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: 2021
Duration: 17 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593458730
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Alice Munro has written another extraordinary collection of short stories. Both Kimberly Farr and Arthur Morey lend intuitive pacing to their nuanced performances of these works. The listener becomes steeped in the meaning and beauty of Munro's stories by virtue of the performers' deliberate pacing. They give each one the focus that is essential for the concentrated prose of the short story genre. Further, they convey the sense of profundity that these stories evoke with eloquent and clear deliveries. Some of the stories take place in the author’s home territory of Canada during the period of her childhood. However, the collection's timeless and intimate subjects will resonate with anyone listening to these perilous journeys of life.
Pub Date:
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780307939371
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this engaging collection of short stories by Filipino writer and journalist F.H. Batacan (SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES ), Amielynn Abellera and Ramón de Ocampo alternate narrating the riveting mysteries. Abellera is good at voicing the more suspenseful stories with her faster, clipped style of speaking, while de Ocampo tackles the introspective character studies by languidly drawing out his words. Both narrators are Filipino-born actors, and although not all the stories take place in the Philippines, their voicing of accents and colloquialisms adds to the flavor of the gripping, beautifully paced yarns. The mystery of the human heart is a theme in each story, regardless of its length, making this an overall great listening experience.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798889567509
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
