
Let's Call Her Barbie
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Abigail Reno
-
By:
-
Renée Rosen
About this listen
“A fresh and fun take on Barbie lore…clever and satisfying.”–Shelby Van Pelt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.
When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.
In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.
As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.
In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions—each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.
©2025 Renée Rosen (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
White Collar Girl
- A Novel
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office.
-
-
Couldn’t listen for more than 3 chapters.
- By Gigi k on 02-22-22
By: Renée Rosen
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
Dollface
- A Novel of the Roaring Twenties
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vera Abramowitz is determined to leave her gritty childhood behind and live a more exciting life, one that her mother never dreamed of. Bobbing her hair and showing her knees, the lipsticked beauty dazzles. As the ultimate flapper, Vera captures the attention of two high rollers, a handsome nightclub owner and a sexy gambler. On their arms, she gains entrée into a world filled with bootleg bourbon, wailing jazz, and money to burn. She thinks her biggest problem is choosing between them until the truth comes out. Her two lovers are really mobsters from rival gangs....
-
-
Unsympathetic characters
- By Bruno Roger on 09-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Social Graces
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1876. In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, women are valued by their pedigree, dowry, and, most importantly, connections. They have few rights and even less independence - what they do have is society. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor - the Mrs. Astor.
-
-
Disappointing Effort
- By HistoryNerd on 05-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
What the Lady Wants
- A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.
-
-
Wasn’t expecting that!
- By Meghan Jones on 12-19-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
Park Avenue Summer
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters.
-
-
It’s Beach Read Season
- By Boots on 05-23-19
By: Renée Rosen
-
White Collar Girl
- A Novel
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office.
-
-
Couldn’t listen for more than 3 chapters.
- By Gigi k on 02-22-22
By: Renée Rosen
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
Dollface
- A Novel of the Roaring Twenties
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vera Abramowitz is determined to leave her gritty childhood behind and live a more exciting life, one that her mother never dreamed of. Bobbing her hair and showing her knees, the lipsticked beauty dazzles. As the ultimate flapper, Vera captures the attention of two high rollers, a handsome nightclub owner and a sexy gambler. On their arms, she gains entrée into a world filled with bootleg bourbon, wailing jazz, and money to burn. She thinks her biggest problem is choosing between them until the truth comes out. Her two lovers are really mobsters from rival gangs....
-
-
Unsympathetic characters
- By Bruno Roger on 09-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Social Graces
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1876. In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, women are valued by their pedigree, dowry, and, most importantly, connections. They have few rights and even less independence - what they do have is society. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor - the Mrs. Astor.
-
-
Disappointing Effort
- By HistoryNerd on 05-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
What the Lady Wants
- A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.
-
-
Wasn’t expecting that!
- By Meghan Jones on 12-19-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
Park Avenue Summer
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters.
-
-
It’s Beach Read Season
- By Boots on 05-23-19
By: Renée Rosen
-
Mademoiselle Eiffel
- A Novel
- By: Aimie K. Runyan
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire’s idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It’s soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother’s place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
-
-
The narration had me speeding up to get through it.
- By Hawk on 11-09-24
By: Aimie K. Runyan
-
Jackie and Maria
- A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackie Kennedy is beautiful, sophisticated, and contemplating leaving her ambitious young senator husband. When she's offered a holiday on the luxurious yacht owned by billionaire Ari Onassis, she says yes...to a meeting that will ultimately change her life. Maria Callas is at the height of her operatic career and widely considered to be the finest soprano in the world. And then she's introduced to Aristotle Onassis, the world's richest man and her fellow Greek. Little by little, Maria's and Jackie's lives began to overlap, until everything they know about the world changes on a dime.
-
-
Appendix not recorded 😔
- By tahoe23 on 08-21-20
By: Gill Paul
-
Rare Objects
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Tessaro
- Narrated by: Susan Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maeve Fanning is a first-generation Irish immigrant born and raised among the poor, industrious Italian families of Boston's North End by her widowed mother. Clever, capable, and as headstrong as her red hair suggests, she's determined to better herself despite the overwhelming hardships of the Great Depression. However, Maeve also has a dangerous fondness for strange men and bootleg gin - a rebellious appetite that soon finds her spiraling downward, leading a double life.
-
-
I loved this book!!
- By Traci J on 08-19-17
By: Kathleen Tessaro
-
The Summer We Ran
- A Novel
- By: Audrey Ingram
- Narrated by: Anna Caputo, Andrew Gibson
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1996, teenage Tess Murphy’s mom gave her two rules to abide by: keep quiet and stay out of trouble. Her mother landed a new job as a cook at an affluent Virginia estate and didn’t want anything to risk the opportunity, least of all her outspoken daughter. What no one saw coming was Tess falling deeply in love with the boy next door, high-society Grant Alexander.
-
-
Meh
- By Jennifer Burrows on 06-06-25
By: Audrey Ingram
-
Come Fly with Me
- A Novel
- By: Camille Di Maio
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Dominique Salvacion, Sherri Slater
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell have different reasons for putting continents and oceans between themselves and their disparate pasts, but they have the same desire—to earn a coveted position on an elite team of stewardesses for Pan American Airlines. For Judy, running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania is a risk she must take. And for Beverly, leaving behind the gilded cage of New York society will allow her to pursue a future of her own making.
-
-
Draws you in!
- By theta29 on 06-10-25
By: Camille Di Maio
-
All the Summers in Between
- By: Brooke Lea Foster
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When wealthy, impulsive summer girl Margot meets hardworking and steady local girl Thea in the summer of 1967, the unlikely pair become fast friends, working alongside one another in a record store and spending every spare moment together. But after an unspeakable incident on one devastating August night, they don’t see one another for ten years…until Margot suddenly reappears in Thea’s life, begging for help and harboring more than one dangerous secret. Thea can’t bring herself to refuse her beloved friend—but she also knows she can’t fully trust her either.
-
-
It takes perseverance to finish.
- By KS Parker on 03-10-25
-
Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick
- A Love Story
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting listeners to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love—this time among the stars.
-
-
This has soared to the top of my all-time favs!
- By Kimberley on 06-03-25
-
The Gimlet Slip
- A Novella
- By: Fiona Davis, Greg Wands
- Narrated by: Carolina Hoyos, Patty Mattson, Marco Pelaez
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York, 1933: America is in its second decade of Prohibition, and its citizens have never been thirstier. Lydia Gardiner is the infamous queenpin of a criminal empire. From her penthouse in New York City’s ritzy Plaza Hotel, Lydia deals in all the city’s favorite vices—illegal liquor, drugs, women—ruling with an iron fist, a cold heart, and a knack for beating her coarse male counterparts at their own game.
-
-
Wanting more
- By Michelle Schwarz on 05-06-24
By: Fiona Davis, and others
-
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
- A Novel
- By: Martha Hall Kelly
- Narrated by: Martha Hall Kelly, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there.
-
-
Wonderful Story
- By mydoc3 on 06-11-25
-
Emily's House
- By: Amy Belding Brown
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Massachusetts, 1869. Margaret Maher has never been one to settle down. At 27, she's never met a man who has tempted her enough to relinquish her independence to a matrimonial fate, and she hasn't stayed in one place for long since her family fled the potato famine a decade ago. When Maggie accepts a temporary position at the illustrious Dickinson family home in Amherst, it's only to save money for her upcoming trip West to join her brothers in California. Maggie never imagines she will form a life-altering friendship with the eccentric, brilliant Miss Emily.
-
-
Emily’s Poems
- By Elliott Wolfe, M.D. on 10-30-21
-
Arctic Fury
- By: Greer Macallister
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eccentric Lady Jane Franklin makes an outlandish offer to adventurer Virginia Reeve: take a dozen women, trek into the Arctic, and find her husband's lost expedition. Four parties have failed to find him, and Lady Franklin wants a radical new approach: put the women in charge. A year later, Virginia stands trial for murder. Survivors of the expedition willing to publicly support her sit in the front row. There are only five. What happened out there on the ice?
-
-
Not what I thought it would be.
- By Morgana on 12-16-20
-
These Tangled Threads
- A Novel of Biltmore
- By: Sarah Loudin Thomas
- Narrated by: Libby McKnight, Nick Mills, Pilar Witherspoon
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of the great Vanderbilt mansion. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt’s 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn’t have the creativity needed. But there’s an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her—if only she knew where to begin.
-
-
Wonderful characters
- By Ann on 04-10-24
Critic reviews
“What a fresh and fun take on Barbie lore! Let's Call Her Barbie pulls off a feat: while digging deep into the history behind America’s favorite doll, it’s also a clever and satisfying exploration of creativity, feminism, and what it truly means to make art. And although the movie and the book are unrelated in this case, and the movie was fantastic… you know what they always say about the book being better.”—Shelby Van Pelt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
"Think you know Barbie? Think again, in this delightful, fast-paced, compassionate, and well-researched story, Renee Rosen skillfully takes everything you think you know and turns it on its head, telling us the real story of the feisty, strong, original woman who created America's most loved and most hated doll. Choose this one for your book club if you want the conversation to flow. I promise you everyone will want to talk about this excellent and fascinating book.”—Elizabeth Letts, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Ride of Her Life
"The story of how Barbie came to be is as iconic as the doll herself. Renee Rosen's research and deft writing bring Barbie—and those who brought her into the world—to vivid pink life and make Let's Call Her Barbie a riveting read for anyone who loves historical fiction, strong women (real and otherwise), Barbie the doll, Barbie the movie, or stories about the American dream. As an avid lover and collector of Barbies—at a time when society often looked as harshly at me as it once did the doll—this story spoke to my heart and spirit and made me love my beloved Barbies even more. The first must-read of 2025! It's DOLL-ing!"—Viola Shipman, USA Today bestselling author of The Page Turner
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
White Collar Girl
- A Novel
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office.
-
-
Couldn’t listen for more than 3 chapters.
- By Gigi k on 02-22-22
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Social Graces
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1876. In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, women are valued by their pedigree, dowry, and, most importantly, connections. They have few rights and even less independence - what they do have is society. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor - the Mrs. Astor.
-
-
Disappointing Effort
- By HistoryNerd on 05-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
Windy City Blues
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the 20th century, the music of the Mississippi Delta arrived in Chicago, drawing the attention of entrepreneurs like the Chess brothers. Their label, Chess Records, helped shape that music into the Chicago Blues, the soundtrack for a transformative era in American history. But for Leeba Groski, Chess Records was just where she worked. Leeba didn't exactly fit in, but her passion for music and her talented piano playing captured the attention of her neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offered her a job at his new record company.
-
-
Excellent!
- By LettyB. on 07-06-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
What the Lady Wants
- A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.
-
-
Wasn’t expecting that!
- By Meghan Jones on 12-19-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
Park Avenue Summer
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters.
-
-
It’s Beach Read Season
- By Boots on 05-23-19
By: Renée Rosen
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
White Collar Girl
- A Novel
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office.
-
-
Couldn’t listen for more than 3 chapters.
- By Gigi k on 02-22-22
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Social Graces
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1876. In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, women are valued by their pedigree, dowry, and, most importantly, connections. They have few rights and even less independence - what they do have is society. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor - the Mrs. Astor.
-
-
Disappointing Effort
- By HistoryNerd on 05-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
Windy City Blues
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the middle of the 20th century, the music of the Mississippi Delta arrived in Chicago, drawing the attention of entrepreneurs like the Chess brothers. Their label, Chess Records, helped shape that music into the Chicago Blues, the soundtrack for a transformative era in American history. But for Leeba Groski, Chess Records was just where she worked. Leeba didn't exactly fit in, but her passion for music and her talented piano playing captured the attention of her neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offered her a job at his new record company.
-
-
Excellent!
- By LettyB. on 07-06-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
What the Lady Wants
- A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.
-
-
Wasn’t expecting that!
- By Meghan Jones on 12-19-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
Park Avenue Summer
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters.
-
-
It’s Beach Read Season
- By Boots on 05-23-19
By: Renée Rosen
-
Dollface
- A Novel of the Roaring Twenties
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vera Abramowitz is determined to leave her gritty childhood behind and live a more exciting life, one that her mother never dreamed of. Bobbing her hair and showing her knees, the lipsticked beauty dazzles. As the ultimate flapper, Vera captures the attention of two high rollers, a handsome nightclub owner and a sexy gambler. On their arms, she gains entrée into a world filled with bootleg bourbon, wailing jazz, and money to burn. She thinks her biggest problem is choosing between them until the truth comes out. Her two lovers are really mobsters from rival gangs....
-
-
Unsympathetic characters
- By Bruno Roger on 09-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
Ace, Marvel, Spy
- A Novel of Alice Marble
- By: Jenni L. Walsh
- Narrated by: Gail Shalan
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At seventeen, Alice Marble has no formal tennis skills and no coach. What she does have is an ability to hit the ball as hard as she can and a strong desire to prove herself. With steadfast determination and one sacrifice after another, Alice plays her heart out on the courts of the rich and famous, at national tournaments, and—the greatest of them all—at Wimbledon, rising to be one of the top-ranked players in the world.
By: Jenni L. Walsh
-
Mary Coin
- By: Marisa Silver
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Alison Fraser, Mark Zeisler
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her first novel since The God of War, critically acclaimed author Marisa Silver takes Dorothea Lange’s "Migrant Mother" photograph as inspiration for a breathtaking reinvention - a story of two women, one famous and one forgotten, and of the remarkable legacy of their singular encounter. In 1936, a young mother resting by the side of a road in Central California is spontaneously photographed by a woman documenting the migrant laborers who have taken to America’s farms in search of work....
-
-
Engaging, Inventive . . . Still I Wanted More!
- By Paula on 03-13-13
By: Marisa Silver
-
Barbie and Ruth
- The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her
- By: Robin Gerber
- Narrated by: Karen Gundersen
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbie and Ruth is the remarkable true story of the world’s most famous toy and the woman who created her. It is a fascinating account of how one visionary woman and her product changed an industry and sparked a lasting debate about women’s roles. At once a business book, a colorful portrait of an extraordinary female entrepreneur, and a breathtaking look at a cultural phenomenon, Barbie and Ruth is a must-listen for anyone who ever owned a Barbie doll.
By: Robin Gerber
-
Nightbitch
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Yoder
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An ambitious mother puts her art career on hold to stay at home with her newborn son, but the experience does not match her imagination. Two years later, she steps into the bathroom for a break from her toddler's demands, only to discover a dense patch of hair on the back of her neck. In the mirror, her canines suddenly look sharper than she remembers. Her husband, who travels for work five days a week, casually dismisses her fears from faraway hotel rooms.
-
-
If you don’t get it just say so
- By Stephanie Rzonca on 02-19-22
By: Rachel Yoder
-
The Favorites
- A Novel
- By: Layne Fargo
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Louisa Zhu, Amy Landon, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship.
-
-
Great ice dancing Drama- Juicy!!
- By CALLAWAY on 02-02-25
By: Layne Fargo
-
We Do Not Part
- A Novel
- By: Han Kang, E. Yaewon - translator, Paige Aniyah Morris - translator
- Narrated by: Greta Jung
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One winter morning, Kyungha receives an urgent message from her friend Inseon to visit her at a hospital in Seoul. Inseon has injured herself in an accident, and she begs Kyungha to return to Jeju Island, where she lives, to save her beloved pet—a white bird called Ama. A snowstorm hits the island when Kyungha arrives. She must reach Inseon’s house at all costs, but the icy wind and squalls slow her down as night begins to fall. She wonders if she will arrive in time to save the animal—or even survive the terrible cold that envelops her with every step.
-
-
Powerful, Tough Listen
- By ncnickle on 01-26-25
By: Han Kang, and others
-
The Life Impossible
- A Novel
- By: Matt Haig
- Narrated by: Joanna Lumley, Jordan Stephens
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan. Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.
-
-
I LOVE this book!
- By Heidi M. Funk on 09-09-24
By: Matt Haig
-
Come Fly with Me
- A Novel
- By: Camille Di Maio
- Narrated by: Carly Robins, Dominique Salvacion, Sherri Slater
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell have different reasons for putting continents and oceans between themselves and their disparate pasts, but they have the same desire—to earn a coveted position on an elite team of stewardesses for Pan American Airlines. For Judy, running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania is a risk she must take. And for Beverly, leaving behind the gilded cage of New York society will allow her to pursue a future of her own making.
-
-
Draws you in!
- By theta29 on 06-10-25
By: Camille Di Maio
-
Glamorous Notions
- A Novel
- By: Megan Chance
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hollywood, 1955. As head costume designer for Lux Pictures, Lena Taylor hears startling confessions from the biggest movie stars. She knows how to keep their secrets—after all, none of their scandals can match her own. Lena was once Elsie Gruner, the daughter of an Ohio dressmaker. Her gift for fashion design helped her win a coveted spot at an art academy in Rome. While in Italy, she became enthralled by the charismatic Julia, who drew her into a shadowy world of jazz clubs, code words, and mysterious deliveries.
-
-
Story is interesting but too drawn out.
- By Maureen Rodriguez on 03-24-25
By: Megan Chance
-
Life Hacks for a Little Alien
- By: Alice Franklin
- Narrated by: Sally Phillips
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes.” Before she thinks of herself as Little Alien, our narrator is only a lonely little girl living in southeast England, who doesn’t understand the world the way other children seem to. So when a late-night TV special introduces her to the mysterious Voynich Manuscript—an ancient tome written in an indecipherable language—Little Alien experiences something she hasn’t before: hope. Could there be others like her, who also feel like they’re from another planet?
-
-
Interesting perspective, had some quirks
- By Lisa S on 06-02-25
By: Alice Franklin
-
Secrets of the Octopus
- By: Sy Montgomery, Warren K. Carlyle IV - contributor, Alex Schnell - foreword
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Remarkable new discoveries affirm the octopus as one of nature’s most intelligent and complex animals. This new book brings us closer than ever to these elusive creatures. The companion to the highly anticipated National Geographic television special, this book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.
-
-
Loved the narrative format
- By Kiana on 03-11-25
By: Sy Montgomery, and others
Story based on real characters
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Best History of Barbie
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The narrator was good not amazing. She delivers the story but didn’t necessarily add to it. Her narration felt overly stylized and not natural.
Super Fun Book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So good
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved this story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love the history aspect in a creative manner of delivery
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Delightful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great success story!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Relatable and real
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyed the story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.