Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk Audiobook By Kathleen Rooney cover art

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

A Novel

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

By: Kathleen Rooney
Narrated by: Xe Sands
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.99

Buy for $14.99

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Library Journal Editors' Pick

It's the last day of 1984, and 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish is about to take a walk. As she traverses a grittier Manhattan, a city anxious after an attack by a still-at-large subway vigilante, she encounters bartenders, bodega clerks, chauffeurs, security guards, bohemians, criminals, children, parents, and parents to be in surprising moments of generosity and grace. While she strolls Lillian recalls a long and eventful life that included a brief reign as the highest paid advertising woman in America - a career cut short by marriage, motherhood, divorce, and a breakdown.

A love letter to city life - however shiny or sleazy - 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.

©2016 Kathleen Rooney (P)2017 Macmillan Audio
Biographical Fiction City Life Crime Fiction Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Vigilante justice Women's Fiction City Feel-Good
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Between author Rooney's story and narrator Xe Sands's craftsmanship, this Walk will sweep listeners off their feet. Sands captures the essence of 80-year-old Lillian Boxfish, who is modeled after groundbreaking advertising icon Margaret Fishback, a former Macy's copywriter and poet.... 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." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    694
  • 4 Stars
    292
  • 3 Stars
    132
  • 2 Stars
    46
  • 1 Stars
    46
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    714
  • 4 Stars
    187
  • 3 Stars
    73
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    47
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    634
  • 4 Stars
    237
  • 3 Stars
    105
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    39

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed unique perspective and telling

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous story

Love how this book romanticized Manhattan in the early 20th century through the eyes of a woman whose mirror no longer reflects the youth her spirit beholds.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator

I found the narrators voice to be ingratiating. At one point I decided to stop listening but was drawn back by the storyline.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book!

When my friend recommended this book I was hesitant. Even the start was just a little slower paced than I’m used to. But, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this story! The reader was as excellent as the story! Take the time and indulge yourself on this story of a great lady!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazingly well written

If you enjoy intelligent writing and stories you'll enjoy this book. It's not a thriller, yet the highly well-spoken heroine was thrilling to listen to. Every time she uttered the perfect comeback to a rude, jealous or unthoughtful person I found myself wishing I had that ability. Every time she engage with a stranger and brought out their essence, I was amazed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A delight from beginning to end!

I found the story very engaging with superb narration! I listened to it on my way to and from work and sat in the car until the end of the chapter. If you enjoy character driven books, and especially ones based on real people, I think you will love this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful