Narrator Richa Moorjani energetically portrays 29-year-old Niki, who books a last-minute flight to India for her friend's wedding after realizing that being practical hasn't gotten her anywhere. Trying to be "sensible," she became an analyst instead of a musician. But a lot of good that did her--now she's been laid off. Niki embraces her Indian roots while celebrating Diwali and her friend's marriage. When she meets Sam, a musician, they connect instantly. As her trip home nears, Niki must decide between returning to her old life or forging a bold new path. The sharp interrogative tone of a judgmental auntie contrasts with the soft, motherly voice of a caring one. Both characters display Moorjani's range. The drawn-out enunciation of a Punjabi word as Niki learns it exemplifies her feeling of being a fish out of water while on her journey.
Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593456569
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After her divorce, Roberta Jewett, with her three daughters, returns to Camden, Maine, to start a new life. Such an independent move in 1916 brings difficulties with her mother, her in-laws and the townspeople. Dukes's performance, while skillful, sometimes suffer in scenes of emotional content. His pace slows, and his reading acquires the peculiar emphasis of someone trying to get instructions across to a non-English-speaking person. The effect is disturbingly laughable. When he resumes his normal pace, the story revives and personalities emerge again, but the awkwardness remains as an odd interruption to Spencer's drama of pain and love, dispelling Dukes's carefully constructed characterizations.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A young Southern woman marries into an aristocratic Boston family and spends her summers at a vacation community on the Maine coast. Heavy-handed abridgment reduces this novel to an outline which denies the listener any character development. Judith Ivey offers stereotypical dialects which are discordant to a New Englander's ear. In her interpretation the Down East Mainers speak like thugs in raspy voices. Her presentation of a Boston accent is phonetically erratic and also spoken in gruff tones. The color and flavor of Maine are missing from this tasteless rendition.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
