Penning’s narration kicks this imaginative world up an additional notch.
Shaw’s alternative Arctic society, touched with today’s climate-changed environment, is inventive, lovely, and heartbreaking. In a story told from several viewpoints, from various generations, Marni Penning creates multiple characters who plausibly inhabit this off-kilter world. Her performance is enthusiastic, even joyful, but with a perfect quirky edginess. Siblings Milda, Finley, and Temperance Spahr live in a house on stilts, with parents who farm octopus and fly tourists in their floatplane. The Spahrs descend from homesteaders who carted pianos across the permafrost as a symbol of civilization. Most pianos were lost; later generations seek their fortune by recovering them from the bottom of the fjords. It’s a frontier world, but with a twist—there are trained moose, sea lion pets, and salmon with piano keys in their bellies.
Penning’s narration kicks this imaginative world up an additional notch.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217174096
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 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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