Barbara Blakely Marx Sinatra, a divorced single mother, became Frank Sinatra’s final and most enduring marriage partner. Her memoir is a loving, intimate appreciation of their multifaceted life together. Narrator Lorna Raver inhabits this “woman of a certain age” and is aptly cast with her capable, if somewhat nasal, performance. Raver‘s straightforward narration allows opinions and reactions to be strictly those of the listener. The content is largely a coquettish and spoiled account of a life of great privilege. The incessant name-dropping, sometimes listing dozens of celebrated people attending a single event, is tiresome. But the author deals candidly with her destitute early life and marriages ending in divorce. Sinatra fans will enjoy the behind-the-scenes glimpses.
Pub Date: May 31, 2011
Duration: 14 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780307747334
Publisher: Random House 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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