In many ways, this audiobook defies description. When Calhoun unearthed interview recordings that her father--NEW YORKER critic Peter Schjeldahl--had made years prior, she decided to use them herself to finish his intended biography of poet Frank O'Hara. What emerges here, though, is a memoir about O'Hara's presence in Calhoun's own identity and in her relationship with her father. Calhoun is a candid, no-frills narrator who gets the job done efficiently and without sentimentality. Lili Taylor and Josephine Brill inhabit supplemental roles that blend into Calhoun's tapestry. Using the medium well, the audiobook incorporates clips from the actual recordings, lending a sparkle of bohemian celebrity. Some clips are fascinating, and others are muffled or muddled with background noise. The result, though, is still solid, making this memoir a fascinating experience.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2022
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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