Narrator Edoardo Ballerini elevates this poignant audiobook. He gives this series of connected essays a pliable reading that emulates the author's voice, which ranges from authoritative (on politics and economics) to interrogative (on Italy's future). His narration captures the work's moods--sometimes despairing, occasionally celebratory--through apt pacing. His tone befits a work that combines memoir, economic analysis, and speculation. A novelist, translator, and former member of the Italian parliament, Nesi was, tellingly, an owner of a now shuttered woolen mill. He bemoans the loss of such artisanal industries. He also writes movingly about a family trip to the U.S. and eloquently about a pandemic visit to Florence's Uffizi with his wife to see Michelangelo's masterpiece TONDO DONI. This is an immersive and satisfying listen.
(N/A)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798212154413
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
Ward claims she’s more comfortable as a novel writer, but this confirms her gifts as a storyteller no matter the...
Ward reads her first collection of creative nonfiction essays with the lyricism that her poetic writing deserves. There is power in her ideas, and she expresses them in rich prose. Both are enhanced by her reading. She writes about growing up poor and Black in Mississippi, the deaths of her brother and her husband, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, the comfort she finds in Baldwin’s work, and her discomfort with Faulkner’s writing. Each essay carries a poignancy that is often breathtaking. Pieces vary in length and purpose, from book introductions to interviews to articles. She merges the personal and the political, balancing grief with the healing power of literature and art.
Ward claims she’s more comfortable as a novel writer, but this confirms her gifts as a storyteller no matter the subject.Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668111833
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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