Catherine West’s generous trust fund allowance means that she’s never wanted for anything material. But, still single and childless at 43, she feels her life is incomplete until she meets William Stockton at an art gala. Narrator Cassandra Campbell voices Catherine with a slight Valley Girl cadence that emphasizes her immaturity and selfishness. As Catherine’s life with William begins to unravel, Campbell’s narration varies between tones of childish petulance and outright desperation, giving emotional heft to the novel’s many twists and red herrings. Her attention to character is excellent. With subtle vocal variations—from William’s formal delivery to the barely masked confusion of Catherine’s Alzheimer's-stricken mother—she clearly depicts the cast without becoming cartoonish. A delicious listen is buoyed by Campbell’s confident performance.
Pub Date: 2016
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780735208209
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: 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: 2017
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508234715
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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