In the Irish town of Carn, near the Northern Ireland border, lonely women search for greater meaning and dependable love in the angry ethos of their violent, tribal, misogynistic world. Donal Donnelly sings a strange lullaby of grief in lovely Irish rhythms, tones and textures, which remind the listener of the mellifluous prose sounds of James Joyce himself. (Donnelly is the inspired interpreter of Recorded Books's acclaimed unabridged ULYSSES.) The pace is slow. Not a syllable is missed; every word is a song of its own. When Donnelly simply says the names of Sadie Rooney and Josie Keenan, we hear his sympathy and start to flesh out their existence through his deep understanding. Since Donnelly's artistry makes the book better in performance than it could ever be in print, silent readers will be left far behind. P.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1997
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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