Ray M

A Beautiful Love Story

Reviewed: 03-05-25

Richard E. Grant is one of my favorite actors and this, his third audio book, establishes him as one of my favorite authors. In this book Grant tells of meeting the love of his life, Joan Washington, when he hired her to be his vocal coach. And then for the next thirty plus years they loved, endured tragedy and celebrated triumphs together. But this book, while touching on their life together, is also a recounting of her diagnosis of lung cancer and then its rapid spread as well as temporary recoveries from the relentless disease. Grant paints a loving portrait of a couple whose life centered on one another but also allowed them room to embrace a whole variety of experiences both together and separately. Grant's vivid portrayal of his wise and witty wife is a beautiful homage. I hope he knows how he made his late wife come to life in this book and how their love really touched my heart. I hope he continues to find, as his wife urged him to, a "pocketful of happiness" every day. And I hope to listen to more of his books and see his performances in many more movies. Thank you, Richard.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sometimes love can find us

Reviewed: 03-05-25

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ms Hughes tells a delightful tale of the second magpie George she rescued (the first perished and she bequeathed the name to the second). Ms Hughes then tells month by month not only how George grew and prospered under her care but also the deterioration of her marriage. Like most tales of animal rescues, there comes the moment of letting the creature go and that's always bittersweet. But I appreciated how the author expresses her devotion to a wild bird who is mostly viewed as a nuisance by the townspeople, and is able to inspire some change thereby.

This is a short, wonderfully tender book. To me it seemed quite clear that the relationships described are totally in favor of the bird-human one. George ,the magpie, came into the author's life suddenly and accidentally. He survived and prospered because of her (the author) efforts. But George rewarded her with his humor, resilience and dare I say it, love. I am glad the author got the time she had with George and I look forward to acquiring some of her other books in print.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Need more than 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-22-24

what a fun story! scalzi never fails to delight and Amber Benson nailed it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The Victim Takes Control

Reviewed: 10-06-24

I am a big fan of Salman Rushdie. I love the challenge some of his books pose but I also love that this man, who has lived about half his life under a fatwa, refuses to cave in to the religious fanatics (and not just the Muslim ones!) or apologize for his writing.

In 20015 I went to a book signing in San Diego sponsored by Warwicks Bookstore. The event was held at the University of San Diego and I remember being startled by the total absence of visible security measures--no bags were checked and Rushdie was seated at an event table after his talk to the audience in order to sign books and pose for pictures. I had just finished his book Joseph Anton, which is an account of the nightmare period after Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for his insult to Islam. Rushdie had his life turned upside down for years with the constant presence of British security. And I remember being very fearful that night as the years went by that something might happen just when we were thinking it was over. So when Rushdie was attacked in 2022, I was horrified that decades later a young radical nearly murdered the artist. But as this slender memoir shows, religious zealots don't just move on. I think Rushdie's imaginary conversation with his would be murderer was probably spot on. Just as with the 9-11 terrorists, young, socially isolated young men just need a laptop and an internet connection to get the sustenance for their hatred. Rushdie's assailant admitted to not having read The Satanic Verses (it isn't the easiest book but it is one that rewards the effort); nor, I suspect do many of those who condemn it.

Bottom line, Rushdie's short book is not only a harrowing tale of his near murder by a young fanatic but perhaps more important is it is a beautiful love story. You learn about how his wife, Eliza, responded to the attack with unwavering love and support. Also, how so many good friends rallied to his side. I loved how Joe Biden expressed both his personal concern and for Rushdie as a literary master and symbol of intellectual and artistic greatness.

I encourage anyone listening to the book to think about book-ending it with Joseph Anton. Both books will give you great perspective on the ongoing threats that artists and intellectuals face.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A masterful performance of a great novel

Reviewed: 02-14-23

Although this book clocks in at over 60 hours, Thandiwe Newton's peerless performance made it a joy. I have to admit I was worried about whether I would be able to endure the book. 60 hours! That is such a commitment but a month ago I took the plunge. And before I knew it, Tolstoy's great prose coupled with Thandiwe Newton's superb voice acting made the hours fly. There are so many characters and situations and Newton imparts to them all matchless humor and sensitivity. This is a bravura performance by a gifted actor and my admiration for her interpretations of Tolstoy's creations grew apace. I can honestly say that of the hundreds of audiobooks I've listened to this is one of the finest.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Heartbreaking

Reviewed: 02-07-22

It's hard to not remember her death but I reminded myself that it was her magnificent art which Sylvia Plath should be remembered for. So as I listened to this overwhelmingly detailed and sympathetic biography I reminded myself to stay present with Plath. To learn about her triumphs and the barriers she had to overcome. And it is an enormous laundry list of barriers: Jealous classmates, one parent dead too soon (her father) and a mother with whom she had a seriously conflicted relationship, a repressive male-dominated society, ravenous ambition for greatness and approval, emotional fragility, a husband (Ted Hughes) who was her lover and rival, and the hideous inadequacy at best and criminally harmful at worst care she received (and dreaded) for her psychological and emotional trauma. So even though we know her fate, Clark paints a portrait of Plath and the people in her life which is compelling--Plath has finally received the biography she deserves. For those who have a partisan feeling, this may not be enough. Because Plath is no saint in these pages, and Ted Hughes is no villain. These were two people who had a roller coaster of a love; but Hughes was only one part, albeit a big part, of the reason she stuck her head in an oven.

There is only one problem with this book. One reason it doesn't get 5 stars. Laura Jennings does not help. I lost count of the mispronunciations--especially since there are a lot of German and French words in the text. Jennings cheerfully butchers them all as well as quite a few English words as well. That said, I did not dislike the quality of her voice. I felt she did a respectable job reading all the poetry (not perfect mind you), of which there is quite a lot.

Bottom line is that this is a brilliant book about one of the giants of 20th century literature. But rather than bemoan what we never were allowed to enjoy because of her early death, I think it's better to be grateful that Sylvia Plath blessed us with prose and poetry that will remain eternally pristine.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Great memoir

Reviewed: 01-07-22

I decided to get this even though I had just gotten the book as a Christmas present for myself a week earlier. I am glad I got the book (nicely autographed by the author!) but glad I decided to get the audio version as well for a change of pace. I was blown away. The story Ms Abedin tells is marked by such grace, intelligence and patriotism--something I was in desperate need of in these divided times. What is heartbreaking is the account of the multiple betrayals by her husband, Anthony Weiner, and Hillary Clinton's election loss to Donald Trump. But what is impressive is the resilience she (Abedin) repeatedly demonstrated and also the genuine patriotism that animated her career in public service. Ms Abedin is a thoroughly admirable person (though her choices were problematic) and I enjoyed learning about how her faith and strong family ties enabled her to stand tall. As a bonus--the author has a lovely voice and her narration of her story is perfect. Perfect. I am glad she shared her story and I really thank her for the sacrifices she made to try to get the best person elected in 2016 (Bernie Sanders fans may not like the description of their hero!).

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

An Exhaustive but not Exhausting Book!

Reviewed: 11-19-21

You don't get much more thorough than this biography of our sixteenth president. Burlingame presents Lincoln as a thoroughly human individual who rose above his background to achieve greatness. Even if Lincoln had stopped at being a lawyer he very clearly would have outshone his family and could have been accounted a life well lived. Instead he rode the passions of antebellum politics to the White House. I enjoyed the attention not only to detail but also the numerous anecdotes that enliven this narrative. Indeed, some of the anecdotes seem more than a little apocryphal; still, they make enjoyable listening.

As far as the narrator, I mostly enjoyed Sean Pratt's performance but I found myself cringing every time he read "that Lincoln demured" rather than the correct pronunciation "Lincoln demurred". This happened maybe seven or eight times in a text nearly 50 hours long so really a minor quibble (also it should have been parvenu not parvenue as Pratt read it). Pratt handles accents and different characters well and a mostly excellent rendition.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Writers as Drunks

Reviewed: 10-15-21

Despite the widespread mythologizing of alcohol as some kind of fuel for the creative energies of many artists, alcohol as Laing superbly evokes with her portrait of six great American writers, was far more of a destructive factor than anything remotely positive. These great authors (Cheever, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Berryman, Carver) all famously struggled with a host of demons--alcohol though being the common one. But there's nothing glamorous or romantic about their struggle; alcohol just reduced them physically, morally, emotionally, and even creatively. To those who jibe that they wouldn't have been great artists without their demons I would counter that perhaps they could have reached greater heights as artists but more--is the price of great art worth the ruination?

I am glad that we still have these great works of literature. They do make the journey toward oblivion more bearable after all. I am just sad to learn about the toll that alcohol took from these men.

And that this story was limited to six white men is one of my only gripes. Those these six were giants, I think that broadening the study by looking at a more diverse sample could have only enriched what is already an interesting if depressing study.

Lastly, I love Kate Reading's reading of this book. Her voice is elegant and soothing. I'm not sure what some readers who have bashed her reading of this book heard unless they just had a bad download or are listening to it at too fast or too slow a speed (I listened to it at 1.25 speed and it was perfect).

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Dated political tract

Reviewed: 02-24-21

I come to this book as a fan of Buckley whom I esteem as the shining example of conservatism in a more genteel era. This book written shortly after his time at Yale in the late 1940s is an indictment of his alma mater for its twin sins--a hostility or at best indifference to Christianity and its bias toward New Deal policies and economic thought and against traditional conservatism. A couple of things--while I wasn't exactly shocked by these "revelations" (it was only a few years after FDR's presidencies after all and universities trend liberal anyway), I thought it was rich that this ultra privileged white male was so indignant that anyone could possibly question the tenets of Christianity and capitalism. Bottom line, this is a book to enjoy for the wit and stylistic charm of a very precocious young man. His career as one of the icons of modern conservatism (the GOP before the cult of Trump) got off to a fine start here.

On a less pleasant note, the reader of this book has a fine voice but he had the grating habit of smacking his lips and clicking throughout. This marred the performance and had me waiting as if for the drop of water in a leaking faucet.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful