Fremont's discovery that her parents were not Catholics, but Jews who escaped the Holocaust, sends her on a pilgrimage to Poland, Israel and Italy in search of her family's history. This horrific tale emerges in segments, separated by present-day confrontations with her parents and aunt, who aren't too happy about having the past unearthed, as well as by conversations with her sister, who is supportive. There's a lot of dialogue here, some real, some imagined from the 1940s, some between the author and herself. Toren handles it all with ease. Her pleasant but incisive narrative voice morphs naturally into the mother's accented, anguished speech or her Italian aunt's hostile questions. European streets and surnames pose no problems either. This may have been a cathartic experience for Fremont (she also reveals her lesbianism to her family), but it didn't happen without a lot of pain, and that is obvious in this excellent presentation. A bonus tape contains an interview with the author.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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