Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Luis Alberto Urrea
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
Luis Alberto Urrea narrates his own tribute to the women who drove donuts to D-Day — and somehow that makes it hit harder than it has any right to.
- Great if you want: WWII fiction centered on women's courage and unbreakable friendship
- Listening experience: emotionally sweeping, builds slowly then devastates in the final act
- Narration: Kreinik carries Irene with warmth; Urrea reading his own prose adds rare intimacy
- Skip if: you want plot-driven action over character and atmosphere
About This Audiobook
Set in the chaos of World War II Europe, the novel follows Irene Woodward, a young New Yorker who trades a dangerous home life for an unlikely form of service: driving a Red Cross Clubmobile to the front lines. Alongside her steadfast friend Dorothy, she belongs to a small, overlooked corps of women known as Donut Dollies, delivering warmth and humanity to soldiers who may be hours from battle. Inspired by the author's own mother, the story moves through some of the war's most harrowing theaters, braiding friendship, love, and survival into a single urgent question.
The dual narration is the audio edition's greatest asset. Barrie Kreinik brings careful emotional range to Irene's arc, grounding each shift from hope to dread with quiet authority. Luis Alberto Urrea narrates as well, and his presence adds a layer of personal testimony that deepens the material considerably. His lyrical prose, built for reading aloud, fills the 13-hour runtime with a sustained, almost cinematic pull.