Chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton expertly narrates her memoir about her family of origin. The youngest of five children, she grew up with an aloof mother and a charming but absent father. Now middle-aged, Hamilton has been estranged from her mother for roughly 30 years. The suicide of her oldest brother, Jeffrey, prompted her to reconnect with her mother in hopes of understanding that desperate act. Hamilton doesn't hold back even on herself: She confesses to an affair with her sister's husband. Overall, she projects her emotions as she narrates. Listeners can hear her smile at childhood antics and her regret as she speaks about painful subjects. While Tolstoy wrote that all happy families are alike, Hamilton's memoir shows that some families are complicated.
Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593150146
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A NEW YORK TIMES journalist documents the heart-wrenching choices she and her brother faced in caring for their mother during her last years. The lengthy but compelling narrative describes the relentless apprehension she felt about her mother’s deteriorating health and the frustrations she had with byzantine federal healthcare regulations and the shortcomings of private facilities. The dominant tone in Kate Reading’s flawless performance is resignation and persistence. While keeping the melodrama out of this very personal documentary, she captures the author’s determined efforts to arrange the best care for her mother in the midst of overworked care providers, dwindling financial resources, and her mother’s outspoken unhappiness. With a plethora of wisdom and good advice, this is an eye-opening look at end-of-life challenges and how current institutions are handling them.
Pub Date: April 26, 2011
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Rodrigo Garcia narrates his brief but powerful memoir about the passing of his parents. His father was the literary giant Gabriel García Márquez. His mother, Mercedes Barcha, was also a giant--of their family. Garcia narrates the events of the months leading up to their deaths with tactical precision that can come across as emotionless. However, his reservation allows listeners to focus on the words and feelings of his mother, brother, and the plethora of people who paid tribute to his father. Fans of García Márquez will want to listen, of course, but anyone who has lost a family member will also want to hear this audiobook.
Pub Date: July 27, 2021
Duration: 2 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063158344
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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