This is a very personal account of screen legend Bette Davis's final challenging years as told by her personal assistant, who later became her "buddy" and, finally, co-executor of her estate. While the stories told are interesting, and some are remarkable, the work lacks the punch and maturity to call it an overall winner. Kathryn Sermak's first-time narration is remarkable for its lack of precision. Attributions to "Miss D" sounds like "Misty" nearly throughout, and that causes confusion. The very quality of immaturity that may have attracted Davis to employ Sermak is still very much present in both the writing and narration. Rambling, adoring, and touching in instances of Davis's great kindness and cruelty--the audiobook, considered as a whole, is uneven, as we surmise that life with the elderly Davis must have been as well.
Pub Date: 2017
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478976967
Publisher: Hachette Audio
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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