Narrator Abigail Reno transports listeners to November 1957 and a dysfunctional marriage. The story begins on an unseasonably warm fall day. Kathleen decides to skip church and instead sends her boys and her husband, Virgil, out of the house for the day. As Kathleen reflects on how she went from college tennis star to homemaker and mother, Virgil spends the day reflecting on his own questionable decisions. Reno creates distinct characters and engages listeners with inflection and pacing that match the secrets being revealed and the historical event happening on the same day--the launch of SPUTNIK 2 with the dog Laika onboard. The story--and the couple's relationship--races toward a breaking point. Compelling and thought provoking.
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Duration: 3 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668641422
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will lose themselves in this beautiful, heartfelt story.
With equal parts emotional expressiveness and vocal precision, Dion Graham masterfully narrates Mosley’s latest—an unlikely love story. Robert Horton, a vegan chef, falls in love with the brilliant scientist Jamilah Fenestra; few can understand the depth of their connection. Graham sensitively portrays Robert’s neurodivergence and highlights his wisdom and kindness. The story follows their son, Ghalen, as he makes sense of the world around him. It soon becomes apparent that Ghalen is exceptionally intelligent, and his childhood is marked by a deep loss. Graham gives each character a unique voice while conveying the complexity of each individual.
Listeners will lose themselves in this beautiful, heartfelt story.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 5 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063451582
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Penning’s narration kicks this imaginative world up an additional notch.
Shaw’s alternative Arctic society, touched with today’s climate-changed environment, is inventive, lovely, and heartbreaking. In a story told from several viewpoints, from various generations, Marni Penning creates multiple characters who plausibly inhabit this off-kilter world. Her performance is enthusiastic, even joyful, but with a perfect quirky edginess. Siblings Milda, Finley, and Temperance Spahr live in a house on stilts, with parents who farm octopus and fly tourists in their floatplane. The Spahrs descend from homesteaders who carted pianos across the permafrost as a symbol of civilization. Most pianos were lost; later generations seek their fortune by recovering them from the bottom of the fjords. It’s a frontier world, but with a twist—there are trained moose, sea lion pets, and salmon with piano keys in their bellies.
Penning’s narration kicks this imaginative world up an additional notch.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217174096
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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