Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
- Author: James McBride
- Narrator: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 12:21:40
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 08/08/2023
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- Genre: Fiction & Literature, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
It reminds me of a time when I was wandering the dusty streets of a small town in Portugal, the kind of place where every corner held a secret and every face told a story. That’s the feeling I got when I first pressed play on “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel” audiobook by James McBride, narrated by the soulful Dominic Hoffman. You can almost taste the grit of Chicken Hill, that ramshackle neighborhood in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side in 1972, their lives woven together by shared dreams and quiet struggles. McBride, with his masterly storytelling chops – honed through an MFA at Columbia and a life spent chasing hidden histories – drops us right into this world, and Hoffman’s voice carries us through like a trusted guide.
I’ve always been a sucker for stories that dig into the marrow of a place, and this one hit me square in the chest. It took me back to those evenings in Oaxaca, where I’d sit on a creaky porch listening to a grandmother spin tales of love and loss, her voice rising and falling like a song. That’s what this audiobook experience feels like – an oral history brought to life. The story unfolds like a slow-cooked meal, rich with the flavors of community, survival, and the kind of love that binds people together when the world tries to tear them apart. McBride, a National Geographic contributor and James Beard Award winner, knows how to season a narrative with vivid sensory details. You can hear the clatter of dishes in Chona Ludlow’s grocery store, smell the damp earth around that skeleton-filled well, and feel the weight of secrets pressing down on Chicken Hill.
The book kicks off with a mystery – a skeleton unearthed by workers digging a foundation. Who was it? How’d it get there? McBride doesn’t rush to answer. Instead, he introduces us to Moshe and Chona Ludlow, a Jewish couple running a theater and a grocery store, and Nate Timblin, a Black worker with his own quiet strength. Their lives intersect with a deaf orphan boy named Dodo, and the whole community rallies to protect him from the white establishment’s prying eyes. It’s a tale of margins – of people pushed to the edges of white, Christian America – and McBride’s empathetic lens, shaped by his anthropology background from NYU, makes every character feel real, flawed, and fiercely human.
What struck me most was how McBride balances the heavy with the hopeful. There’s heart-blistering pain here – racism, betrayal, loss – but also heart-healing moments of connection. It’s the kind of story that reminds us why we need novels like this, as Ron Charles from “The Washington Post” put it, to bound over differences and affirm love. McBride’s faith in humanity shines through, a thread he’s carried from “Deacon King Kong” and “The Good Lord Bird”. His writing is warm and engaging, pulling you in like a friend recounting a wild tale over coffee. The story’s atmosphere builds so naturally that by the time the truth about Chicken Hill unravels – hinting at the white establishment’s dirty hands – you’re fully invested.
Now, let’s talk about Dominic Hoffman’s narration, because this audiobook experience wouldn’t be the same without him. His voice is a revelation – deep, textured, and perfectly paced. He captures the down-to-earth grit of Chicken Hill’s residents while giving each character their own distinct flavor. When Chona speaks, you feel her fierce kindness; when Nate growls, you sense his guarded tenderness. It’s the kind of performance that echoes those Oaxacan evenings, where the teller’s voice was as crucial as the tale. The audio quality is crisp, clocking in at a hefty 12 hours and 21 minutes (0.515 days, if you’re counting), and every second is worth it. Penguin Audio did right by this one – no abridgments, just pure, unfiltered McBride.
That said, it’s not flawless. The sprawling cast can feel overwhelming at times, especially in audio form where you can’t flip back to check who’s who. I found myself rewinding once or twice to keep the threads straight. And while the slow burn is part of its charm, some listeners might crave a tighter pace. But these are small gripes in a work this vibrant. Compared to “Deacon King Kong”, it’s less rollicking but deeper in its emotional resonance – like trading a lively jig for a soulful ballad.
Who’s this for? Anyone who loves historical fiction with a literary soul, or anyone who craves a listening experience that feels like a journey. If you devoured “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead or savored the community vibes of “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” by Ayana Mathis, this’ll hit your sweet spot. And at $25 digitally, it’s a steal – though if you’re savvy, you might snag it as a free audiobook through a trial at audiobooks.com. That’s right, a free download could get you lost in Chicken Hill without spending a dime.
Listening to this, I couldn’t help but think of my drive through the Atacama Desert, “One Hundred Years of Solitude” pouring through my car speakers. McBride’s novel isn’t magical realism, but it has that same timeless pull – a story that feels both rooted in its moment and bigger than it. It’s left me reflecting on the hidden histories I’ve stumbled across in my travels, and how the best stories, like the best meals, linger long after the last bite.
Until our next adventure through pages and sound, stay curious,
Marcus Rivera
