Listen to women take on the world in September鈥檚 best audiobooks
This month, check out a modern, gothic thriller; mini-biographies from displaced young people; a poignant, multigenerational tale of female Korean divers; and a fact-based novel detailing the making of 鈥淭he Wizard of Oz.鈥�
鈥淭he Island of Sea Women鈥� by聽Lisa See
Read by Jennifer Lim; Simon & Schuster Audio; 13 hours and 30 minutes
This multigenerational tale of women living on an island off the coast of Korea details a world in which women have power and authority and work hard as deep-sea divers. Two women and their friendship are at the heart of a tale in which war and disruption, including American occupation, destroy some lives and alter others. Jennifer Lim sounds a bit perfunctory at times, but for the most part is an appropriate narrator who understands the correct pronunciation of local names and locales. The novel is a beautifully written, sublime piece of fiction; the narration is a near miss. Grade: A-
鈥淲e Are Displaced:聽My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World鈥� by聽Malala Yousafzai
Read by Neela Vaswani, Deepti Gupta,聽and Malala Yousafzai;聽Hachette Audio; four hours
Narration is a problem for this otherwise excellent young adult collection of mini-biographies introduced by and featuring Malala Yousafzai. She details her own harrowing account before handing the reins over to nine other displaced people 鈥� mostly girls and women 鈥� whose lives were disrupted by war and terrorism. The stories are compelling and Malala聽is an excellent narrator 鈥� her diction is clear, her voice almost lyrical, and her pacing and polish belie her age. However, many of the stories are read by Deepti Gupta, who does not have a pleasing voice and whose various accents are a distraction. Otherwise this is powerful and poignant.聽Grade: B+
鈥淭he Turn of the Key鈥� by Ruth Ware
Read by Imogen Church;聽Simon & Schuster Audio; 12 hours
Ruth Ware is good at writing creepy tales and this novel about a nanny moving into an apparently haunted smart house takes a gothic trope and modernizes it. Even better is an ending that you won鈥檛 see coming and that reframes everything you鈥檝e just heard. Narrator Imogen Church underscores the story鈥檚 eeriness, as she sounds appropriately young and energetic, easily conveying fright and desperation. This isn鈥檛 Ware鈥檚 best as it plods along in spots, but is still a lot of fun on a crisp autumn evening. Grade: B
鈥淔inding Dorothy鈥� by聽Elizabeth Letts
Read by Ann Marie Lee and Elizabeth Letts;聽Random House Audio; 14 hours
This historical fiction explores the factual backdrop for the world created by L. Frank Baum, as told through the eyes of his wife, the forward-thinking suffragette Maud Gage Baum. At times the writing is a bit simplistic and overwrought, but for the most part this is an intriguing and entertaining diversion. Narrator Ann Marie Lee could have been reined in a bit, as she does the story no favors by emoting. She should have let the story speak for itself. Grade: B
