A strong cast of five narrators rewinds time and transports listeners to sparkling seascapes and the English countryside. These are previously unpublished short stories from decades past about the people and places that define home. There's a dreamy softness to most of the romantic tales, and narrator Jasmine Blackborow exemplifies this mood in "Skelmerton" with her tender-voiced portrayal of a woman falling in love. Narrator Ellie Heydon shines with the fast-paced, excited dialogue in "Anniversary," in which both a new and an old couple celebrate their relationships. Jilly Bond has the distinction of narrating the two stories containing the most conflict, which includes her portrayal of a conversation between a mother and daughter whose voices are thick with tears as they discuss marriage in "Ghosts of the Past."
Pub Date: July 27, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250802248
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Tóibín empathetically describes characters in extreme moments, and the narrators bring their experiences...
Melancholy hangs like a low cloud over these powerful stories of displacement, adjustment, and self-revelation. Both Derbhle Crotty and Darragh Shannon deliver nuanced and persuasive performances, giving structure and meaning to the often spare and restrained prose. Their Irish accents add music to the proceedings. Shannon offers rich characterizations, and Crotty's pacing is thoughtful; she gets inside the protagonist’s head especially well in the novella-length concluding piece, “The Catalan Girls.” That story follows three sisters who spend most of their lives in Argentina before returning home to Catalonia. Two of the most affecting stories, “Sleep” and the title story, provide different takes on loss.
Tóibín empathetically describes characters in extreme moments, and the narrators bring their experiences eloquently to life.Pub Date: March 31, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 29 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797104768
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
Unfortunately, Erdrich's narration of these stories misses the mark.
The 13 stories in Erdrich's collection combine the everyday and the surreal. In the title story, a girl goes to stay with her grandparents while her parents bring home a new baby. She watches her uncle Jurgen slaughter livestock and recalls “meeting” a Burmese python during a school presentation. In “Domain,” a woman seeks to exact revenge on her father in a corporate afterlife. Pallas Erdrich narrates the stories in a straightforward manner, without many flourishes. The performance feels disjointed, however, as if she’s not fully engaged with the text, which can make it challenging to follow the threads of the stories.
Unfortunately, Erdrich's narration of these stories misses the mark.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 34 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063375048
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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