The Black Bird of Chernobyl

De: Ann McMan

Narrado por: Christine Williams

Two-time Lambda Literary Award-winning author Ann McMan takes listeners inside the inner workings of the funeral home business as only she can in this remarkable and wholly unforgettable romantic comedy that proves life is for the living.

Everything about Lilah Stohler is dark: her clothes, her mood, and her outlook on life and death. That last part is important because Lilah’s father has just retired and left her in charge of Stohler’s Funeral Home. But Abel Stohler knows his daughter’s comfort level rests “downstairs”, so he hires one Sparkle Lee Sink to help Lilah manage the living part of the business of death.

Sparkle is everything that Lilah isn’t—an empathetic marketing whiz who is a true people person.

Lilah isn’t happy about this new arrangement, but when business starts booming because of Sparkle’s bright personality, delicious baked goods, and knack for funereal commerce, Lilah starts to think things might just work out. But joy is fleeting in the funeral home business, and Lilah’s world is turned upside down when an unwitting Instagram post featuring one of her moods goes viral—and now, sightings of “The Black Bird of Chernobyl” have become an obsession across the Instaverse.

Lilah knows that Sparkle needs to go, but before she can give her the send-off she deserves, Lilah must first find a way to deal with the inconvenient attraction she’s developed for the nemesis whose unconventional methods are single-handedly transforming the death trade—and possibly the Black Bird, herself.

©2024 Ann McMan (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

Clever Story!

Ann McMan never fails to entertain. Her cast of characters, often quirky yet good-hearted are a delight. The setting p, a mortuary/funeral home , would not normally seem a place of adventure, but this one is. Christine Williams, as always is genius in her narration. Get the book!

wonderful

This was a thought provoking novel that humor romance. and intreque. Once again Ms Mcman has written a story that reaches your soul and really makes you ponder life and death and the e8v8ents in between.

Sweet, funny, with a touch of tears

Sweet, funny, with a touch of tears. the Narrator was so good. highly recommend

Funny and sweet

This was a heartwarming story with a kooky cast of characters, excellent narration and many laugh out loud moments.

Awesome as usual

Ann McMan delivers. Interesting and heart warming story, full of humor, southern charm, and memorable characters.

More stories please!

This is quite the dynamic duo of writer and performer. Story opens the door to an opaque world and the characters show their humanity and humor.

Good balance of humor and sadness

Love her voice and play of characters. I listen to anything Ann writes and Christine narrates.

Another banger from the famous author

So here I am , smelling like DEET knowing I have to put up 1km more electric fencing for my spawns of Satan (known commonly as Sami mountain goats ) and not knowing how to get through it . And then I get a notification that this new book dropped . And as usual it does not disappointed me at all. Loving both Elvira mistress of the dark and Gay , Ask a mortician aka Caitlyn Doughty, wonderful quirky and deep storytelling , I love this book like all the others . Maybe even a little more because I moonlight as a night nurse in an elderly home. Keep it coming Famous Author ! Love from Saepmie ( Lappland)

McMan’s wit is at once refreshing and therapeutic

We’re living through some pretty fucked up times (yeah, I know, understatement), but Ann McMan might be the antidote to (at least some of) it. In a world led by idiocy and ignorance, McMan’s wit is at once refreshing and therapeutic.

Lilah Stohler is a lot more interested in death than she is in life. I mean, life sucks, right? As the new director of the family funeral home, she excels “downstairs”. To help with dealing with the living, her dad, just before leaving the business to his daughter, hired Sparkle Lee Sink, who, at least on the surface, is everything Lilah isn’t. She’s warm, she’s kind, she cares, and she bakes the most delicious ginger chews. Lilah hates her at first sight, obviously. Add to that undesired Instagram fame after a smartass teen dubs Lilah the Black Bird of Chernobyl and hard decisions regarding whether to sell or keep going, and a trip to the National Funeral Directors Associations in Las Vegas feels like the perfect break.

I am such a huge fan of Lilah Stohler. She’s intense, she’s clever, she wields the driest sense of humour like a shield, behind which she hides her fear of being loved, of being seen, as much as she hopes for it. And sure, I love Sparkle, but Sparkle’s easy to love. Lilah, however, is an acquired taste, and I love that McMan didn’t simply write her as misunderstood. She’s a lot mellower than she wants people to know, but she’s also not a complete stranger to bitchiness.

While The Black Bird of Chernobyl is a romance, and the Grumpy/Sunshine interactions are a lot of fun (that’s where the narration shines), my favourite parts include the beautifully-written secondary characters. From death’s delivery man Dash and his Ford Transit Van to the Freeman brothers (who aren’t brothers at all), from Rita Kitty, hairdresser to the dead, to Lilah’s family (including her younger sister Frankie, whom we met in The Big Tow), they’re all delightful. My absolute favourite, however, is Kay Stover, the funeral home business manager, who calls out Lilah on her BS while always having her back. All these relationships are infused with so much love, mixed with the best banter and sarcastic retorts.

Is it too much at times? Yes. Did I mind? Hell no. I needed the laughs, I needed the quips, I needed the smarts. And I needed the gentleness and the vulnerability Lilah had been fighting to ignore until she got wiser. My heart rejoiced in the warmth (despite one completely heartbreaking twist) and my brain in feeling its wheels in action.

If I believed in star ratings, I’d acknowledge that I’m probably slightly overrating this book, but since I don’t, I’ll overrate if I want to.

Video review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHEU2zCIa82/

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my website (and please get your books from the affiliation links!): Judeinthestars.com

Death Becomes Her

Ann McMan is the Queen of the Rom Com! Her quirky characters bring laughter and at time sentimentality to a touch subject like death. It shows their depth and 3 dimensional sides. Christine Williams is the perfect voice for all these characters and it’s a partnership I hope lasts a long time!