FIVE STORIES

Five talented narrators knit together the stories of five children from different countries who settle in the same Lower East Side apartment building. Listeners meet Jenny Epstein, author Weinstein's grandmother, whose Russian Jewish family lived in the building in the 1910s and whose story is sensitively told by Eva Kaminsky. Successive generations include Italian American Anna Cozzi in the 1930s, warmly depicted by Carlotta Brentan; Dominican American José Marte in the 1960s, conveyed with delighted wonder by Robert Jimenez; Puerto Rican Maria Torres in the 1980s, animatedly portrayed by Desiree Rodriguez; and Wei Ye in the present day, whose lively curiosity is beautifully depicted by Albert M. Chan. The production is enhanced by original music, evocative sound effects, and Weinstein's heartfelt narration of her afterword. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2024]