In Mary Jones's debut short story collection, narrator Suzanne Freeman embraces her vocal task simply, her careful diction allowing each story to shine. Each brief work deals with the universal experiences of separation, departure, loss, or abandonment. The wide variety of stories varies in length--with some just a few minutes long, some many minutes more--and each is instantly absorbing. The title story, the last in the collection, is a beautiful rendering of a final goodbye. This is a broad selection for those who like stories. Jones is an author to watch, and Freeman a narrator to seek out as well.
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781958506653
Publisher: Zibby Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
These stories present extraordinary contemporary writing and create a rewarding listening experience.
Novelist Orange has selected a scintillating collection of stories that are thought provoking and well crafted. Among the many pleasures is how well the narrators have been paired with the short stories. Lee Osorio and Ines del Castillo capture the style and tone of the letter-writing father and daughter in Noel Quinones’ “This Time and the Next”; Peter Ganim inhabits the two very different narrators of Kevin Wilson’s insightful “All Stories” and William Pei Shih’s sendup of musical pretention in “The Masterclass”; Jen Zhao performs Guka Han’s haunting “Earshot” sensitively and eloquently.
These stories present extraordinary contemporary writing and create a rewarding listening experience.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217406777
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2026
An intriguing listen, with a narrator who aptly elevates the text’s thoughtful, seductive prose.
Narrator Victoria Villarreal breathes life into Mexican author Rivera Garza’s sweeping essay collection. Blending fiction and journalism, the stories explore travel alongside topics including gender, love, capitalism, and climate change. In one story, two women travel together while feeling threatened by the dangers men can pose. Another follows college students traveling from a rural area to the complicated metropolis of Mexico City. In “The Meaning of Rain,” a woman visits Belfast, Ireland, where she believes her former lover is from, and ponders the rain that once arrived punctually in Mexico City before climate change disrupted its patterns. Villarreal’s clear voice maintains tension, and she switches effortlessly between Spanish and English and among various characters.
An intriguing listen, with a narrator who aptly elevates the text’s thoughtful, seductive prose.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 33 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217405268
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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