In this sprawling audiobook history of how real estate impacted the lower Manhattan music scene in the 1960s and beyond, a critic and tour guide chronicles the life and times of the tiny clubs where many folk singers and other musicians began their careers. The gentrification of New York City has priced those clubs out of existence, but they come alive again in these fast-moving historical anecdotes. Sean Patrick Hopkins performs the smooth writing with energy that seems just right for each scene. He keeps the action going by sounding like someone who is sharing stories nonstop in one of the clubs the author writes about. With details from the author's interviews with musicians and other figures of the era, it's a must-hear for anyone fascinated with the intersection of club music and urban change in New York.
Pub Date: July 11, 2023
Duration: 16 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488218392
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
More than 35 hours long, this comprehensive biography of Random House founder Bennett Cerf is equal to a workweek for many listeners. Cerf nurtured a roster of the 20th century's most consequential authors and was nationally known as a television panelist. His story is a fascinating panorama of American arts and society over 50 years, scrupulously researched but overburdened and slow. Listeners who've never heard of William Styron or Dorothy Kilgallen or the Famous Writers School will be fully educated here. Narrator Lisa Flanagan keeps a steady, unfussy pace that carries her listeners over the longueurs. But hers is a channel swim rather than a leisurely stroll through Central Park. This paunchy biography needed a stronger editorial hand.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 35 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217346448
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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