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Selected Shorts: Travel Tales
Winner of AudioFile Magazine's Earphones Award for Exceptional Audio Performance
Hilarity, suspense, and high drama are offered up in the mix of tales of travel to locales familiar and exotic found on this three-CD compilation from National Public Radio's Selected Shorts. An award-winning series of classic and contemporary short fiction, the selections are read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City. Join a father and son on a sailing voyage that goes dangerously awry or retreat to a country estate with the most eccentric hosts imaginable. Featured are stories written by Nadine Gordimer, Joan Didion, and Ring Lardner, among others, and read by such actors as Joanne Woodward and Bradley Whitford.
Audible Audio
First published April 1, 2007
32 people want to read
About the author
N.M. Kelby
11 books89 followersDr. Nicole Mary Kelby is the critically acclaimed international author of seven novels including THE PINK SUIT, WHITE TRUFFLES IN WINTER and the New York Times bestseller IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards including a Bush Artist Fellowship in Literature, Florida Book Award, and both the Florida and Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship. She is toured and translated worldwide. Her forthcoming novel, A SMALL HISTORY OF THE KNOWN WORLD, is based on the lives of Mark Twain and his epileptic daughter Jean. Set the day before Christmas Eve, throughout the course of a meal, these two broken mercurial creatures inch towards love, disaster, and the tragic secret of the angels of Venice. Kelby lives with Irish sculptor Alan Milligan. With their wee dog in tow, they divide their time between their two countries.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 11, 2019
Great bunch of stories.
November 21, 2022
I love to listen to long short stories--30-40 minutes. What stands out in this collection is Joanne Woodward's narration. I hope she has done more than just this one.
July 7, 2023
“The Selected Shorts: Travel Tales” audiobook is a captivating collection of stories that takes listeners on an unforgettable journey filled with emotion, wit, and powerful narration. Each story offers a unique perspective on travel and the human experience, leaving a lasting impression on the listener.
M.N. Kelby's "Jubilation, Florida," read by Joanne Woodward, kicks off the collection with a delightful blend of humor and sadness. Kelby's storytelling expertise shines through, creating a funny and poignant narrative. Joanne Woodward's narration enhances the story's impact, breathing life into the characters and making their struggles and triumphs even more relatable. It's a true standout in the collection, deserving its 5-star rating.
Max Steele's "The Hat of My Mother," read by Paul Hecht, is another gem that showcases clever storytelling. This story weaves humor into its narrative, captivating the listener with wit and charm. Paul Hecht's narration adds an extra layer of enjoyment, bringing the characters to life with his dynamic performance. It's a delightful addition to the audiobook, deserving of its 5-star rating.
Nadine Gordimer's "The Ultimate Safari," read by Myra Lucretia Taylor, is a powerful story that delves into deeper emotional territories. It portrays the human condition in a thought-provoking way, and Myra Lucretia Taylor's narration does justice to the story's weighty themes. The combination of Gordimer's poignant writing and Taylor's compelling delivery earns this story a well-deserved rating of 4.5 stars.
Joan Didion's "Goodbye to All That," read by Mia Dillon, offers a reflective exploration of personal experiences and growth. While it may not have stood out to me as firmly as some of the other stories, it still carries a sense of poignancy and depth. Mia Dillon's narration adds a touch of intimacy, bringing Didion's words to life. This story earns a solid rating of 4.0 stars.
Jason Brown's "Afternoon of the Sassanoa," read by Bradley Whitford, is a powerful father-son tale with vivid imagery and emotional impact. Brown's storytelling draws listeners into the complex dynamics between the characters, and Bradley Whitford's narration adds an extra layer of intensity. It's a story that lingers in the mind long after it ends, deserving of its 5-star rating.
Ring Lardner's "Liberty Hall," read by Christina Pickles, offers a humorous tale with a touch of repetition. While the humor shines through, the repetitive nature of the joke may slightly diminish its impact. Nevertheless, Christina Pickles' narration brings the characters to life with her comedic timing. It earns a rating of 3.5 stars, providing a lighter touch within the collection.
Overall, the “Selected Shorts: Travel Tales” audiobook is a fantastic compilation that showcases a diverse range of storytelling. From the funny and clever to the sad and powerful, each story captivates. The narrators, including the remarkable Joanne Woodward, Paul Hecht, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Mia Dillon, Bradley Whitford, and Christina Pickles, breathe life into these narratives, making them come alive. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or an armchair explorer, this audiobook is a delightful companion that will transport you to different worlds and evoke a range of emotions. Highly recommended for those seeking an immersive and rewarding listening experience.
4.5 Stars rounded up
M.N. Kelby's "Jubilation, Florida," read by Joanne Woodward, kicks off the collection with a delightful blend of humor and sadness. Kelby's storytelling expertise shines through, creating a funny and poignant narrative. Joanne Woodward's narration enhances the story's impact, breathing life into the characters and making their struggles and triumphs even more relatable. It's a true standout in the collection, deserving its 5-star rating.
Max Steele's "The Hat of My Mother," read by Paul Hecht, is another gem that showcases clever storytelling. This story weaves humor into its narrative, captivating the listener with wit and charm. Paul Hecht's narration adds an extra layer of enjoyment, bringing the characters to life with his dynamic performance. It's a delightful addition to the audiobook, deserving of its 5-star rating.
Nadine Gordimer's "The Ultimate Safari," read by Myra Lucretia Taylor, is a powerful story that delves into deeper emotional territories. It portrays the human condition in a thought-provoking way, and Myra Lucretia Taylor's narration does justice to the story's weighty themes. The combination of Gordimer's poignant writing and Taylor's compelling delivery earns this story a well-deserved rating of 4.5 stars.
Joan Didion's "Goodbye to All That," read by Mia Dillon, offers a reflective exploration of personal experiences and growth. While it may not have stood out to me as firmly as some of the other stories, it still carries a sense of poignancy and depth. Mia Dillon's narration adds a touch of intimacy, bringing Didion's words to life. This story earns a solid rating of 4.0 stars.
Jason Brown's "Afternoon of the Sassanoa," read by Bradley Whitford, is a powerful father-son tale with vivid imagery and emotional impact. Brown's storytelling draws listeners into the complex dynamics between the characters, and Bradley Whitford's narration adds an extra layer of intensity. It's a story that lingers in the mind long after it ends, deserving of its 5-star rating.
Ring Lardner's "Liberty Hall," read by Christina Pickles, offers a humorous tale with a touch of repetition. While the humor shines through, the repetitive nature of the joke may slightly diminish its impact. Nevertheless, Christina Pickles' narration brings the characters to life with her comedic timing. It earns a rating of 3.5 stars, providing a lighter touch within the collection.
Overall, the “Selected Shorts: Travel Tales” audiobook is a fantastic compilation that showcases a diverse range of storytelling. From the funny and clever to the sad and powerful, each story captivates. The narrators, including the remarkable Joanne Woodward, Paul Hecht, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Mia Dillon, Bradley Whitford, and Christina Pickles, breathe life into these narratives, making them come alive. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or an armchair explorer, this audiobook is a delightful companion that will transport you to different worlds and evoke a range of emotions. Highly recommended for those seeking an immersive and rewarding listening experience.
4.5 Stars rounded up
February 12, 2024
This is a collection of short stories read aloud in front of an audience. The theme is travel, but this must be rather abstractly conceived, as some of the stories have little to do with travel. Still, the collection has some decent tales, even if they are rather uneven.
“Jubilation, Florida” is a funny-ish tale of an oldish man and woman who hook up in the town of Jubilation, Florida, coming to turns with their age and their betrayal of their spouses.
“The Hat of My Mother” is a story about a buttoned-down mother from the 1930’s who goes to buy a hat and ends up through a series of misadventures, being forced to leave the hat on the body of a dead woman and attend her funeral.
“The Ultimate Safari” is about a young African girl whose parents are murdered in violence in Mozambique and who has to flee with her grandparents across Kruger National Park, avoiding the megafauna that lots of white people are coming there to see.
“Goodbye to All That” is Joan Dideon’s lovely story about finding herself in New York City when she was young and living the town for everything it is worth because she did not feel moored there. But then, she gets married and living in New York, as someone no long addled with a sense of youth, did not feel right, so she jets off to LA.
“Afternoon of the Sassanoa” is about a boy who goes with his father on a sailing trip, and through his father’s stupidity, nearly dies. It is a tale of maturing and seeing the stupidity of parents and the dangers they can put one in.
“Liberty Hall” is about a composer who refuses invitations because he does not like the conditions around which inviters inevitably place on him, and how he gets roped into giving in to the invite of the ultimate condition-placer.
“Jubilation, Florida” is a funny-ish tale of an oldish man and woman who hook up in the town of Jubilation, Florida, coming to turns with their age and their betrayal of their spouses.
“The Hat of My Mother” is a story about a buttoned-down mother from the 1930’s who goes to buy a hat and ends up through a series of misadventures, being forced to leave the hat on the body of a dead woman and attend her funeral.
“The Ultimate Safari” is about a young African girl whose parents are murdered in violence in Mozambique and who has to flee with her grandparents across Kruger National Park, avoiding the megafauna that lots of white people are coming there to see.
“Goodbye to All That” is Joan Dideon’s lovely story about finding herself in New York City when she was young and living the town for everything it is worth because she did not feel moored there. But then, she gets married and living in New York, as someone no long addled with a sense of youth, did not feel right, so she jets off to LA.
“Afternoon of the Sassanoa” is about a boy who goes with his father on a sailing trip, and through his father’s stupidity, nearly dies. It is a tale of maturing and seeing the stupidity of parents and the dangers they can put one in.
“Liberty Hall” is about a composer who refuses invitations because he does not like the conditions around which inviters inevitably place on him, and how he gets roped into giving in to the invite of the ultimate condition-placer.
May 9, 2019
I think calling the collection "Travel Tales" is a bit of a misnomer, since none of the stories fit my definition of travel writing, but they were still interesting. Some stories (like "The Hat of My Mother") were great, and others were just so-so.
June 28, 2016
A collection of six short stories read live by celebrity narrators. Two I really enjoyed: "The Hat of My Mother" by Max Steele read by Paul Hecht and "Liberty Hall" by Ring Lardner read by Christina Pickles. Two were okay, and two just didn't hold my attention. All the narrators were quite good. They note one was read at the Westport Playhouse, I assume it's "Jubilation" by N.M. Kelby read by Joanne Woodward.
October 29, 2010
This audio collection of 6 short stories is a mixed bag. “Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion is my favorite. It gets 5 stars, and a recommendation to all New Yorkers. “The Afternoon of the Sassanoa” by Jason Brown gets 4 stars. “Liberty Hall” by Ring Lardner get 3 stars. Only 2 stars for the rest.
February 21, 2010
Selected Shorts is a fine NPR series of skillful readers acting fine short stories. Don't miss Joanne Woodward's narration!
August 24, 2010
Skip the first story, but the rest are NPR's finest.
Read
August 9, 2011an excellent book to listen to while driving and an added treat to have so many great readers on the CD
August 30, 2011
Enjoyed these short stories or some I would even categorize as essays. Creative fiction and some non-fiction follow the type of writing I have been experimenting with.
November 16, 2011
Six beautiful short stories. They are presumably all about "travel", but I think that was a stretch.
April 30, 2013
One story in particular stood out for me, "The Hat of my Mother."
January 3, 2015
Joan Didion's story is simply exquisite. Sigh.
Read
June 1, 2015I love short stories. This collection is amazingly good, each reader fabulous and each story well written. Now to find out if there are more of this ilk.
July 6, 2016
The Selected Shorts are always good company in the car, they work very well for short trips esp.
March 30, 2017
In which six short stories are read aloud (one of which I skipped after the first few sentences).
The ones I listened to were diverse, taking me to places and times I would never have otherwise been.
The ones I listened to were diverse, taking me to places and times I would never have otherwise been.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews