Each of the five narrators in this excellent audio production admirably embodies the character he or she portrays, and two are outstanding. Juliet Mills, in a voice that suggests age as well as determination, elicits both sympathy and disgust for Fatma, the spiteful 90-year-old Hanin family matriarch who longs for the simplicity of her childhood. John Lee’s measured baritone captures the infinite patience of the dwarf Recep, Fatma’s man Friday, whose clear-eyed acceptance of the old woman and her three grandchildren (as well as his own illegitimate niece and nephews), nonetheless, leaves him powerless to stop their self-destructive behavior. This recent translation of Pamuk’s novel, published in Turkish in 1983, unfolds largely through stream-of-consciousness and is admirably suited to audio.
Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2012
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780385368025
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This audiobook is initially daunting. Sixteen hours long and constructed of subtle—at times, even confusing—shifts in point of view, it may feel overwhelming in the first hour. But sticking with George Newbern’s narration and Gilbert’s prose yields great rewards. Newbern’s performance is funny, thoughtful, heartrending, and utterly engrossing. When the famous, now aging, author A.N. Dyer calls his distant sons to his side, Newbern is provided ample characters to animate, and he does so with perfect pacing and what seems like an innate understanding of the novel. He creates a rhythm that makes the changing perspectives easy to follow and Gilbert’s details accessible. & SONS is a perfect example of how a skilled narrator can make a good book even better.
Pub Date: July 23, 2013
Duration: 16 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780385359566
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Following multiple lives over six decades, this is a story of cultural shifts, the effects of racial prejudice, and family secrets. Joy Osmanski's narration is engaged and easy to listen to. There are times when her narration is uneven and character accents are inconsistent, but she moves the story along at an excellent pace. Will Damron capably narrates a few descriptive paragraphs at the beginning to set the scene. During the '50s, as bombs are explode in Nevada's deserts to entertain Las Vegas tourists, four sets of characters experience the destruction caused by prejudice and social upheaval in their lives. The author skillfully integrates the lives of vivid and realistic characters, bringing them to a satisfying and surprising denouement in the final chapters.
Pub Date: May 2, 2017
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508234715
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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