Family & Other Calamities

A Novel

De: Leslie Gray Streeter

Narrado por: Bahni Turpin

A successful journalist returns to her hometown just as her biggest mistake becomes headline news in this vibrant, funny, and heartfelt novel about facing the past, and its secrets, head-on.

Entertainment journalist Dawn Roberts has a lot to work through: a widow’s grief, betrayals of family and friends, and scandals that almost tanked her reputation. Not that Dawn dwells on the past. Well, hardly. When she returns to Baltimore with her husband’s ashes, she can’t avoid it. In fact, she’s diving into decades of backstabbing and treachery for her first trip home in years.

She’s looking at you, Joe Perkins. Her former mentor, whose explosive exposé about big-city corruption is being turned into a slanderous movie, is also back in town. The villain of the piece? Dawn. The good news is that this could all be a chance to reset—heal family wounds, admit to her own mistakes, and maybe even reconnect with the one who got away. Oh, and get even with Joe any way she can.

With the surprising help of an up-and-coming journalist and a legendary R & B diva, Dawn will finally set the record straight. Returning home might just be the biggest story in Dawn’s life, a fresh start—and happy ending—she never expected.

©2025 by Leslie Gray Streeter. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Bahni Turpin portrays a cast of colorful characters in this story about family, loss, and a decades-old betrayal.… Turpin's performance is beautifully layered, providing a unique timbre and cadence for each character and adding scoffs and laughter that fully enrich the listening experience. From no-nonsense mothers to feuding sisters, Turpin plays the parts perfectly.”—AudioFile Magazine

“[A] romp that plumbs emotional depths of family ties and what we sacrifice to follow our dreams. Streeter’s debut novel is a winner.”—Booklist

“Emotionally engaging, comedic, and resonating. Told by an author with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven storytelling style that keeps the reader interested from start to finish, Family & Other Calamities is especially and unreservedly recommended as a top pick…”—Midwest Book Review

Laugh out loud funny

Book was funny and had a great story line. A wonderful feel good listen. Highly recommend!!

The occasional humor and some obscure pop references.

The reader's timing was off which made the story seem glitchy making it difficult to keep with the flow of the story.

Great listen

I listened to this story over a weekend. It was a fun, interesting low-key family mystery. As a Baltimore native I appreciated the honesty-town detail. Ending was fantastic. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a well thought out light listen.

2 stars

Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter was not for me. I don’t know if it wasn’t clearly described or was only explained once, but I didn’t understand the significance of the story Joe stole from Dawn, nor what exactly her sister Tonya was whistleblowing about. Because of this, I didn’t care about Dawn or the outcome, especially given how bitter she is toward everyone. I hated that she repeatedly mentioned being in therapy, because it’s clear that whatever therapist has been helping Dawn (and/or the author) is not doing their job. Lastly, the ending scene where everything comes out is too neat and unrealistic.

Bahni Turpin is a great narrator with a lot of range. I feel like she really brought the characters to life.