THE HUMMINGBIRD

Narrators Elyse Mirto and John H. Mayer add liveliness to Kiernan's moving story about healing and redemption. Deborah, an empathetic hospice nurse, is struggling with how to help her combat-wounded husband regain a foothold in their life together, while Barclay Reed, a discredited historian and curmudgeon, is struggling with how to die with dignity. Though the story is told from Deborah's perspective, Mirto's sensitive performance allows each character to grow in the listener's imagination. Her low, almost husky voice reveals a wide range of feeling, from competence to desperation, from passion to fear. At the end of each chapter, Mayer enters to narrate a second, related story. While the connection takes a few chapters to become clear, once it does, Mayer's baritone is a welcome addition. A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]