CHANGO'S BEADS AND TWO-TONE SHOES

This eighth novel in Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy's Albany Cycle leaves familiar locales for 1957 Cuba. There freelance journalist Daniel Quinn meets his hero, Ernest Hemingway, and falls in love with a beautiful gunrunner. He's also introduced to the Santeria religion and Changó, a mythic warrior, and finds himself well placed for a world-changing revolution. But it’s not long before we’re back on familiar Albany turf. Kennedy’s own narration is like a lonesome jazz riff—raw and tender. His natural delivery avoids theatrics and proves comforting yet edgy. When he relates significant moments—Bobby Kennedy’s assassination, race riots, Albany politics—we know he’s been there. His representation of Quinn’s aging father, who dominates the second part of the book, is spot-on. A terrific listen! S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2011]