Patti Smith is best known as a musician—her most famous tune, “Because the Night,” rocks on. But this memoir, her second, contains nothing about her music. It’s a series of personal reveries on her late husband, eclectic travels, coffee shops, her cottage on Rockaway Beach, destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. In her narration, her authentic personal style may come across as a monotone, especially to those who are expecting her rocker expressiveness. Such listeners may think her lack of emphasis sounds as if she has no personal connection with the words. Those who admire Smith the poet, visual artist, and author of the acclaimed earlier memoir JUST KIDS will most likely appreciate the authenticity of her reading, if not the style itself.
Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101923016
Publisher: Random House 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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