Julia Emelin's performance places listeners in the heart of the Soviet Union during the 1980s, a time of tumultuous change. Anya and her teenage friends are approaching the end of school and facing uncertain futures. They spend their days listening to contraband Western music and dreaming of love. Anton Chekhov's famous play THE CHERRY ORCHARD, echoed in the novel's title, is framed here as a family apple orchard that faces possible destruction by a developer. The coming-of-age plot may be familiar, but the inevitable Soviet collapse and its impact on the families' lives are consistently engaging. Emelin captures so much of the environment and the four young characters that listeners will feel the cold Moscow air, taste the borscht, and experience the rising tension.
Pub Date: March 15, 2022
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593504970
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this fascinating coming-of-age portrait, Thomas Black Bull's journey from the child, Bear's Brother, to the fearsome rodeo rider, Killer Tom Black, is painted with compassion and insight. Forced to learn the White Man's ways, Tom reaches adulthood consumed by rage. Read with great vigor by Norman Dietz, the recording bursts with the energy of rodeo circuit and transports the listener to the southwest. The accurate portrayal of Tom's Ute ancestry and way of life, the sorrow and frustration of losing his heritage, and his angry retaliation at the world make this an excellent listening choice for adults and teenagers. It would also be a wonderful addition to high school units on the Native American experience.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
George S. Irving adopts Patrick McManus's characters with gusto. Sit back and listen to yarn after yarn. Irving relishes each story, whether it's fishing stories, such as "Claw of the Sea-Puss" or "To Filet or Not to Filet," or the escapades with McManus's wary but vulnerable neighbors. Irving has the jocular chuckle down pat, and the low comedy satire comes off without a hitch. Listeners can imagine Irving tipping back a chair at the country store swapping lies with cronies and entertaining any comers with these hilarious tales. His repertoire of more than eight collections of McManus stories encourages this kind of ownership!
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: DH Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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