Arundhati Roy's moving performance illuminates her tumultuous experience of being raised in India by her fierce mother, Mary Roy, whom she refers to as "Mrs. Roy." Narrator Roy delivers her memoir in a calm, yielding voice that intensifies the hardships she overcame. Her mother worked miracles at her private school in Kerala, turning boys into gentlemen and teaching girls to resist a culture that sought to control women through fear. But at home, she raged against both Arundhati and her older brother. Moments of quiet humor and an absence of self-pity add to the richness of Roy's account of the obstacles and opportunities that shaped her life and her writing. This haunting and tender memoir is an insightful exploration of a mother-daughter relationship and India's culture.
Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668132678
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
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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