The pairing of George Guidall's narration with Helene Wecker's writing fully immerses listeners in this lushly detailed historical fantasy. Guidall's tone and style very much suit the era--the early years of the 1900s leading up to WWI--and the setting--mostly Manhattan's Lower East Side. This sequel to THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI follows the fortunes of Chava, a golem working as a baker, and Ahmad, who uses his jinn powers as a metalsmith--both of them outsiders who take solace in each other's company, despite their differences. The web of lives interconnected with theirs expands until the novel's denouement, when the power of community becomes clear. Thanks to Wecker's and Guidall's combined storytelling skills, listeners will care about every character's journey and be entranced to the last word.
Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 16 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063097377
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this sequel to Terms of Endearment, Larry McMurtry brings back Aurora Greenway, who is now dealing with her various lovers and friends plus three grown grandchildren with a variety of problems. He presents a tale of growing up and growing old which is bittersweet and funny. Narrator Ivey uses a slight east Texas accent which authenticates the setting of the story. Each character's voice has a slightly different inflection to differentiate it. It all works together well. As you listen, you feel as if you might actually be in Houston sharing the lives of these resilient and refreshing people.
Pub Date:
Duration: 20 hrs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An unusual and inspiring piece of WWII propaganda, this 1942 novella was composed as a play, published as a book and made into a finely acted film. Steinbeck presents an impossibly noble Norwegian village under Fascist occupation. George Guidall’s wonted cordiality makes him sound like a warm-hearted neighbor inviting you to make yourself comfortable in his parlor. And the experience and technique of his many years as an actor and audiobook narrator enable him to give this work’s many characters individuality and soul without resorting to vocal tricks. He has wisely chosen simplicity and sincerity as the best approach. It’s an amazing and immensely satisfying performance of--if not one of the greatest of Steinbeck’s works--then one of the best paeans to liberty and community of its age.
Pub Date:
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101530948
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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