The Cartographers - Peng Shepherd

I think I was about eight or nine years old when I discovered the road atlas at the library. As we often drove a distance to see relatives, I was excited to see a hard copy of our route through the many towns on the way there. That led to finding and marking off the places I'd been. And I have to admit, I am still fascinated by paper maps and all the small places on the way to somewhere.

Peng Shepherd's new book, The Cartographers called to me...

"What is the purpose of a map? "The answer to that question is much more complicated than just 'directions'. Nell Young discovers that a vintage road map is much more than it seems to be at first glance.  And there are many people who want to get their hands on it. Oh, the premise is wonderful, opening up so many roads this plot could take! (And it most certainly had me thinking about maps in a different way)

Nell is a wonderful lead - strong, driven and determined. But she's also experienced great loss in many ways. The supporting characters are just as well drawn. There are quite a few, but each has a role to play. (I really liked Felix)

The book unfolds through a past and present timeline. The listener is alongside Nell as she put the pieces together. There's lots of action and much food for thought in regards to a map's purpose.

Family, love, loss, grief, friendship, betrayal and sacrifice all come into play alongside the murders, mystery - and magic of The Cartographers.

The Cartographers is read with a cast of narrators which I always appreciate. It makes it very easy to know what character is speaking. It also makes listening more 'real', more immersive, if you will, bringing the listener into the story. The narrators featured Emily Woo Zeller, Nancy Wu, Karen Chilton, Ron Butler, Neil Hellegers, Jason Culp and Brittany Pressley. Some of these readers were familiar to me, others were new. But they all did a wonderful job bringing Shepherd's work to life. Their voices absolutely suited the characters they were reading, creating clear mental picture of everyone. The speaking was clear, easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. The tenor of the story is illustrated with their voices. Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of The Cartographers.