Richard Russo has dual roots: He grew up in a depressed mill town (like those his fictional characters inhabit), and he became an academic. His masculine yet professorial tone of voice reflects that background. Russo’s narration may contain a note that is slightly too aggressive for such a beautiful and contemplative story of familial love with challenges, but it’s still a heartfelt and sympathetic reading. Russo’s emotions are palpable in this memoir of life with a needy, inflexible mother who suffers from “nerves” (which may actually be obsessive-compulsive disorder). His emotions in response to her are complicated: frustration at accommodating her strident needs, wonder as they successfully drive across country in a car called the “gray death,” and fear when she experiences episodes of dementia.
Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780449012529
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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