The Book Charmer

by Karen Hawkins
Published by Simon & Schuster
Contemporary Fiction, Multi-Cast Production

Three narrators team up to perform this sweet contemporary small-town story. Amanda Ronconi delivers the chapters that focus on local librarian Sarah, who is determined to save her Southern hometown, Dove Pond, from irreversible decline. Grace, portrayed by Tavia Gilbert, has temporarily relocated to the area in an effort to help her found family: an aging foster mother and an orphaned niece. Meanwhile, Sarah’s childhood friend, Travis, portrayed by Sebastian York, is struggling with PTSD while mourning the death of his father. The narrators’ performances balance the audiobook’s humor and romance with the story’s deeper issues of trust, loss, and friendship. Ronconi, Gilbert, and York build empathy for the characters’ struggles and personal journeys and invest listeners in the ultimate fate of Dove Pond.—AudioFile Magazine