Narrator Alex McKenna shares Stephanie Danler's memoir of a successful author trying to face her troubled upbringing. Listeners encounter a range of relatives who reveal too much to a precocious and suggestible Danler. McKenna gives the author a sardonic persona that is equal parts self-deprecating toward the economic privilege of her childhood and critical of the adults in her life at that time. Her story moves from New York to California and spans a variety of topics including love, disappointment, and addiction. McKenna keeps listeners engaged by evoking the sense that a fascinating stranger has decided to bare her soul over successive cups of coffee. She sets a steady, comfortable place that can be listened to at length.
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593212066
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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