John Lee's warm, rounded narrative voice and convincing Indian accents color V.S. Naipaul's newest book--a sly reflection on class, caste, and colonialism disguised as a novel. Willie Somerset Chandran, the child of a miserable mixed marriage (an upper-caste father and a lower-caste mother), moves from India to London, not knowing what to do with his life. He discovers writing and (lightly drawn) sexual adventure, and finally, the love of a woman who at first seems as bad a match for him as his mother was for his father. But appearances can be deceiving. Lee reads Willie's lengthy musings beautifully, keeping us interested in the young man who is as mystified by himself as he is by the world. The only quibble is that despite Lee's repertoire of voices, it can occasionally be difficult to differentiate between male Indian characters engaged in conversation. But that's a small complaint in an otherwise excellent performance.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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