M. Kaplan
- 16
- reviews
- 7
- helpful votes
- 32
- ratings
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10:04
- By: Ben Lerner
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 219
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 187
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Story4 out of 5 stars 186
In the last year, the narrator of 10:04 has enjoyed unexpected literary success, has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition, and has been asked by his best friend to help her conceive a child, despite his dating a rising star in the visual arts. In a New York of increasingly frequent super storms and political unrest, he must reckon with his biological mortality, the possibility of a literary afterlife, and the prospect of (unconventional) fatherhood in a city that might soon be under water.
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3 out of 5 stars
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A novel worth reading
- By Bradley Paul Valentine on 01-29-15
- 10:04
- By: Ben Lerner
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
The erudite language is intended to be annoying.
Reviewed: 10-26-24
I didn’t feel connected to the characters or the story but I admire Ben Lerner’s ability to evoke the Uber—cool world of Brooklyn and the artistes there in.
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Friend of My Youth
- By: Alice Munro
- Narrated by: Beth Fowler
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 26
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 22
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Story4 out of 5 stars 22
In the powerful, haunting stories of Munro’s collection, men and women, in the midst of contemporary quandaries and crises, recall the long-buried yearnings, dreams, and hard choices that have given shape to their lives.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful early collection of short stories
- By P. Larvey on 09-09-21
- Friend of My Youth
- By: Alice Munro
- Narrated by: Beth Fowler
Chronicler of an era
Reviewed: 07-04-24
I hadn’t read Alice Munro’s work before and felt she was too important a writer to miss. I might have gotten lost in the threads following the characters who she follows from childhood to old age, but the writing is straight forward, entertaining and clearly from the perspective of a writer in the 40s and 50s. This is the time of my Southern parents so I found it engaging even though these people are in Canada and the Northwest.
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Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- By: Hernan Diaz
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,071
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,585
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,585
Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly endless wealth—all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Before Purchasing
- By JLDLOfficial on 08-13-22
- Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
- By: Hernan Diaz
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò, Orlagh Cassidy
I kept listening and never thought of abandoning the book
Reviewed: 12-31-23
The story of a pompous fabulously wealthy man and the woman who made him and herself wealthy with her superior skills she never took credit for, and the highly intelligent writer who apparently lost her big chance, was not inherently satisfying but Diaz’ artistry is impressive. I’m sure I’ve missed some meanings that might occur to me later.
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Career and Family
- Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity
- By: Claudia Goldin
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
A century ago, it was a given that a woman with a college degree had to choose between having a career and a family. Today, there are more female college graduates than ever before, and more women want to have a career and family, yet challenges persist at work and at home. This book traces how generations of women have responded to the problem of balancing career and family as the twentieth century experienced a sea change in gender equality, revealing why true equity for dual career couples remains frustratingly out of reach.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very intelligent reading
- By Anonymous User on 07-06-24
- Career and Family
- Women's Century-Long Journey toward Equity
- By: Claudia Goldin
- Narrated by: Nancy Crane
Claudia Golden has laid out the facts and history that even a wave 3 feminist didn’t fully grasp. I enjoyed every minute.
Reviewed: 12-05-23
The presentation of much data in a way that brings it alive is the strength of this work. By a woman who won a Nobel Prize for it.
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Miracle and Wonder
- Conversations with Paul Simon
- By: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Paul Simon
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 3,496
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,028
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3,003
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon is part memoir, part investigation, and unlike any creative portrait you’ve ever heard before. Recorded over a series of 30 hours of conversation between Simon, Gladwell, and Gladwell’s oldest friend and co-writer, journalist and Broken Record podcast co-host Bruce Headlam, the conversation flows from Simon’s music, to his childhood in Queens, NY, to his frequent collaborators including Art Garfunkel and the nature of creativity itself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A lifelong companion who will never know my name
- By scsurfer on 11-16-21
- Miracle and Wonder
- Conversations with Paul Simon
- By: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Paul Simon
Be prepared to cry
Reviewed: 08-06-22
Paul Simon is a musical genius but hearing him talk about the process of his craft is breathtaking at times. Not to be missed!
Thanks to Malcolm Gladwell.
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These Precious Days
- Essays
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Ann Patchett
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,906
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,673
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,665
“Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Heartfelt Essays, Beautifully Performed
- By Brent Holcomb on 11-23-21
- These Precious Days
- Essays
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Ann Patchett
From a novice to this author’s work
Reviewed: 08-02-22
Ann Patchett created a set of essays, stories really, that were always gripping and make one want to listen on. Much raw feeling was metabolized in the writing about the situation we all shared of the pandemic and it was helpful to my own work on it.
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The Books of Jacob
- A Novel
- By: Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft - translator
- Narrated by: Allen Lewis Rickman, Gilli Messer
- Length: 35 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 268
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
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Story4 out of 5 stars 220
In the mid-18th century, as new ideas—and a new unrest—begin to sweep the Continent, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland. Before long, he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences, Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Dense & Difficult But Rewarding
- By Nick O. on 02-28-22
- The Books of Jacob
- A Novel
- By: Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft - translator
- Narrated by: Allen Lewis Rickman, Gilli Messer
Breathtaking stories and performance
Reviewed: 07-23-22
The story of the Frankist era of Jewish history is so convoluted and complex that it isn’t taught in standard Jewish education programs. It was fascinating to learn about in such beautiful prose. Thanks and great respect to the author, the translator and the narrators.
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3 people found this helpful
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The Code Breaker
- Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Walter Isaacson
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,347
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,375
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,342
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a “compelling” (The Washington Post) account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Except for the author, this book is good!
- By Johan on 03-14-21
- The Code Breaker
- Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Walter Isaacson
Fascinating story
Reviewed: 11-27-21
The story of Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues/competitors in developing the gene editing technology that will change our world is gripping. Walter Isaacson is a master of interviewing subjects and presenting them in all their complexity.
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The Hidden Spring
- A Journey to the Source of Consciousness
- By: Mark Solms
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 157
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 133
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 133
For Mark Solms, one of the boldest thinkers in contemporary neuroscience, discovering how consciousness comes about has been a lifetime's quest. Scientists consider it the "hard problem" because it seems an impossible task to understand why we feel a subjective sense of self and how it arises in the brain. Venturing into the elementary physics of life, Solms has now arrived at an astonishing answer. In The Hidden Spring, he brings forward his discovery in accessible language and graspable analogies.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating
- By Aston on 04-26-21
- The Hidden Spring
- A Journey to the Source of Consciousness
- By: Mark Solms
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
Solms for smart lay persons
Reviewed: 08-09-21
Mark Solms is an extraordinarily intelligent man driven to understand the mind and brain from a perspective that is equally brain-based and emotionally-based (in the sense of emotion as driver of thought and behavior). This book is accessible to non-scientists but still a stretch in places. Worth the effort!
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3 people found this helpful
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Monogamy
- A Novel
- By: Sue Miller
- Narrated by: Sue Miller
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 771
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 665
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Story4 out of 5 stars 665
Graham and Annie have been married for nearly thirty years. Their seemingly effortless devotion has long been the envy of their circle of friends and acquaintances. By all appearances, they are a golden couple. When Graham suddenly dies—this man whose enormous presence has seemed to dominate their lives together—Annie is lost. What is the point of going on, she wonders, without him? Then, while she is still mourning Graham intensely, she discovers a ruinous secret, one that will spiral her into darkness and force her to question whether she ever truly knew the man who loved her.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Monotonous
- By Susan G. on 10-16-20
- Monogamy
- A Novel
- By: Sue Miller
- Narrated by: Sue Miller
The mature Sue Miller
Reviewed: 07-04-21
We learn about a deeply ambivalent relationship between spouses who have an unconventional marriage that is ended by a sudden death. What follows allows us into the inner lives of the survivors and the success of the novel depends on how well the reader identifies with each. Lovely writing as always and a bittersweet story where no one is unscathed by love and fantasies about love.
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