• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2021 November #1
  *Starred Review* Award-winning narrator Edoardo Ballerini leads a stellar production of this beautifully written and absorbing story by the best-selling author of A Gentleman in Moscow (2016). Ballerini delivers a perfect performance with his versatile, silky voice, demonstrating that this latest gem from Towles is meant to be heard. Listeners follow 18-year-old Emmett Watson, who has just been released from a juvenile work farm in 1950s Nebraska. Emmett's plans to start anew in California with his eight-year-old brother, Billy, are derailed by fellow work-farm escapees who have stolen Emmett's car and money. The story is told from multiple points of view that change between third-person and first-person perspectives, which the narrators transition between seamlessly, creating different levels of intimacy for the listener. Ballerini masterfully brings to life Towles' complex characters, inviting listeners to explore their behavior and flaws while becoming emotionally invested. Of particular excellence is his rendition of Billy's innocence and intelligence. The other narrators, Marin Ireland and Dion Graham, provide spot-on portrayals of memorable supporting characters. Blending charm and heartbreak, this expansive and ambitious novel is one to savor. Fans of This Tender Land (2019), by William Kent Krueger, will find plenty to enjoy. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Amor Towles is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow. The two novels have collectively sold more than four million copies and have been translated into more than thirty languages. Towles lives  in Manhattan with his wife and two children.