THE MOUNTAINS SING

Narrator Quyen Ngo transports listeners to Vietnam with this historical fiction debut chronicling a family’s struggles during the war. The audiobook begins with an all too familiar scene: Vietnamese people running for cover as the American military bombs Hanoi. Then, in two coinciding timelines, Huong and her grandmother, Dieu Lan, recount the survival stories of some members of their clan. Ngo’s able pacing immerses listeners in the realities of large-scale war, detailing the devastation and displacement it entails. However, her vocal characterizations are uncertain and the similar-sounding voices of grandmother and granddaughter can be perplexing. Nonetheless, Ngo’s performance in this intimate look at the Vietnam War is compelling. A.C. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]