News flash: Meryl Streep is a genius. I know this will come as a surprise to you. Performing the late, great Nora Ephron’s seriocomic novel HEARTBURN, Streep is so sensitive to nuance, so gifted at making every syllable tell, that even when she reads you a recipe, she can give emotional and funny topspin to the words “serves two.” (There are quite a few recipes in the book because the protagonist, Rachel, who is seven months pregnant when she discovers her husband is boffing their acquaintance Thelma Rice, is a food writer.) Streep, who also starred in the 1986 movie made from this novel, has a highly evolved take on Rachel and her wry, witty, self-deprecating voice, and every syllable is a pleasure. What a treat. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2014 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Life is full of the ups and downs of the relationships we have with those around us. Whether it’s family, friends or significant others, friction is to be expected, and there’s nothing better to bring these fractures to life than fiction. For fraught circumstances full of betrayal, love and loyalty, add these eight books to […]
Make ‘em laugh! That’s the straightforward goal of all the authors whose audiobooks we chose for this list. Novelists, humorists, podcasters, bloggers, stand-up comedians, satirists, celebrities, and even a celebrity’s assistant — they’re all working hard just to make us LOL. We guarantee your funny bone will be tickled. But don’t be surprised if these […]
The author of The Song of Achilles picks three favorites that have lingered in her imagination.
The author of “Barbara the Slut” talks with Nathan Englander — about the making of her boundary-pushing debut collection.
It may be too hot these days to cook, but foodies who usually turn toward a new cookbook and an evening in the kitchen can find solace in food-oriented novels instead. Here are eight works of fiction that are an escapist trip for both the heart and the stomach.