
My Notorious Life
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Terry Donnelly
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By:
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Kate Manning
About this listen
A brilliant rendering of a scandalous historical figure, Kate Manning's My Notorious Life is an ambitious, thrilling novel introducing Axie Muldoon, a fiery heroine for the ages.
In vivid prose, Axie recounts how she is forcibly separated from her mother and siblings, apprenticed to a doctor, and how she and her husband parlay the sale of a few bottles of "Lunar Tablets for Female Complaint" into a thriving midwifery business. Flouting convention and defying the law in the name of women's reproductive rights, Axie rises from grim tenement rooms to the splendor of a mansion on Fifth Avenue, amassing wealth while learning over and over never to trust a man who says "trust me."
When her services attract outraged headlines, Axie finds herself on a collision course with a crusading official - Anthony Comstock, founder of the Society for the Suppression of Vice. It will take all of Axie's cunning and power to outwit him in the fight to preserve her freedom and everything she holds dear.
Inspired by the true history of an infamous female physician who was once called "the Wickedest Woman in New York," My Notorious Life is a mystery, a family saga, a love story, and an exquisitely detailed portrait of nineteenth-century America. Axie Muldoon's inimitable voice brings the past alive, and her story haunts and enlightens the present.
©2013 Kate Manning (P)2013 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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This is an unusual, highly entertaining story.
- By Kay Tracy on 02-13-19
By: Patrick Süskind, and others
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One Thousand White Women
- By: Jim Fergus, J. Will Dodd - introduction
- Narrated by: Laura Hicks, Erik Steele
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who travel to the Western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians.
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Good story, well read, you know how it ends
- By Cynthia on 09-30-07
By: Jim Fergus, and others
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Once Upon a River
- By: Diane Setterfield
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A body always tells a story - but this child’s was a blank page. Rita reached for the lantern. She trained its light on the child’s face. "Who are you?" she murmured, but the face said as little as the rest of her. It was impossible to tell whether, in life, these blunt and unfinished features had borne the imprint of prettiness, timid watchfulness, or sly mischief. If there had once been curiosity or placidity or impatience here, life had not had time to etch it into permanence. Only a very short time ago, the body and soul of this little girl had still been securely attached.
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Enjoyed thoroughly... one minor glitch
- By Jen817 on 12-27-18
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Is She Really Going Out with Him?
- By: Sophie Cousens
- Narrated by: Kerry Gilbert
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.
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Meh
- By LMH on 12-04-24
By: Sophie Cousens
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The Wildes
- A Novel in Five Acts
- By: Louis Bayard
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Rodgers, Damian Lynch, P.J. Ochlan, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his family retreated to the idyllic Norfolk countryside for a holiday. His wife, Constance, has every reason to be happy: two beautiful sons, a stellar reputation as an advocate for progressive causes, and a delightfully charming and affectionate husband and father, who is perhaps the most famous man in England. But as an assortment of houseguests arrive, including an aristocratic young wannabe poet named Lord Alfred Douglas, Constance gradually—and then all at once—comes to see that her husband's heart is elsewhere.
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Lost in the beautiful writing
- By Sharon Love on 01-22-25
By: Louis Bayard
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There Are Rivers in the Sky
- A Novel
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Olivia Vinall, Elif Shafak
- Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia, erudite but ruthless, built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives. In 1840 London, Arthur is born beside the stinking, sewage-filled River Thames. With an abusive, alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, Arthur’s only chance of escaping destitution is his brilliant memory.
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I am 81 years old. Profoundly moved from this book. Plan to get my first tattoo.
- By mary e hennessy on 10-21-24
By: Elif Shafak
What listeners say about My Notorious Life
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- Delaney Faulk
- 02-03-23
A must read for 2023
This gorgeously written historical novel shines a light on an midwife and the horrors she went through to help others. Based on a real person- everyone should listen to this
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- MEM54
- 12-28-16
Loved it!
It takes a while to get used to the narrator but once you do the story and the narration are magical.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 11-16-15
A compelling story, but an awful reader
Would you listen to My Notorious Life again? Why?
I wouldn't listen to this again, because I couldn't stand the reader. Which is annoying, because the story was excellent.
What was one of the most memorable moments of My Notorious Life?
The descriptions of the lives of women of the time, especially lower class women, were excellent. And the medical care they received was stomach turning.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
The story already has a melodramatic feel, and she takes it about three steps too far. Her voice becomes grating, and getting through the story took effort.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
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5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-20-22
Too much
It took too long to tell a good story and belabored the characters with details. The presenters voice was more tolerable when the speed was faster.
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- Jewelry lover
- 10-09-18
Loved It!!
I can't believe I didn't listen to this before now. I read a similar book that I can't remember the title. But this book adds depth and character development that the one I can't remember did. Don't pass this by if you are into women's issues.
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- R Fitz
- 09-25-16
good story
great story, a little graphic at times. didn't love the breathy reading when voicing characters other than the protagonist
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- Jeanne
- 11-15-13
Narrator gave me false hopes
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
I liked the narrator but the middle third, as others pointed out, was pretty tedious. No big surprises, actually fairly predictable.
Would you be willing to try another book from Kate Manning? Why or why not?
I don't think so.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Adrianna Baker
- 04-20-15
Awful reader
Loved the book!! HATED The reader. Try a sample first!! I don't think I would have listened if I tried a sample first.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Sara
- 04-09-16
Engaging book and storytelling
The story of this courageous women is compelling and all consuming. The narration adds to the story and helps paint a picture of what life was like for this Irish immigrate turn notorious abortionist.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-23-22
Long story
Story very interesting especially at first. Went on a bit too long for my liking. Seemed almost repetitive. The reader drones on in a rather whiny voice. Constantly whining it seemed .
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