Jeff Woodman lends a boyish exuberance and a sense of irony to Elizabeth Kelly's entry in "The Most Dysfunctional Family" sweepstakes. Collie Flanagan tells the story of his eccentric relatives in wry, apologetic tones, and Woodman turns Collie's idiosyncratic account into a tragicomedy filled with oddballs and loonies. Anais, Collie's neurotic, vindictive mother, names her sons after breeds of dogs. His father, Charlie, is a hard-drinking, womanizing Irishman, and brother Bingo is all charm and gloss. With a pigeon-breeding uncle and a super-rich grandfather to round out the cast, Woodman handles all with relaxed, casual ease, avoiding the temptation to overdo Kelly's enthusiastic turns of phrase. When a double dose of tragedy levels Collie, Woodman's insouciance turns appropriately remorseful. Woodman makes this worth a listen.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2009
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jones and Bourke provide fizz and joy, plus charming Australian accents, to bump up this fun world a notch.
The past cannot be changed, but what if you could travel to the past to view an event in your own history, or to attend a historical event? This is the premise Moriarty creates with a Time Travel Agency in Sydney, Australia. Kellie Jones ably performs chapters featuring Anna and Jade—both single mothers of teenage daughters. Jones expresses the joy Anna takes in literature and her uncertainty in her parenting abilities as well as Jade’s grief at the loss of her sister and disbelief that her daughter might be a bully. Mitchell Bourke’s excellent performance conveys Teddy’s confusion regarding the breakup of his marriage and his visits to the past for an explanation. A particular highlight is Bourke’s narration of the hilarious and heartwarming texts between Teddy and his friends.
Jones and Bourke provide fizz and joy, plus charming Australian accents, to bump up this fun world a notch.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 37 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217297948
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
An atmospheric, slow-burning story elevated by stunning prose and exceptional narration.
Narrator Quyen Ngo immerses listeners in this moving, literary family saga. Using distinct voices, Ngo emotively portrays Calla and Vivi, two estranged Vietnamese American sisters leading very different lives. Calla is a free-spirited artist, while Vivi, the story’s narrator, is an art conservator preparing an exhibit in Chicago about a surrealist Vietnamese French artist. When Calla discovers a sketch resembling one of the surrealist’s famous paintings, the sisters embark on a search that spans Chicago, France, and Vietnam, seeking to uncover the artist’s connection to their late father. As the mystery unfolds, Ngo excels in her fluid pronunciations and compelling characterizations of the sisters and their fraught family dynamics.
An atmospheric, slow-burning story elevated by stunning prose and exceptional narration.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 54 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063381629
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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