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Title: Edgar Allan Poe: The Ambiguity of Death

Subtitle: The Ambiguities, Book 1

Author: Giuseppe Cafiero

Narrator: Joe Farinacci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-16

Publisher: eBookIt.com

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Giuseppe Cafiero presents the most intriguing biography of one of America's most enduring writers: poet, author, and critic Edgar Allan Poe. The beloved master of mystery and the macabre, Poe's life and work is explored through the creation of memories, recriminations, intense loves, and delicate devotions.

Using the form of literary nonfiction, Cafiero successfully structures this memoir in the style of a traditional fiction narrative. Introducing the listener to the character, The Reporter, whose story is a mirror in which it's possible to contemplate what is unreasonably hidden and infinitely ambiguous in the existence and in the writing of Edgar Allan Poe.

After Poe's infamous death, the reporter attempts to investigate the life and writing of Poe by attending a meeting at the Old Swan Tavern in Richmond. Invited to the interview is archrival Reverend Rufus Wilmot Griswold and one of the last to see Poe before his death, Dr. J. Evans Snodgrass. The reporter not only discovers the accusations of life filled with alcoholism, opium addiction, violence, and womanizing, but also begins to understand that this painful dark existence is not the antithesis to great writing. This is confirmed when the investigation continues with the meeting of an array of people by the reporter who divulge more information on the life of Poe and why many became the protagonists in his stories.

This surreal bio-fiction of the life of 19th-century American writer, father of detective fiction, Edgar Allan Poe, brings to life a solidly constructed psychological portrait of the writer through the characters in his works.

Members Reviews:

Nothing Really New

I will tell you first that Edgar Allan Poe is my favorite author. I own everything he's ever written, and several biographies. Therefore, I was intrigued by this book. Unfortunately, it's not exactly what I expected. I have attempted several times to read and re-read it, only to put it down. Finally coming to a conclusion, I can only hope to understand what the author is trying to communicate.

It is written in the style of Poe's books, as a sort of non-fiction fiction. But the difference is that with Mr. Poe's works, we knew that it was fiction; here it seems the author is attempting to channel Edgar, and I am not quite sure it works. At least, it doesn't work for me. At times I wasn't even sure if the people mentioned above were speaking about Poe or merely talking between themselves. I wasn't sure whether I was privy to a conversation about Poe, or if he were listening from another table nearby, in the first pages of the book.

As I read the ensuing chapters, I learned very little that would interest me. Labeling chapters such as Berenice - which was a tale by EAP - I wasn't sure if the author was reiterating what Poe had already written, or if he was attempting to put his own spin on it. This was just one of the examples I encountered that seemed odd somehow. Another is The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, Poe's only complete novel. Mr. Cafiero is reiterating Poe's work, but in such a way as it appears to be told by someone else. Honestly, I'm not sure what Mr. Cafiero wanted to achieve in this book, but it just doesn't appeal to me.

In the end, this book might be for others who enjoy this type of writing, but it just wasn't for me.

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Title: The Beholder's Eye

Subtitle: A Collection of America's Finest Personal Journalism

Author: Walt Harrington

Narrator: Adam Lazarre-White, Dendrie Taylor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Great journalists, at one time or another, have all been characters in their own stories: people with personalities that shaped what they saw and reported and were touched and changed by the experiences about which they wrote, and innovators who borrowed the storytelling techniques of fiction. The Beholder's Eye showcases the very best of an increasing trend toward personal narrative: Mike Sager stalking Marlon Brando in the Tahitian jungle; J. R. Moehringer's quest to discover the true identity of an old boxer; Bill Plaschke's story about a woman with cerebral palsy who runs an obscure Los Angeles Dodgers website; Scott Anderson's story of his lifetime of covering war after war; Harrington's own tale of his interracial family's struggle to persevere; and many others. Written by reporters who were willing to reveal themselves in order to bring listeners insights that were deeper than supposedly objective third-person stories, their articles are an invaluable resource for aspiring journalists, students, and teachers of the craft of writing and any listener with an appreciation for masterful storytelling.

"My Dinner with Ali" 1989, reprinted with permission of the author. First appeared in Sport. "Resurrecting the Champ" 1997, Los Angeles Times. Reprinted with permission. First appeared in Los Angeles Times Magazine. "Her Blue Haven" 2001, Los Angeles Times. Reprinted with permission. First appeared in Los Angeles Times. "The Passions of Mario Cuomo" 1985, reprinted with permission of the author. First appeared in Manhattan, Inc. "Last Tango in Tahiti" 1987, reprinted with permission of the author. First appeared in The Washington Post Magazine. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Excellent examples of first-person journalism

Harrington, in his introduction, explains that the "personal journalism" practiced in the examples in this idiosyncratic anthology (good reading) is NOT self-indulgent, as the other review here seems to imply. Some stories "demanded to be told through a personal lens," he writes, and others simply "allowed for the opportunity." His original experiment with the form was a story he wrote, somewhat hesitantly, about a story in his own life. Having been trained not to use "I" in a newspaper story, because the standard was to appear objective and keep yourself out of the story, he wrote his first (requested) story as if he were reporting on himself -- going back to the scene, interviewing others who participated in the event, and so on -- and he was astonished at how much more of a reaction he got from readers and friends than he got on most of his stories.

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Title: Starring Madame Modjeska

Subtitle: On Tour in Poland and America

Author: Beth Holmgren

Narrator: Sally Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In 1876, Poland's leading actress, Helena Modrzejewska, accompanied by family and friends, emigrated to Southern California to establish a utopian commune that soon failed. Within a year Modrzejewska made her debut in the title role of Adrienne Lecouvreur at San Francisco's California Theatre. She changed her name to Modjeska and quickly became a leading star on the American stage, where she reigned for the next 30 years. During this time, she established herself as America's most esteemed Shakespearean actress, playing opposite such celebrated actors as Edwin Booth and Maurice Barrymore. Starring Madame Modjeska traces Modjeska's fabulous life and career from her illegitimate birth in Krakow to her successive reinventions of herself as a star in both Poland and America, and finally to her enduring legacy.

Members Reviews:

Fascinating history

Where does Starring Madame Modjeska rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I'm a huge fan of Sarah Bernhardt, but had never heard of her contemporary, Helena Modjeska. What a fascinating peak into the theater of the day in Poland, and the U.S. A meticulously detailed history of the actress and her times. Very much enjoyed this audiobook. Not a "light" listen by any stretch - it's a 'meaty' listen and Martin's narration was yeoman's work!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Sally Martin's narration was akin to a favorite history professor, delivering the story of Madame Modjeska bit by bit, a consistent and easy to listen to narration- very much enjoyed her delivery.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

History of an actress' world

This book goes over the history of an actress who performed in Poland and California. My favorite part of the book was hearing about California history through the story. I thought most of it was slow. If you like history as much as I do, you will probably like this story!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

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Title: Jonathan Franzen

Subtitle: The Comedy of Rage

Author: Philip Weinstein

Narrator: Tom Zingarelli

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-22-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Jonathan Franzen's work raises major questions about the possibilities of contemporary fiction: How does one appeal to a broad mass of mainstream readers on the one hand while persuading connoisseurs, on the other, that one's fiction is high art? Even more acutely, how did Franzen move from the rage that animates his first two novels to the more generous comic stance of the two later novels, on which his reputation rests?

Wrestling with these questions, Jonathan Franzen: The Comedy of Rage unpacks the becoming of Franzen as a person and a writer - from his ultrasensitive Midwestern childhood through his heady years at Swarthmore College, his marriage, and the alienating decade of the 1990s, up to his spectacular ascent and assimilation into pop culture as one of the literary figures of his generation. Philip Weinstein joins biography and criticism in ways that fully respect their differences but also grant that the work comes, however unpredictably, out of the life.

Members Reviews:

A high brow book report...

In the introduction to this book, Weinstein writes, âpersons attempting to find in my book a standard biography of Jonathan Franzen will be â disappointed.â This would not be an issue had the description in Amazon started with this line. Instead, it said, âJonathan Franzen: The Comedy of Rage is the first critical biography of one of todayâs most important novelists.â Unfortunately, Weinsteinâs warning was accurate.

This is not a biography of Jonathan Franzen. If readers know anything about Franzen, then they know more than this book will reveal. The Comedy of Rage is simply a book report. Weinstein writes about the books and stories Franzen has written and gives a detailed critique of each. Any reference to Franzenâs life is only an attempt to tie the writing to the man, as any novelist knows, a writers work may have a reflection of oneâs life but iis not a one to one correlation.

The analysis of the characters in each of Franzenâs novels is somewhat interesting, but why not just read the novels for yourself? Weinstein writes as if this is a paper being presented to a gathering of English professors and he needs to impress them with his grasp of language. Franzenâs novels are complex, challenging, and literary. A book report does not need to be.

The other warning that should have come with this book is that it is full of spoilers. If a reader has not read Franzen, especially his newest â Purity, Weinstein reveals way too many plot points that will spoil the enjoyment of discovery.

My advice would be to pass on this book, unless you have read all of Franzenâs work. But if you have, then there is no need to read this unless you need fodder for a book report of your own.

This one gets two stars.

A good approach about a great writer.

Franzen is actually the most famous writer of Usa, and Weinstein tries to understand the reason of this success. But that doesn't be an obvious operation to level of mass-media, as it can like in relation to the great number of his books bought by the people of all world. Weinstein explicates as the work of Franzen is of the same type than the great authors whom have produced the important literature in Usa.

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Title: Special Deluxe

Author: Neil Young

Narrator: Neil Young

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-15

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Special Deluxe, written and read by Neil Young.

Quirky and wonderfully candid, Neil Young's new book of reminiscences is as compelling as his first book. He returns with more unforgettable stories about his six decades in the music business - but this is not your average rock biography. He centres this new work on one of his life's passions, cars, using the framework of all the cars he's ever owned to construct a narrative of his life and career, exploring and demonstrating how memories are attached to objects. Young also expresses regret for the environmental impact of his past cars and now passionately advocates the use of clean energy.

Special Deluxe is a mix of memoir and environmental politics by one of the most gifted and influential artists of our time.

Members Reviews:

A fascinating history of Neil Young's love of cars

Being a huge Neil Young understanding his love of cars helps you understand his music.

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Title: Reckless

Author: Chrissie Hynde

Narrator: Rosanna Arquette

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-08-15

Publisher: Random House AudioBooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

By the time she was 14, Chrissie Hynde knew she had to get out of Akron, Ohio. Her perfect '50s American childhood upturned by a newly acquired taste for rock 'n' roll, motorbikes and the get down boys' seen at gigs in and around Cleveland - Mitch Ryder, the Jeff Beck Group, the Velvet Underground and David Bowie among the many.

Wrapped up in the Kent State University riots and getting dangerously involved in the local biker and drug scenes, she escaped - to Mexico, Canada, Paris and finally London, where she caught the embryonic punk scene just in time not only to witness it first-hand, but more importantly to seize the opportunity to form her own band, The Pretenders.

Iggy Pop, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Vivienne & Malcolm, Ray Davies...on every page household names mingle with small town heroes as we shift from bedroom to biker HQ; from squat to practice room; from pub gig to Top Of The Pops - the long and crooked path to stardom, and for The Pretenders, ultimately, tragedy.

That Chrissie Hynde is alive to tell the tale is, by her own admission, something of a miracle. Throughout she is brutally honest, wryly humorous, and always highly entertaining. She has written one of the most evocative and colourful music memoirs to be published in recent years.

Narrated by Rosanna Arquette.

Members Reviews:

Brilliant Book!!!

Wonderful slice of life from the late sixties( hippy era) early seventies( punk era) Chrissies style of writing is strong, poetic and melodic...and captures the realities of over excess, creativity and how perhaps the one depends on the other..or drives the other. Difficult to know for sure...this is a very real memoir! She says basically..."This is how it was"

Superb and very honest autobiography

A snotty, arrogant turn on" read a early review of a typical Chrissie Hynde live performance fronting the Pretenders. Never a woman to compromise, Chrissie has always been known for her feminist world view not to mention her radical vegetarianism. But that persona, as this superb rock biography shows, is tempered by a touching vulnerability and a genuine wit. Despite a downbeat ending to this book - with the drug- linked deaths of both Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon and guitarist James Honeyman Scott - this book is fascinating stuff. Born in 1951 on Akron, Ohio, Chrissie takes us through a somewhat chaotic life prior to founding the Pretenders in the late 70s. An Iggy Pop obsessive, she was at Kent State University during the fatal riots of 1970. She lived in Canada, Mexico and Paris before falling in love with London. She has ingested a factory full of drugs and booze. She worked at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's shop in London in the mid 70s and later was at the heart of the punk scene, fronting fledgling early incarnations of both the Clash and the Damned. She nearly got hitched to Sid Vicious (but only to be allowed to stay in Britain) and former partner Ray Davies, but didn't marry either. This is a book full of history, tragedy, belly laughs and the author's acerbic but, in the end, likeable personality. While this book is raunchy and acutely honest, it is no kiss and tell celebrity shag-fest, and it's all the better for that. Read it even if you didn't like The Pretenders.

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Title: An Unauthorized Guide to Arthur Hailey

Subtitle: A Short Biography of the Author of Airport and The Moneychangers

Author: Malcolm Stone

Narrator: Kevin Kollins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-19-15

Publisher: Malcolm Stone

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

This article profiles Arthur Hailey. His 11 published novels established him as a best-selling author. Find out how one flight led Hailey to his career as a novelist, and learn how his career developed.

Members Reviews:

Disappointed

It is very short and a simple search on the internet will give you as much information as what the audible version gives you. Fortunately it was pretty cheap and I paid for it instead of using a credit. I was very much disappointed.

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Title: American Legends: The Life of William Holden

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Bobby Brill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-03-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

"Aging is an inevitable process. I surely wouldn't want to grow younger. The older you become, the more you know; your bank account of knowledge is much richer". - William Holden

In the 1940s, the movies were filled with rugged, intimidating men who had a rough style adored by female screen characters and moviegoers alike. Unlike their European counterparts, the evolving subgenres of the American leading man began to include individuals with iconic quirks in general appearance, voice and humor, as an alternative to the rugged, understated, and sometimes reluctant "man of the people". It was William Holden who became Americas first choice among films requiring a shy, cynical, and sexually potent "broken hero" on the screen, less thoughtful, perhaps, than Gregory Peck, and less rigid than Gary Cooper. Perhaps Holden's many unwilling heroes filmed over a 40 year career were aided by the reality that Holden was much like them, an actor who was uncomfortable on the set and terrified of screen intimacy, on certain occasions requiring lengthy alcoholic binges to get through some of the steamier love scenes and sexualized dances with co-stars such as Kim Novak, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly.

Members Reviews:

Three Stars

Not so great!

Three Stars

It wasn't very long and had no new information.

What a sad story

A brief summary of the life of a good actor but a very self-destructive man. Talent and success don't always bring happiness. Interesting read.

Hold on for William Holden's life summary.

Great synopsis of a versatile actor. I enjoyed the intelligent way the author portrayed his life and his works. Would recommend to anyone interested in a true American screen legend.

Two Stars

Too short

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Title: American Legends

Subtitle: The Life of J. D. Salinger

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Nicholas S. Johnson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-07-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

"I love to write and I assure you I write regularly.... But I write for myself, for my own pleasure. And I want to be left alone to do it." (J. D. Salinger)

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

J. D. Salinger might have been one of America's greatest 20th century authors, but only he knows for sure. As a young adult, Salinger wrote a number of short stories that were published during the 1940s in Story Magazine, and his story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" appeared in The New Yorker magazine to wide praise. Salinger followed that up with his most famous work, the 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, which was popular among adults and adolescents alike.

Regardless of whether Salinger was one of the 20th century's greatest authors, he was certainly one of the most unique. In the aftermath of his novel's incredible success, Salinger became steadily more reclusive, publishing less and less in the 1950s until he disappeared entirely from the public eye for the last 40 years of his life. Salinger was rarely heard from, except for when he was filing lawsuits alleging copyright infringement to protect his work, and in one of his few statements, he stated, "There is a marvelous peace in not publishing.... I pay for this kind of attitude. I'm known as a strange, aloof kind of man. But all I'm doing is trying to protect myself and my work."

Members Reviews:

For Those New to Salinger

Very good for those who don't know much about Salinger.

Great insight of the man

I watched the movie documentary titled "Salinger" released by the Weinstein company and it echoed this book' premise...an enimgatic gifted american author whose life is embodied in his works most especially "Catcher in the Rye".

Too bad he bacame a recluse and only knew him through his biographies and through those lucky enough to have seen or met him. This book is a reference material of him for my library. Great read...great man.

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Title: Traveling Heavy

Subtitle: A Memoir in Between Journeys

Author: Ruth Behar

Narrator: Sally Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-01-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Traveling Heavy is a deeply moving, unconventional memoir by master storyteller and cultural anthropologist Ruth Behar. Through evocative stories, she portrays her life as an immigrant child and later as an adult woman who loves to travel but is terrified of boarding a plane. With an open heart, she writes about her Yiddish-Sephardic-Cuban-American family as well as the strangers who show her kindness as she makes her way through the world. Compassionate, curious, and unafraid to reveal her failings, Behar embraces the unexpected insights and adventures of travel, whether it's learning that she longed to become a mother after being accused of giving the evil eye to a baby in rural Mexico or going on a zany pilgrimage to the Behar World Summit in the Spanish town of Béjar.

Behar calls herself an anthropologist who specializes in homesickness. Repeatedly returning to her homeland of Cuba, unwilling to utter her last good-bye, she is obsessed with the question of why we leave home to find home. For those of us who travel heavy with our own baggage, Behar is an indispensable guide, full of grace and hope in the perpetual search for connection that defines our humanity.

The book is published by Duke University Press.

Critic Reviews:

"A moving story of finding oneself through a lifetime of travel, this will be a terrific addition to memoir and Judaica collections." (Library Journal)

"A heartfelt witness to the changing political and emotional landscape of the Cuban-American experience." (Kirkus Reviews)

"All those intrigued by their ancestral story will be moved by the personal quest and also by how - with the help of computers as well as the kindness of strangers - the lost can find their way home." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

A curious insight into a unique experience

Travelling Heavy is Ruth Behars memoir of her life as an anthropologist from a Yiddish-Sephardic-Cuban-American family. That in itself makes Behars story a curiosity.

Id like to credit Sally Martin for her fantastic narration of this audiobook. There are words from so many different languages throughout the book Behar visits a lot of countries and her family share a variety of languages. Martins pronunciation is great! Im no expert but it sounds authentic to me. She keeps the story jogging along even when the author hasnt quite managed it.

The first section about Behars ancestry is fascinating the difficulties in relationships between people who share race but not culture and language. I found it rather enlightening on the multiculturalism of Cuba. I especially loved the story about the young Ruth going to school and being put in the dumb class because she didnt speak English. The motivation for her speedy English language development is a friendship with a Japanese boy, also in the dumb class for not speaking English. Its absolutely endearing.

Other parts of the stories are very interesting. While working as an anthropologist in a small village Behar hides her religion or outright lies about it to the people she is staying with. Similarly, she hides her relationship with her boyfriend to her family she denies it, to the people they are staying with they say that they are married.