Preview
  • Soundings

  • Journeys in the Company of Whales: A Memoir
  • By: Doreen Cunningham
  • Narrated by: Doreen Cunningham
  • Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (50 ratings)

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Soundings

By: Doreen Cunningham
Narrated by: Doreen Cunningham
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Publisher's summary

“A gorgeous journey…You will be glad you’ve joined her.” —Susan Orlean, author of On Animals and The Library Book

In this lyrical memoir of motherhood, love, and resilience that “captures rarely observed natural places” (San Francisco Chronicle) a woman and her toddler son follow the grey whale migration from Mexico to northernmost Alaska.

In this “striking, brave[,] and often lyrical” (The Guardian) blend of nature writing, whale science, and memoir, Doreen Cunningham interweaves two stories: tracking the extraordinary northward migration of the grey whales with a mischievous toddler in tow and living with an Iñupiaq family in Alaska seven years earlier.

A story of courage and resilience, Soundings is about the migrating whales and all we can learn from them as they mother, adapt, and endure, their lives interrupted and threatened by global warming. It is also a riveting journey onto the Arctic Sea ice and into the changing world of Indigenous whale hunters, where Doreen becomes immersed in the ancient values of the Iñupiaq whale hunt and falls in love. Big-hearted, brave, and fearlessly honest, Soundings is an unforgettable journey.

©2022 Doreen Cunningham. All rights reserved (P)2022 Hachette Audio UK. All rights reserved.
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What listeners say about Soundings

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  • Overall
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Adventure

Being a biologist with some experience in the field with whales, I found the story relatable. It was fun to hear some familiar names from Barrow now Utqiagvik as well as other scientists.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Good book

Loved her observations of whales and their impact on her life. Also loved the way she took her son Max on her whale adventures.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Beautiful!

Having been an avid watcher of the gray whale migration along the coastline of California for many decades, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the beautiful story of the author's journey. What a remarkable first hand account with some interesting history and scientific information thrown in for good measure. This is one I will listen to again.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Soundings

The overarching theme of climate issues and the diminishing population of the water mammals carried the story. However the underlying love story stood out for me. The author talked about loving and not giving in to it but not if she was happy or at peace with her decision.

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7 people found this helpful

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Wonderful!

This title came up in my daily deals, and I’m so happy it did! I usually ignore them, but since it was about whales, I read the details. I thought this was a great memoir, and I loved learning more about whales and climate change. I would have loved an epilogue, but that’s not too major!

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Fantastic

This was a fantastic listen! ❤️❤️❤️ I loved Doreen travels and tribulations. I learned so much about the whales & the whale hunters in Alaska.

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5 people found this helpful

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Incredible Journey

This book takes you on an incredible journey. It reminds me of home in Alaska.

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Fabulous!

A truly engaging combination of personal memoir, natural history and climate commentary. Though I would have to just have to say… humpbacks are pretty engaging whales too..

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7 people found this helpful

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Great Story; Needs An Epilogue

This is a great story that sheds an important light on the ravages of climate change as well as a memoir about a life changed because of a quest. My only complaint is the lack of an epilogue in terms of Doreen’s life. Suddenly, at the end, she has more children and a seemingly stable life. After being with her as she struggled to set a course for herself and her son, we don’t know how she got to her current place or what that actually is. Still, I would definitely recommend this book. And now I want to visit Alaska more than ever - the only of the 50 states that I have not visited.

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15 people found this helpful

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Climate Change and the Whales

This memoir is excellent on so many levels. It was hard to put it down. Highly recommend listening to this magnificently written description of a mother and her son's journey to follow the gray whales. The author elegantly weaves facts about climate change into the story.

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10 people found this helpful