Eleven childhood friends from Ames, Iowa, now in their forties, keep in close touch with emails and reunions where they share news of childbirth, jobs, marriages, divorces, and one death. Through Zaslow's writing and Andrea Gallo's voicing, each one emerges as a distinct persona, be it sexual adventurer, overbearing parent, or modest beauty. Between the life stories there’s musing, clearly read, on the nature of female friendships and why they often endure longer than men's. We also hear painful parts—for example, an "intervention" in which someone is temporarily voted out. The sniping voices of high school girls will resonate with most former teenagers. The book has photos, and these we miss, but we can imagine these women and hope they go on as a group for another 40 years.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2009
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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