Acclaimed 84-year-old memoirist and journalist Vivian Gornick enthusiastically narrates her most recent compilation in which she reflects on her rereading of novels that she enjoyed as a younger woman. She also incorporates episodes from her life, including a lively piece on her two cats, much of which will be familiar to listeners of her earlier memoirs, including FIERCE ATTACHMENTS. With her warm and inviting voice, listeners will feel as though they are having a personal chat with Gornick. While she carefully dissects serious works from such authors as D.H. Lawrence, A.B. Yehoshua, Colette, and Natalia Ginzburg, her conversational tone is engaging. Listeners can focus on select chapters featuring their favorite authors or, better still, sit back and enjoy hearing all of her astute observations.
Pub Date: May 5, 2020
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
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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