Schnaubelt's performance distances the reader from Christensen's unreliable narrator.
Teri Schnaubelt's narration struggles to illuminate a complex female character in Christensen's latest. A career writer excavating her past to understand the remnants of her early childhood wounds, Julia seems no more enlightened post-publication than before she began drafting. During a conference at Julia’s alma mater—where tensions run high and ghosts from her past materialize constantly—Schnaubelt narrates both excerpts from Julia's memoir and her present-day run-ins with a consistently underwhelmed sarcasm, obscuring where Christensen plays with form. In her memoir, Julia confesses facts about her sexual past, leaving no stone unturned, while showing little of her actual character. Her comfort in writing is matched by her discomfort with real-life vulnerability; it’s a smart, if scathing, criticism of the literary memoir, prodding at an uncomfortable contradiction of the genre: What matters more, a good story or the truth?
Schnaubelt's performance distances the reader from Christensen's unreliable narrator.Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 29 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063464346
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
In this sequel to Terms of Endearment, Larry McMurtry brings back Aurora Greenway, who is now dealing with her various lovers and friends plus three grown grandchildren with a variety of problems. He presents a tale of growing up and growing old which is bittersweet and funny. Narrator Ivey uses a slight east Texas accent which authenticates the setting of the story. Each character's voice has a slightly different inflection to differentiate it. It all works together well. As you listen, you feel as if you might actually be in Houston sharing the lives of these resilient and refreshing people.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 20 hrs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
To Fred Fairly, a Cambridge Fellow, truth is everything. What then is the truth about the woman he finds beside him when he awakens? English conventions and mores of 1912 Cambridge are central to this period piece. Callow's wonderful voice and interpretation make accents, personalities and gender come alive, and help make sense of the frequent time and character shifts. His delivery enhances a most clever "choose your own ending."
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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