Voice actors Edoardo Ballerini and Julia Whelan ship beautiful performances within the audiobook for The Angel of Rome and Other Stories (8 hours), Jess Walter’s gratifying assortment of vignettes about human connection and the twists of religion and destiny.
Ballerini is masterful and managed in his portrayal of atypical individuals who expertise one thing extraordinary. In “Fran’s Friend Has Cancer,” his skilled pacing balances humor and darkness as Max bickers together with his spouse and realizes that an eavesdropper is recording their dialog. In the title story, Ballerini brings out 21-year-old Jack’s reluctance to review Latin in Rome—till the younger man stumbles upon a better trigger, the actor Angelina Amadio.
Whelan’s crisp narration takes on humorous undertones in “Famous Actor” to painting an astute lady observing the absurdities of a self-absorbed actor. And in “Mr. Voice,” Whelan highlights the vulnerabilities of a lady raised by a stepfather who’s recognized for his common radio persona, however whose massive coronary heart issues most on the finish of the day.
Ballerini and Whelan infuse these partaking tales with heat and shock, making The Angel of Rome an excellent audiobook for readers who loved Flights by Olga Tokarczuk and Exhalation by Ted Chiang.
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