A brief review can only hint at the many pleasures of this fine anthology of the best short stories of the past 50 years, performed by some of the most gifted narrators working today. Every listener will single out favorites, but there are few, if any, stiffs here, and the match of story to narrator shows a shrewd understanding of the interior character and distinctive voice and tone of each story. The order is by publication date, and the stories are best experienced separately, rather than in bouts. Ranging from under five minutes to a little over an hour, these 37 modern classics will provide more than a month of rich, challenging, and deeply satisfying listening.
Pub Date: May 4, 2021
Duration: 17 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593458730
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Gregoire's performance of these original stories stimulates listeners' imagination, providing plenty of food for thought.
Samek's collection of 12 short stories is thought provoking, surreal, and original. These creative stories are linked by several common threads: psychology, technology, and time. Narrator Chandler Gregoire adopts a personable tone, feminine and relatable, though her pacing can sometimes become a little bit rapid. Several standout stories from the collection include the titular tale of an older brother who has a puppeteer to control him; “Muscle to Muscle, Toe to Toe,” in which a couple is matched by an algorithm but it ends up feeling artificial; and “The Cloud,” in which mothers' limbs are stored in the cloud.
Gregoire's performance of these original stories stimulates listeners' imagination, providing plenty of food for thought.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 16 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217278107
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
The Texas accents, hardscrabble lives, and arid landscape give this taut collection an air of reality.
At their best, these short fictions set mostly in Corpus Christi, Texas, present compelling characters in complex circumstances. Jay, the central character of “The Beginning of Wisdom,” is a romantic yet realistic young man, and Eddie Lopez adopts different accents, styles, and personalities in his fine performance. Kaleo Griffith is equally adept in “Dixon,” where his tone and tempo capture the hapless protagonist’s hardships, foolhardiness, and angst. Geoge Newbern gives a well-paced narration of the remarkable title story, enlivening the dramatic plot and expressively performing dialogue.
The Texas accents, hardscrabble lives, and arid landscape give this taut collection an air of reality.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 8 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593908969
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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