The anger in Valerie Frankel's memoir is never far from the surface in Marie Caliendo's committed and impressive performance. Caliendo aptly delivers Frankel’s biting accounts of her seemingly nonstop battles with her culture's expectations, her family legacy, a heartbreaking loss, and—her unifying theme—lifelong self-loathing. Not for the fainthearted, Frankel’s story is full of angry language that often makes connecting with her story a challenge. But she's a veteran novelist, so her negative emotions move quickly and without gratuitous embellishment. Frankel’s memoir could provide the motivation that many people need to break free of painful emotional patterns, especially those who battle excess weight and are fed up with their issues.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance 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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