A trio of narrators portrays the three heroines in this novel, which nicely integrates its subplots. Jorjeana Marie animates cold 17-year-old Adri, who is orphaned and bound for Mars in 2065. While living with a distant cousin, Adri discovers the writings of two ancestors, and her prickly detachment turns to curiosity, then caring. Bailey Carr reads the emotional journal of Cat, written during the Dustbowl era. Cat is desperate to save her sister from lung disease, passionately in love with the farm's handyman, and angry with her mother for something Adri can't figure out. That anger is linked to Leonore's letters. Fiona Hardingham brings out Lenore's vivacity and consuming grief after her brother's death in WWI. Re-listening is recommended for this compelling audio with its evocative writing, parallel stories, and strong performances.
(Science/historical fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062670243
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma.
Narrator Javier Muñoz’s voice is light, almost giddy, as he describes the loving, joyful, book-filled family life of 17-year-old Mexican American twins Emma and CheChe. The story is told from the perspective of CheChe, who relishes his good life. After CheChe’s El Paso high school is attacked and he is shot and loses a leg, Muñoz’s narration changes dramatically. Sounding slower, subdued, and saddened, CheChe tries to comprehend the shattering of his idyllic life. Listeners will be struck by the sweetness of CheChe’s developing relationship with Placido, his first boyfriend, and the evolution of his path to healing.
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668185834
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices.
This multigenerational family story comes to life through an ensemble performance. After high schooler Dawn receives an assignment to interview her grandmother, she begins uncovering a family history that stretches from 19th-century China to Taiwan and then New York. Eunice Wong, Katharine Chin, and Kenneth Lee shift among generations with careful attention to rhythm, pitch, and emotional texture, making the transitions easy to follow. Their performances capture the family's guardedness over its old secretsas well as Dawn's curiosity as a young woman seeking answers. As the layers of the Chin family history emerge, the narrators maintain a strong sense of continuity across time.
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063238039
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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