Susan Ericksen gives an outstanding performance of the thirty-year friendship between Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart. With careful pacing and understatement, Erickson portrays Kate and Tully's teen rebellion, their sibling-like rivalry, and their life choices. When the girls grow into adults, she gives a bittersweet portrayal to Tully's violation of Kate's trust to further her own career. In comparison, she describes Kate's choice of marriage and motherhood. In an especially believable portrayal of a secondary character, Ericksen gives Tully's mother, drug-addicted Cloud, a textured characterization. Period details of life in the 1980s and descriptions of locations particular to the Pacific Northwest lend authenticity. The story of Kate and Tully's friendship demands at least one box of Kleenex.
Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2008
Duration: 18 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listening to Footman is like curling up with a green tea and a welcome missive.
Hanako Footman's calm voice, perfect Japanese pronunciation, and English accent are ideal for narrating this Japanese bestseller. Hatoko inherits the Tsubaki Stationery Store from her strict grandmother, who raised her and taught her the family trade of calligraphy and scribing—writing important letters for people. Like a haiku, the book brims with nature and surprises. Divided into seasons, the story is further segmented by vignettes featuring letters that customers request. Footman’s slow pace and contemplative tone reinforce Hatoko's characterization as a thoughtful assessor of people. She adopts a buoyant tone for Hatoko’s close friend, highlighting their different personalities. For customers, Footman subtly conveys character without caricature.
Listening to Footman is like curling up with a green tea and a welcome missive.Pub Date: today
Duration: 7 hrs, 11 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217338368
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
An engaging, heartfelt performance.
Narrator Evan Sibley compellingly portrays Patrick “Kick” Kilpatrick, an Omaha, Nebraska, man stranded in the ocean during a family cruise. Whether Kick fell or jumped remains uncertain as he treads water and pieces together his final moments aboard the ship. Sibley captures Kick’s racing stream of consciousness with urgency and nuance, shifting easily among memories of his high school swim team, family conflict, and his mother’s cancer. Sibley demonstrates incredible range for the characters in Kick’s mind: a higher pitch for Kick’s precocious nephew, clipped irritation for his pompous brother-in-law, warmth for his swim coach/uncle, and distinct comic charm for hallucinated sea creatures. As Kick weakens, his repeated hope that “in the next hour someone’s going to save me” grows heartbreakingly hoarse.
An engaging, heartfelt performance.Pub Date: today
Duration: 6 hrs, 13 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668148921
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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