Famed chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir glows with sincerity. Her story reveals the path that led her to create Prune, a revered New York City restaurant known for comfort food prepared to gourmet standards. As narrator, Hamilton perhaps understates the wild, courageous, and complex roots of her own life. After the breakup of her family, she had a brief bout of juvenile delinquency, followed by a few unmoored years of poverty as she roamed around Europe. A major part of her story is her accounts of the sacrifices and toil involved in opening a fledgling restaurant in Manhattan. She speaks steadily, firmly, and unemotionally. Her dry wit underscores her full life as it unfolds, and her passion for her artistry is crafted in high relief. The Culinary Institute of America, as well as famed chefs far and wide, recognizes Hamilton's expertise as an accomplished chef, and her memoir now captures high praise for her mastery of words.
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781415943748
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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