Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

A Novel

By: Kathleen Rooney

Narrated by: Xe Sands

"Between author Rooney's story and narrator Xe Sands's craftsmanship, this Walk will sweep listeners off their feet...Through Sands we feel the force of Lillian's personality — with all its drive, wit, and grace — as well as the counterforces that want to constrain it." — AudioFile Magazine

NOW A NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER

A love letter to city life in all its guts and grandeur, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney paints a portrait of a remarkable woman across the canvas of a changing America: from the Jazz Age to the onset of the AIDS epidemic; the Great Depression to the birth of hip-hop.

“In my reckless and undiscouraged youth,” Lillian Boxfish writes, “I worked in a walnut-paneled office thirteen floors above West Thirty-Fifth Street…”

She took 1930s New York by storm, working her way up writing copy for R.H. Macy’s to become the highest paid advertising woman in the country. It was a job that, she says, “in some ways saved my life, and in other ways ruined it.”

Now it’s the last night of 1984 and Lillian, 85 years old but just as sharp and savvy as ever, is on her way to a party. It’s chilly enough out for her mink coat and Manhattan is grittier now—her son keeps warning her about a subway vigilante on the prowl—but the quick-tongued poetess has never been one to scare easily. On a walk that takes her over 10 miles around the city, she meets bartenders, bodega clerks, security guards, criminals, children, parents, and parents-to-be, while reviewing a life of excitement and adversity, passion and heartbreak, illuminating all the ways New York has changed—and has not.

Lillian figures she might as well take her time. For now, after all, the night is still young.

“Transporting…witty, poignant and sparkling.”
—People (People Picks Book of the Week)

Critic reviews

<p><b>2018 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration for Adult Listeners<br></b><br>"Between author Rooney's story and narrator Xe Sands's craftsmanship, this WALK will sweep listeners off their feet...Through Sands we feel the force of Lillian's personality--with all its drive, wit, and grace--as well as the counterforces that want to constrain it. A concluding interview explores why the performances of the most exemplary narrators are so seemingly effortless yet so compelling." -<i>AudioFile Magazine, </i><b>Earphones Award Winner</b><br><br>"Reader Xe Sands voices poignancy, old age, wit and youthful snark beautifully..." -<i>Library Journal, </i>starred review <br><br>"Narrator Sands depicts Lillian with an intelligent, worldly tone, keeping true to her cadence but alternating a scratchy, elderly voice in the present day with a lighter, younger-sounding voice in the memory flashbacks. ...Sands’ voice takes on the quality of a radio reader as she conveys the bits of poetry and advertising jingles,<br>adding humor and another layer of insight into Lillian’s character. Sands’ affectionate and expressive<br>performance perfectly matches both character and mood." -Booklist, starred review<br><br>"...[T]he audiobook is outstandingly read in a voice that's exactly what you'd expect from a feisty 85-year-old...Kathleen Rooney's Lillian is delightful. You'll remember her long after you've finished the book." -<i>Inside Jersey</i></p>

delightful stroll through new york

lillian boxfish is pure joy, and depicts a slice of new york through the 20th century that i will cherish for years to come. as a character she is singular and thought provoking and real. a wonderful book with exquisite writing and narration. i cannot recommend it highly enough.

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to in ages

The character, the narration, the setting NYC in 1984.... This book just pulled me in and did not want to let go. Felt as if I was walking along with Lillian.

Charming and brilliant career woman of the 40’s thru her 80’s

History and mystery woven together over the years. Fashion and culture changing significantly as Lillian surrenders her independence during the 40’s wartime. Sacrifices through years of Motherhood and Advertising success. Her strength and character endear her to the friends and acquaintances who also see her surrender to her weaknesses I found this book compelling and wonderful

Enjoyed unique perspective and telling

I enjoyed the telling of this story - the development of the character and the historical background. Well done.

Lillian takes a stroll down memory lane!

The year is 1984, Manhattan, New Year's Eve. As the last hours of the year elapse, 85 year-old Lillian Boxfish takes a 10-mile walk around the city, and brings us right along with her. While she encounters old acquaintances and makes new ones, she reminisces on her life, past and present. Observing the dramatic changes that have taken place in the place she has called home for more than 50 years brings a certain level of nostalgia and sadness.

It wasn't until after I finished the novel that I realize that Kathleen Rooney's inspiration for this character was a real person. Like her fictional counterpart, Margaret Fishback was a poet and copywriter for R.H. Macys during the 1930's, becoming highly successful in both roles.

As she makes her way through the streets of the city, our protagonist recalls her best moments: the publication of her first book, meeting Max (the man she eventually marries), giving birth to her son. And her challenges: struggling to adjust to married life, going through a severe bout of depression, her painful divorce, losing her best friend.

Watching a character grow old is so interesting because it underlines the fact that getting older doesn't erase the essence of who we are. That's why for me, experiencing Lillian's zest for life, her sense of curiosity and sharp mind, and seeing how consistent those traits remained throughout her life, was so very refreshing.

Rooney's writing is witty and illuminating and I admire her ability to write a novel so intimate that at times it almost reads like a memoir. To me Lillian Boxfish belongs in the canon of characters representing a generation of women that were so ahead of their times they were feminist icons before that was even a thing.

I became a fan of Xe Sans listening to her narration of Euphoria and The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty. After you've been listening to audiobooks for a while, you can tell when a narrator has done her homework and has prepared well to perform a story rather that just "read" it. I think Sans’s evocative, sultry voice was the perfect match for this novel. The conversation between the author and the narrator at the end of the audio, was a unexpected but wonderful bonus!