The Penguin Lessons

Bill Nighy so completely becomes author Tom Michell that listeners may well forget they're not hearing these reminiscences of a young Brit in South America in the 1970s straight from the author himself. But Michell isn't the star of this book--that would be Juan Salvador, the Magellanic penguin Michell rescues and accidentally adopts. Juan Salvador is a larger-than-life bird and a fully realized character in his own right who unerringly charms everyone he comes into contact with. Listeners will be charmed, too. Nighy voices the penguin's occasional thoughts (yes, there's a bit of anthropomorphism at work here) and gives an accent to the Argentine locals. The story meanders, but it hardly matters. Your very own pet penguin is not included, but you'll wish it were. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine