Showing results by narrator "Allan Robertson" in All Categories

In this spellbinding novel, written in Albania and smuggled into France a few pages at a time in the 1980s, Ismail Kadare denounces with rare force the machinery of a dictatorial regime, drawing us back to the ancient roots of tyranny in Western Civilization. During the waning years of Communism, a young worker for the Albanian state-controlled media agency narrates the story of his ill-fated love for the daughter of a high-ranking official.

Slim's a Texas bluesman of a certain age, down on his luck, and just about broke - but hey, that's what the blues are all about. Then, one day, in a single hot burst of lightning that comes straight up out of the ground, Slim finds himself in Tejas. Not Texas, but somewhere else. It's a little bit magic and a whole lot different, but the blues are the same. And the blues - manifest here in the form of a maple-necked pearl-gray Fender Stratocaster with blue-chrome pickups a.k.a. The Gutbucket - needs him and needs him bad.

In America's heartland, Sam seeks justice for a black college student who's found dead in a car trunk at the drive-in, while thousands gather in the nation's capital for the March on Washington with civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

In these essays, written between 1954 and 1990, bestselling author Roger Kahn touches on locker-room controversies and politics, while inviting readers to share in the passion, grace, energy, and intense concentration involved in playing sports. Kahn pays warm tribute to his special heroes, Jackie Robinson, Roger Maris and Carl Furillo, along with those he particularly admired in the press box, John Lardner and Red Smith. Kahn also esteems football lineman Merlin Olsen, hockey goalie Glenn Hall, cager Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, outfielder Mickey Mantle, boxing promoter Don King, and Pete Rose.

A funny and touching story about how to deal with the struggles of adulthood, how to live a good life, and how money can complicate it all. Money Sucks is the culmination of those discussions, rumination on the haves and the have-nots and a frank, thought-provoking look at some of the toughest questions life throws our way: What makes us happy? How much is enough? Funny and inspiring in equal measures, it’s a must-listen for anyone who cares about the future of their children, grandchildren, and the friends and family they love.

A feud between two brothers, one rich and the other poor, has long-lasting consequences.

When Sadko sings and plays the dulcimer, a traditional string instrument, everyone - from the villagers to the Tzar of the Sea - is moved to dance. With patience and honesty, Sadko becomes a successful businessman and the most eligible bachelor in the country. Despite his success, Sadko remains faithful only to the "little river" by which he plays his dulcimer. When he encounters a maiden as beautiful as the river's shimmering waters, will he learn what it means to truly love?

Charlie and Charlize are at their wits' end trying to keep their unruly eight-year-old daughter, Charlene, under control. Just when they're beginning to think their hands couldn't possibly get any fuller, a bewildering encounter with a man in a restaurant leaves them tasked with taking care of a troll child. Ahern's story, full of humorous turns and familial insight, is a playful testament to the love of a parent - or a troll.

The Yapik village of Kingegan learns a valuable lesson in greed when Obok, a well-behaved boy, and Ootinna, the village troublemaker, stumble upon the Great Man of the North, the legendary giant who controls the seasons.

In this rollicking novel, 96-year-old ornithologist Luka Levadski foregoes treatment for lung cancer and moves from Ukraine to Vienna to make a grand exit in a luxury suite at the Hotel Imperial. He reflects on his past while indulging in Viennese cakes and savoring music in a gilded concert hall. Levadski was born in 1914, the same year that Martha - the last of the now-extinct passenger pigeons - died. Levadski himself has an acute sense of being the last of a species.

The stories that make up Ghosts of Yesterday create a detailed and realistic portrait of the world that, despite (and perhaps because of) their authenticity, manage to convey a sense of wonder and fantasy, where anything is possible. The characters and places that Cady brings to life demonstrate clearly why he is one of the most versatile and respected writers today.

In 2004, Argentina’s President, Nestor Kirchner, appointed Martín Redrado to lead their country’s Central Bank. It was the logical choice, considering that Harvard-educated and Wall Street-seasoned Redrado brought to the table an extensive knowledge of world economics. Redrado’s primary assignment as president was to provide monetary and financial stability to a country wrecked with cyclical breakups. In early 2010, Cristina Kirchner ordered the Central Bank to fund public spending and pay national debts. Martín Redrado refused.

Josh Cooper won Rookie of the Year in 1972 and was out of the majors by 1973, his pitching career ended by a sharp line drive up the middle. After moving back to his hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina, he has been pleasantly wasting his life for over three decades when a young woman shows up, claiming to be his daughter from one of many one-night stands. The Genie at Low Tide is a story of the mysterious, magical encounters that force us to re-examine our lives, even when we seem to have come to the end of the line.

The seventh game of the World Series is about to be played, and more than the world championship is at stake. A man’s destiny is on the line. Johnny Longboat, one of baseball’s greatest pitchers, is taking the mound for the New York Mohawks in what may be his final game. With millions of eyes upon him, only he is aware of the conflicts tormenting him. At 41, Johnny is a man trying to make sense of his past while fearing what the future could bring when his playing career ends.