Renata Friedman narrates this messy, smart, and bighearted debut with a beautifully light touch. The story follows three women caught up in the complicated task of redefining family for themselves: Reese, a trans woman who let go of her dream of motherhood when her relationship imploded; Ames, Reese's ex, who is now living as a man, and Katrina, Ames's girlfriend. These characters are wonderfully, imperfectly human, and Friedman captures every nuance of their shifting emotions as they navigate desire, heartbreak, love, and parenthood. Her thoughtful narration, filled with humor and longing in equal measure, elevates this remarkable novel into something extraordinary. This audiobook illuminates the beating heart of modern queer and trans life; it's one you're not going to want to miss.
Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593289488
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: yesterday
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: yesterday
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: yesterday
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