The first novel in the now classic Depford Trilogy is about a murder examined from multiple perspectives. This is a reissue of the CBC's dramatization, which was first published in1980 after its critically acclaimed broadcast throughout Canada. Writer/director Ron Hartman, one of the CBC's finest audio dramatists, remains faithful to Robertson Davies's original story and language, but the personality is all his. Whereas Davies is gentle and humane, however violent and cruel his characters and incidents, Hartman is theatrical and unsparing. Lucia Agostini's lush musical score heavily punctuates the action, increasing the sense of melodrama and telegraphing the humor of the comic scenes. Accepted on its own terms, this is an excellent production, well acted if you make allowances for the child actors, and richly produced. A classic of the CBCschool of radio theater.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 4 hrs
Publisher: CBC 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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