American Rose
A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee
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Narrated by:
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Bernadette Dunne
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By:
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Karen Abbott
About this listen
New York Times best seller.
With the critically acclaimed Sin in the Second City, best-selling author Karen Abbott “pioneered sizzle history” (USA Today). Now she returns with the gripping and expansive story of America’s coming-of-age - told through the extraordinary life of Gypsy Rose Lee and the world she survived and conquered. America in the Roaring Twenties. Vaudeville was king. Talking pictures were only a distant flicker. Speakeasies beckoned beyond dimly lit doorways; money flowed fast and free. But then, almost overnight, the Great Depression leveled everything. When the dust settled, Americans were primed for a star who could distract them from grim reality and excite them in new, unexpected ways. Enter Gypsy Rose Lee, a strutting, bawdy, erudite stripper who possessed a preternatural gift for delivering exactly what America needed. With her superb narrative skills and eye for compelling detail, Karen Abbott brings to vivid life an era of ambition, glamour, struggle, and survival. Using exclusive interviews and never-before-published material, she vividly delves into Gypsy’s world, including her intensely dramatic triangle relationship with her sister, actress June Havoc, and their formidable mother, Rose, a petite but ferocious woman who seduced men and women alike and literally killed to get her daughters on the stage.
American Rose chronicles their story, as well as the story of the four scrappy and savvy showbiz brothers from New York City who would pave the way for Gypsy Rose Lee’s brand of burlesque. Modeling their shows after the glitzy, daring reviews staged in the theaters of Paris, the Minsky brothers relied on grit, determination, and a few tricks that fell just outside the law - and they would shape, and ultimately transform, the landscape of American entertainment. With a supporting cast of such Jazz- and Depression-era heavyweights as Lucky Luciano, Harry Houdini, FDR, and Fanny Brice, Karen Abbott weaves a rich narrative of a woman who defied all odds to become a legend - and whose sensational tale of tragedy and triumph embodies the American Dream.
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Delightful
- By Kathy on 04-03-12
By: Frank Langella
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Daring
- My Passages - A Memoir
- By: Gail Sheehy
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Candid, insightful, and powerful, Daring: My Passages is the story of the unconventional life of a writer who dared - to walk New York City streets with hookers and pimps to expose violent prostitution; to march with civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland as British paratroopers opened fire; to seek out Egypt's president Anwar Sadat when he was targeted for death after making peace with Israel.
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Enjoyed unexpectedly
- By Corinne O'Rourke on 09-06-23
By: Gail Sheehy
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Mata Hari's Last Dance
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom...or death. Alone and despondent, she is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she's been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers. As she waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison.
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Throughly enjoyable
- By scalante on 09-07-16
By: Michelle Moran
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Wild Lavender
- By: Belinda Alexandra
- Narrated by: Kate Hood
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Simone Fleurier is wrenched from her home on a Provencal lavender farm at the age of 14 after the accidental death of her father. Forced to become a maid at the boarding house of her Aunt Augustine in Marseilles, Simone's life is hard and impoverished. But one of her aunt's boarders, the beautiful Camille Casal, a star at the local music hall, gives Simone a dream: that one day she too will be a famous singer and dancer.
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An Extrodinary Story
- By Wade on 08-16-08
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The Patriots
- A Novel
- By: Sana Krasikov
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren, George Guidall
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Florence Fein grows up in Brooklyn in the 1930s, in a family that is gaining a foothold in the middle class. At City College she becomes engaged politically with the left-leaning student groups, and eventually, in the midst of the Depression, she takes a job with a trade organization that has a position for her in Moscow. There, she falls in love with another expatriate American and has a son. Soon after, Florence is sent to a work camp and her son to an orphanage.
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Point of View of characters, past and present collide
- By Angela Adams on 01-29-19
By: Sana Krasikov
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In the Country
- Stories
- By: Mia Alvar
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu, Don Castro
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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These nine globe-trotting, unforgettable stories from Mia Alvar, a remarkable new literary talent, vividly give voice to the women and men of the Filipino diaspora. Here are exiles, emigrants, and wanderers uprooting their families from the Philippines to begin new lives in the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere - and sometimes turning back again.
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My introduction to Filipino literature and culture
- By Amazon Customer on 03-28-16
By: Mia Alvar
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Russian Winter
- A Novel
- By: Daphne Kalotay
- Narrated by: Kathleen Gati
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In Russian Winter, the beautiful debut novel by critically acclaimed writer Daphne Kalotay, a famed ballerina’s jewelry auction in Boston reveals long-held secrets of love and family, friendship and rivalry, harkening back to Stalinist Russia. Called “tender, passionate, and moving” by Jenna Blum, the New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us, Russian Winter is a perfect choice for fans of the novels of Debra Dean (The Madonnas of Leningrad), Ann Patchett (Bel Canto), and Ian McEwan (Atonement).
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Read this review; Sophisticated and wonderful!
- By Cookie on 01-15-12
By: Daphne Kalotay
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The One-in-a-Million Boy
- By: Monica Wood
- Narrated by: Chris Ciulla
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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For years, guitarist Quinn Porter has been on the road, chasing gig after gig, largely absent to his twice-ex-wife Belle and their odd, Guinness records-obsessed son. When the boy dies suddenly, Quinn seeks forgiveness for his paternal shortcomings by completing the requirements for one of his son's unfinished Boy Scout badges. For seven Saturdays Quinn does yard work for Ona Vitkus, the spry 104-year-old Lithuanian immigrant the boy had visited weekly.
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Loved it
- By Justin on 10-20-16
By: Monica Wood
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Charms for the Easy Life
- By: Kaye Gibbons
- Narrated by: Kate Fleming
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A family without men, the Birches live gloriously offbeat lives in the lush, green backwoods of North Carolina. Radiant, headstrong Sophia and her shy, brilliant daughter, Margaret, possess powerful charms to ward off loneliness, despair, and the human misery that often beats a path to their door. And they are protected by the eccentric wisdom and muscular love of the remarkable matriarch Charlie Kate, a solid, uncompromising, self-taught healer who treats everything from boils to broken bones to broken hearts.
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So Lovely!
- By Doodle slave on 01-04-17
By: Kaye Gibbons
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Mademoiselle Chanel
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Born into rural poverty, Gabrielle Chanel and her siblings are sent to an orphanage after their mother's death. The sisters nurture Gabrielle's exceptional sewing skills, a talent that will propel the willful young woman into a life far removed from the drudgery of her childhood.
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Fiction Not Biography
- By Sara on 02-07-16
By: C. W. Gortner
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Joplin's Ghost
- By: Tananarive Due
- Narrated by: Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Bram Stoker Award finalist Tananarive Due crafts chilling tales of suspense.
In Joplin's Ghost, 24-year-old R&B phenomenon Phoenix Smalls is on the cusp of fame and fortune. But she is haunted by the spirit of Jazz legend Scott Joplin. After a series of sultry, erotic encounters with the ghost, and with the pressures of stardom closing in on her, Phoenix begins to fear for her life and career.
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Sweeping--a fabulous read
- By Dinisle on 12-24-06
By: Tananarive Due
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The Magnolia Palace
- A Novel
- By: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Karissa Vacker
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, 21-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge
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This isn't my favorite but entertaining
- By Linda on 02-01-22
By: Fiona Davis
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Some Girls
- My Life in a Harem
- By: Jillian Lauren
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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A jaw-dropping story of how a girl from the suburbs ends up in a prince's harem and emerges from the secret Xanadu both richer and wiser. At 18, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout with a tip about an upcoming audition. The "casting director" told her that a rich businessman would pay pretty girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Soon, Jillian was on a plane to Borneo, where she would spend the next 18 months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah....
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Boring, Pretentious Book
- By Marcos on 04-23-11
By: Jillian Lauren
What listeners say about American Rose
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dian M. Burns
- 02-19-18
Interesting but...
I was hoping it would go deeper into the unique relationship Rose had with her mother. Mama Rose wasn't really covered in depth in this book, so her motives didn't really reveal anything about Gypsy herself that most fans wouldn't have already known. The interviews with her sister were quite interesting, especially the way the competition Mama Rose had instilled in them since birth continued when both recognized where it really came from but neither chose to do anything to change it.
The chapters jumped around in Rose's history, not a writing technique I'm fond of personally. First it was the height of her fame, then it was her early years, then it split into a third section about the Minsky's history with burlesque and just kept going and going. I had hoped there would have been more insight, especially from her son who was also interviewed but again it stayed on the surface.
Maybe it was the authors intention to make it like a burlesque strip, you see what you see and you have to imagine the rest.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Danielle
- 11-14-15
Fascinating story!
What a life, lived a few different times, it would seem.
Performance was excellent, story intriguing. Only issue was keeping track of what time period each chapter took place--it does jump around a bit. Otherwise, excellent listen.
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- B Hart
- 11-16-14
Good listen on Gypsy
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I guess so depending on friend.
Would you be willing to try another book from Karen Abbott? Why or why not?
I have and like her books.
Which character – as performed by Bernadette Dunne – was your favorite?
She did a great job on all of them as always!
Was American Rose worth the listening time?
It was a little too long for me. Could have been told in less time leaving out a lot of repetition.
Any additional comments?
It's very intense at times. Her relationship with her mother even to her mother's death was very volatile. It was sad when her mother died.
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- CJ Maltby
- 11-10-22
Let HerEntertain You
I'll start by admitting that I've been slightly obssessed with Gypsy Rose Lee since I first saw the film "Gypsy" as a preteen. Since then, I've read Gypsy's memoir, which was the basis for the musical, as well as autobiographies by her sister, June Havoc, and her son, Erik Preminger, and I thought I had the whole story. I was wrong. Karen Abbott revealed an amazing amount of new information while referring to enough that I already knew to maintain her credibility. Bernadette Dunne's narration makes it seem like the story is being told to you alone over coffee. Gypsy was a fascinating woman, and as a fellow native Seattleite, I think she deserves all the prose she gets. Get this one.
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- Amahra
- 03-30-19
Fantastic!
I really enjoyed this book. It was engaging, exciting, no-holds-barred, a real page-turner. It was a far cry from the stage and screen musical. Mama Rose was a hundred times worst in the book. The woman belonged in prison for the insane. Just how Gypsy and June turned out to be so normal with a man-hating murderer for a mother is a miracle. Some reviewers criticized the author jumping back and forth to Gypsy Rose Lee at the height of her career, her love life, and son, to Mama Rose and her young girls traveling the vaudeville circuit, to the Minsky Brothers and how they started out in Burlesque. But I liked it. I thought the author did a great job of not letting the listeners get lost. Dunne was amazing. She did all of the voices really well. She kept you engaged until the very end. I will look for other books narrated by her. Again, I enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.
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2 people found this helpful
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- S.McNee
- 11-09-18
Good research, superlative reader
This narrative of the life of Gypsy Rose Lee has insight, compassion, and interesting detail. If only the story line didn’t jump around. There are many interesting characters who weave through Louise’s life but keeping track of the cast is difficult in this bouncing timeline.
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Overall
- Moire
- 01-27-11
Well done biography of a complicated Icon
It's a good biography, but difficult to listen to because of the time shifts. The author moves back & forth through the highlights of a very busy and very short life and it's difficult to keep track of marriages, performances and relationships because of the time jumping.
Be sure to view YouTube with videos of Gypsy Rose Lee performing (very G rated, but very interesting) and go to the book's website to see photos of Tough Rose and Baby June
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9 people found this helpful
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- Margaret
- 04-24-12
Wonderful glimpse into 20th Century America
What a great peek into the depths of vaudeville, burlesque, the 20th c American economy and social mores, and what life was like before the development of pervasive psychological and psychiatric literacy. While parts of this story are very tragic, Gypsy Rose Lee's spirit and the portrait of her clearly borderline personality mother are fascinating. Very well narrated.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Cait Guyette
- 01-21-20
Interesting subject not served by storyteller
The subject of Gypsy Rose Lee was exciting to me. I like strong, pioneering, daring women and she certainly was one as one of the earliest stars of vaudeville and burlesque. I had an idea about the musical Gypsy, the most famous imagining of her life, but haven't actually seen it (although very keen to now). I think the biggest fault with this book is the jumping back and forth in the timeline. I'm not a huge fan of that style in general and I found it difficult to follow and made me less connected to the "characters". I think if it had followed a chronological approach starting with the struggles and leading to her successes (and following her sister, June's success to struggle) would leave a reader more closely tied to outcome. I think this would have made the Minksy storyline make more sense - jumping back and forth isn't easy to follow with half a dozen Minksys. Abbott could have added a lot more relevant general history facts to "lay a nation bare" - discussing attitudes surrounding prohibition, etc. I also didn't like the glossing over of facts/myths - Mama Rose kills a "cow" but later you find out in a throwaway line that it was actually a person. Wait... what?? I felt like that could have used a lot more detail and explanation. Even if it is discussed as something that only may have happened. At the very least I did become more intrigued with Gypsy Rose Lee and will seek out some of her performances and watch Gypsy after having done this "homework."
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