In this contemporary audiobook, narrator Erin Mallon portrays a 30-year-old who is ready to start living. Mallon projects Piper Manning's realistic outlook and lingering unspoken emotions. While caring for her siblings through significant and difficult situations over the past 15 years, she put her life on hold. Now Piper is about to move forward, but her sibs reappear, looking for both support and the chance to reinvent themselves. Mallon's portrayals of the female characters are strong and clear, while some of the male voices are harder to distinguish. Nonetheless, listening is an ideal way to imagine how they all fit together and find their way.
Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062897831
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Three strong women fight for every voice to be heard.
Fein’s novel, inspired by the encrypted Voynich Manuscript, introduces three women and a 400-year struggle to free women’s voices and fight censorship. Emma Feeney narrates as Lysbette, a young orphan in the 1520s. Feeney’s voice grows in power as Lysbette slowly gains confidence in her value, writes her story as myth, and struggles to ensure it outlives her. Ell Potter is the confident, feisty Charlotte, owner of a printshop dedicated to fighting censorship in 1550s Paris. When Lysbette enters her shop, Charlotte faces her biggest challenge. Fast-forward to 1952. Fiona Hardingham gives Milly a frustrated yet insistent voice as Lysbette’s manuscript gives her a new mission, using skills sharpened as a codebreaker in wartime England.
Three strong women fight for every voice to be heard.
Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9780063411449
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
A resonant listening experience rich with biting social commentary.
Narrator Katharine Chin elevates this contemporary coming-of-age story featuring four Asian American friends. Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian all attended great schools and earned good grades, but in the aftermath of graduating into the Great Recession of 2008, they find themselves unemployed and living at home. Grace, a former classmate, makes a YouTube video about the group and their failure to meet expectations called “Bad Asians.” The video goes viral, upending their lives in the early days of the internet. Chin brings each character distinctly to life through subtle tonal shifts. Her reflective tone conveys the story’s thought-provoking exploration of identity, cultural expectations, and the meaning of success.
A resonant listening experience rich with biting social commentary.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250433244
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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