Carly Simon exuberantly narrates her memoir, which reads like a history of rock and roll from the 1970s onward. Simon's warm and personal style sounds as if she's telling her story directly to each listener. She confidingly begins with her privileged but troubled childhood--recounting her parents' unhappy marriage, her molestation, her stutter and shyness, and more. Music--her own and others'--adds a magical energy. Her understated anecdotes of encounters with the biggest names in music keep her from sounding boastful. Most moving and interesting is her depiction of her marriage to James Taylor, where the book ends. Her pain over their divorce is still apparent. An upbeat-sounding epilogue brings things to the present, but music lovers will want her to fill in the gaps of her fascinating life.
Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2015
Duration: 13 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427271990
Publisher: Macmillan 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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