One challenge of performing memoir is maintaining the authenticity of the author's voice. Narrator Caroline Shaffer meets the challenge with an informal, conversational tone that allows listeners easy access to this personal story of how opening a pizzeria affected the author’s marriage, self-image, and eating habits. Shaffer handles the occasional foreign word with aplomb, and her minimalist approach to characterizations works well. The memoir includes a handful of recipes, and—although listeners won't likely cook from the audiobook—their inclusion provides insight into the author's life. This honest assessment of the ups and downs of following a spouse's dream and building a business will have wide appeal.
Pub Date: June 30, 2014
Duration: 6 hrs, 18 mins
DD ISBN: 9781483041049
Publisher: Blackstone 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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