Narrator Jayme Matler's husky timbre and broad tonality are a good match for this biography, a highly personal appreciation of Eve Babitz, goddaughter of composer Igor Stravinsky. But Babitz's experiences as a beautiful, bisexual young woman in 1960s and '70s Hollywood are confusing at best. Her story is set deeply within the movie, music, and drug scenes of that time. She is portrayed as a groupie and hanger-on until, after a tragic freak accident with fire, author Joan Didion discovered her as a writer. Ultimately, Babitz wrote several novels and short stories, all more or less autobiographical. Major time leaps in this work baffle the listener. As narrator, Mattler stays on course, but even her best efforts cannot rescue a convoluted story of a highly confused individual.
Pub Date: 2019
Duration: 7 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508268963
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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:
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:
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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