For those who have never read Katherine Anne Porter, and those who haven't read her in 50 years, this audiobook of three of her finest stories is an opportunity long missed. Until now, her only fiction on audio has been SHIP OF FOOLS, her big book of the 1960s, which overshadowed her earlier, far better, short fiction. Chelsea Stephens gives this matchless storyteller full due in her precise, subtly nuanced performance. These three short novels, among the best in American literature, live as vibrantly here as they did 80 years ago. Porter's famous story of the 1918 flu pandemic gives the collection its title, and that somber image links the very different "Old Morality" and "Noon Wine," whose counterpoint melodies and sharp humor are so expressively captured here. D.A.W Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Reader Michael Prichard delivers a convincing rendition of Archie Goodwin, the burly right hand of the portly Nero Wolfe, world-renowned gourmand and detective. Prichard preserves the 1970s setting and 1950s origins of the story, bringing listeners a well-paced narration of murder and politics--a combination of elements that usually guarantees an exciting listen. This audio entertainment is as well formed and fragrant as one of Wolfe's hothouse orchids (the stout sleuth cultivates them by the hundreds in his town house greenhouse) as Goodwin walks us through an explosive murder investigation and political wheeling and dealing in a tough yet intelligent read.
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2006
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Partners
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This collection of eight short stories contains gentle tales of fantasy and magic--not the magic of wizards and wands, but of wishing mats and enormous cats and gifts brought by the winds. In a lovely English accent, Lizza Aiken quietly narrates these stories in which magic and good fortune often come to those who deserve it. Although her pitch changes little, she registers a range of emotions--from the sadness of a girl whose necklace of raindrops has been stolen to the joy of a child who moves from a hard life and a ramshackle trailer to a happy home amid the clouds. A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS would make a soothing choice for a family car trip after a long day.
Ages 6+Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
Duration: 1 hr, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101915721
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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