppered with magical realism. To the shock of workaholic television producer Evelyn, her ex-husband, David, has been hired as on-set physician for her musical production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. As the frantically paced shooting unfolds, Evelyn is in a minor accident but declines medical care. She's then visited by eight "heartbreaks," or spectres, who show her moments in her past with David. Rosenberg skillfully portrays David's steadfast personality and concern for his ex-wife, as well as Evelyn's gradual recognition of her need to reorganize her priorities. This slow-burn romance will warm the hearts of listeners, who will also delight in its holiday theme.
Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488236075
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Rebecca Lowman imbues Kate Riley's parabolic prose with verve and urgency. This ambitious debut unearths universalities of feminine curiosity from within the walls of a strict insular community. Ruth--a relentlessly inquisitive, slightly brainwashed member of a Christian communist cult in rural Michigan--is irresistible. While not overtly rebellious, she is mischievous. Her thoughts and various events within the community construct an effectively plotless but intellectually seductive mosaic of language, which Lowman parses with methodical precision. Her sharp delivery meets the clever and quick-witted social commentary head-on, charging forward throughout the decades of Ruth's small, hilarious, human experiences as she follows her intuition with a hound's tenacity. This novel chronicles a divine, fullhearted struggle toward a happy, meaningful life.
Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593951880
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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