THE TENDER BAR seems an unlikely candidate for the bestseller list. Yet Pulitzer Prize winner J.R. Moehringer's memoir tells of being a fatherless child who, nonetheless, manages to celebrate many key rites of passage in a bar. The story is touching, highly entertaining, and thoroughly captivating. Further, Adam Grupper's performance demonstrates that he has joined the upper echelon of audiobook readers. Although he generally has a low-key style, this work allows him to display his versatility. Grupper's narration captures the emotions that confront Moehringer as he comes of age and experiences life's disappointments and joys. Grupper caps his strong performance during the frantic chapter when Moehringer is about to lose his innocence, only to find himself without "protection"--a scene as memorable as the listener will ever experience.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 16 hrs
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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