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Light yet lively.

Reviewed: 01-23-23

Light yet lovely historical fiction that will transport you to a magical time and place.

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A Compromised Life

Reviewed: 09-13-22

Edith Wharton is known for often capturing the guilded age life of the life of the late 1800’s. Here she portrays a much simpler life during that time, that reflects the universal theme of how we live with life choices. Here we find a universal theme; a couple trapped in the grind of life, made more complex by living with chronic illness or is it what evolves from loveless ness and control? A ray of light, a potential breathe of fresh air reached for and we see into the delicate balance of family & community dynamics.

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1 person found this helpful

The Harlem we all want to know

Reviewed: 08-25-22

It is not intuitive that Ethiopian born, Swedish raised Marcus Samuelson would be the person to assemble those to share the story of both the great migration and Harlem’s history, yet there it is. Having lived most of my life in NYC, I learned things I’ll never forget. Throw in that each episode includes cooking and this audio book is a hands down winner - no matter where you are from.

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Age old theme

Reviewed: 08-24-22

It’s easy to understand why Wharton received so much attention for Summer. Pregnancy outside of marriage may be an age old theme, but not in 1917. Her handling of socio economic divides, class expectations and the difficult choices woman make when pregnant are as vital today as they were then.

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Family - never simple

Reviewed: 01-02-21

At times, the interconnectivity of these family members seems beyond reason. What looks on the surface like functional, can easily careen into destruction once a tipping point is reached. Fascinating to see how each member responds.

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How we come terms

Reviewed: 11-30-20

Surprisingly engrossing. The time period and location are not what I’m generally drawn to and the story’s end was somewhat predictable. The unfolding of the characters’ life reflection are universal. Ultimately time we’ll spent. A delightful listen.

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Charmingly optimistic Highland tale

Reviewed: 12-29-19

The story explores what we think we can achieve as compared to what we might actually achieve when pushed outside of our comfort zone. The internal dialogue is engaging. The description of small town Highland life believable. Aspects of the story reached into suspended reality. Still, as an exploration of letting go to find a life that fits, including characters one can truly care about, it ticks all the boxes.

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A story about change for all times - particularly today

Reviewed: 09-11-19

How strange it is that Anna Karenina is often simply thought of as a long love story. In actuality it weaves together multiple dimensions of various characters self discovery during a time in Russia when Alexander II had recently abolished the practice of serfdom, causing an entire country to re-examine its way of life. Tolstóy himself was born into nobility and, after a life of leisure, goes to war which ultimately leads to a spiritual awakening wherein he becomes a Christian anarchist and pacifist who influences Gandhi and Martin Luther King. His characters interactions and internal musings intertwine various positions as he examines these themes. In addition, reading about love, fear and insecurity through the eyes of a male writer is done with incredible sensitivity and provides a unique and highly believable perspective. In the end, the character of Anna acts more as one of protagonist for other characters whose development is much richer.

The shear length of this book, which does have some slow spots, would be intimidating in a purely written form. As an audible book, it was a joy. The narrator, Maggie Gyllenhaal was perfectly cast. Her ability to give each character their own personality was impressive. Her tone was pitch perfect, giving a genuine sense of place and persona without sounding artificial.

Although nominated several times for a Nobel Prize, Tolstóy was never recognized, which is astounding for what many consider the best piece of fiction ever written. Listen to this book. Many of its themes are timely and it may very well be a new literary standard by which you measure all others.

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