Get Best Sellers Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

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Title: The Prince of the Marshes

Author: Rory Stewart

Narrator: Rory Stewart

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-15-07

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 87 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Told from Stewart's distinctly Western perspective,

The Prince of the Marshes chronicles his time acting as the deputy governor of two southern Iraqi provinces.

©2006 Rory Stewart (P)2007 Recorded Books

Critic Reviews:

"[This] book should be required reading for every political commentator." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A View From The Real Iraq

The pundits and the politicians have talked the Iraq situation into the ground. Everybody seems to know what the solution is and proclaims their conclusions boldly. Unfortunately, the chattering class is not deeply schooled in the history and culture of the country and most have never even been there. Rory Stuart probably didn't know much more than the pundits when he parachuted into the country and attempted to build something resembling a civil society in one southern province. But Rory Stuart is a quick study with an eye for the details that really matter. His story reveals a deeply complex and sophisticated society with political norms almost entirely foreign from our own.

No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, this book will challenge your assumptions on Iraq. It should be required reading for anybody who has a role in formulating U.S. policy there.

Recommended.

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Title: Edith Wharton

Author: Hermione Lee

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Abridged

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-07

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Born in 1862, Wharton escaped the suffocating fate of the well-born female, traveled adventurously in Europe and eventually settled in France. After tentative beginnings, she developed a forceful literary professionalism and thrived in a luminous society. Her life was fed by nonliterary enthusiasms as well: her fabled houses and gardens and the culture of the Old World, which she never tired of absorbing. Yet intimacy eluded her.

With profound empathy and insight, Lee brilliantly interweaves Wharton's life with the evolution of her writing, the full scope of which shows her to be far more daring than her stereotype as lapidarian chronicler of the Gilded Age. In its revelation of both the woman and the writer, Edith Wharton is a landmark biography.

Critic Reviews:

"Lee's tremendous biography of one of the most important American writers rises to landmark status." (Booklist)

"One might think that R.W.B. Lewis' excellent 1975 biography had precluded the need for another book about Edith Wharton. Not so. Reading Lee's superb new biography is akin to comparing a fine watercolor sketch to a vivid masterpiece." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Gardens Over Great Novels

Edith Wharton admirers will enjoy this biography. My only regret is history of her greatest novels were overshadowed by gardening plans, relationships with architects/designers and her war work. These are all part of her make-up but not what make her a dynamic and vital writer of the human condition as it thwarts itself against class and station. I was looking forward to a feast and was moderately happy with a tasty sandwich.

Abridged version favors life over works

As an abridgment this isn't bad, but other reviewers have complained that this version focuses on gardens instead of Wharton's works. That's true, but it seems to have been a conscious decision to give a more rounded picture of Wharton than another retelling of Ethan Frome might have done. Lee's biography is huge (800+ pages) but well worth reading in full fpr those whose interest is piqued by this version.

Who Knew . . . ?

that Wharton's life would make such a snoozer? Sure, I knew she had roots in New York society; but I had no idea she was a Francophiliac snob, a racist, and an antisemite. I've enjoyed her novels over the years, and I had looked forward to learning more about her from this book. Unfortunately, what I learned made me dislike her. The book is unevenly paced, flying across Wharton's family history, childhood, and early married years, then spending what seemed like ages on her gardening and French pretentions. Most irritating were the extended passages from the journals she kept while in France--read in French, without translations. My advice is to read the Wharton classics and skip the bio.

If you like Bohemian History, I don't

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I didn't care for this book. She may be old "Knickerbocker money" but she publishes her love life like a who's who of Montmartre. Kind of reminded me of "Moulin Rouge" the movie, of the slums of Montmartre.

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Title: Burton

Subtitle: A Biography of Sir Richard Frances Burton

Author: Byron Farwell

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 88 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Explorer and inventor, soldier and poet, archaeologist and diplomat, Richard Francis Burton (1821-90) was the most versatile and remarkable man of his age. But he was foremost an adventurer: "an adventurer in the intellectual and the spiritual as well as the physical world".

The pioneering traveler in Central Africa who was the first European to see Lake Tanganyika was also the translator of The Arabian Nights and the secret translator of Eastern sex manuals like The Perfumed Garden. The man who made a dangerous pilgrimage to Mecca in disguise also produced major writings on reptiles and religion, mining and mountain-climbing, slavery and sexuality.

Byron Farwell brilliantly recreates the sheer excitement of Burton's achievements and his astonishing range of interests in this fascinating biography.

Members Reviews:

A balanced view of Burton

This is a good overall view of Burton's life, but it does show its age in some parts (i.e. had to look up Midian) because country names and places have changed in the last four decades.

The book's first half is excellent as Burton led an exciting, adventuring life. But the second half drags quite a bit as Burton slows down and the book becomes more or less a listing of his published works and a year-by-year account of his wanderings.

That being said, it is an enjoyable listen and a good peak into the workings of colonialism and Victorian England.

Excellent in every way

If you could sum up Burton in three words, what would they be?

Real Life Adventure

Any additional comments?

This biography is brimming with detail and historical background, and all of this contributes to the sense of participating in Burton's explorations. Simon Vance does a wonderful job as the narrator, reading with intelligence and verve.

Very nice listen. I enjoyed the story very much. t

I enjoy this very much. The only problem I experience is when the story repeated itself for several times. a technical issue since the author would say something and then immediately afterwards repeat the same several lines immediately afterwards. I enjoyed the book very much. This is truly a very interesting man!

Reserved portrait of Richard Frances Burton

The reserved, distanced and slightly derisive portrait of Richard Frances Burton that the American Byron Farwell gives in his book Burton: A Biography issued 1963, is enhanced by the upper class accent of the narrator. That Burton's life and books still fascinates us is not reflected in the book whatsoever. Much weight is put on his failed career. I lost confidence for this biographer because both the wondrously beautiful The Kasidah and the Arabian Nights were step-motherly treated.

Not sure about Byron

The trouble with an audiobook is you can't look in the back and see what the documentation was on, say, the ugly nun who was spirited away from a convent by mistake. It sounds like some rowdy bar story to me. He clearly lived a larger life than most of us but I lost my confidence in Byron's perspective, especially after the blithe remark at the start of the book about women not having the mental capacity to be explorers.

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Title: The Discomfort Zone

Subtitle: A Personal History

Author: Jonathan Franzen

Narrator: Jonathan Franzen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-06

Publisher: HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 71 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

The story Franzen tells here draws on elements as varied as the explosive dynamics of a Christian youth fellowship in the 1970s; the effects of Kafka's fiction on his protracted quest to lose his virginity; the elaborate pranks that he and his friends orchestrated from the roof of his high school; his self-inflicted travails in selling his mother's house after her death; and the web of connections between his all-consuming marriage, the problem of global warming, and the life lessons to be learned from watching birds.

These chapters of a Midwestern youth and a New York adulthood are warmed by the same combination of comic scrutiny and unqualified affection that characterize Franzen's fiction, but here the main character is the author himself. Sparkling, daring, arrestingly honest, The Discomfort Zone narrates the formation of a unique mind and heart in the crucible of an everyday American family.

Critic Reviews:

"Wonderful." (Publishers Weekly)

"[A] gratifyingly unpredictable and finely crafted collection." (Booklist)

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: A Writer's Life

Author: Gay Talese

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-19-06

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Here are his amateur beginnings on his college newspaper; his professional climb at The New York Times; his desire to write on a larger canvas, which led him to magazine writing at Esquire and then to books.

In these and other recollections and stories, Talese gives us a fascinating picture of both the serendipity and meticulousness involved in getting a story. He makes clear that every one of us represents a good one, if a writer has the curiosity to know it, the diligence to pursue it, and the desire to get it right.

Candid, humorous, deeply impassioned, a dazzling book about the nature of writing in one man's life, and of writing itself.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a near-perfect expression of Talese's inquisitive personality, an inquisitiveness that has led to some of the outstanding journalism of the past few decades." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A Pastiche

I never read a book by Gay Talese before, so I thought this would be what the intro claimed. It had some of his life but also a lot of it seems to be unused stories and essays he never sold, combined into a pastiche. I would avoid this unless your a real fan of his writing. It contains more, much more, about the Bobbits, John and Lauraina than you ever want to know as well as more about the NYC restaurant business.

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Title: John Chancellor Makes Me Cry

Author: Anne Rivers Siddons

Narrator: Dana Ivey

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-16-06

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In this collection of heartfelt and involving vignettes, Anne Rivers Siddons, the beloved best-selling author of Downtown, Hill Towns, and Colony, offers a stirring and insightful look at our everyday world and how one woman has chosen to live in it. Moving from memories of her gentle grandfather to her uncanny ability to attract stray animals, Siddons' intimate stories of her family are graced with the same poetic lilt and vibrant detail that have so wonderfully served her novels. For all those who know and love her works of fiction, John Chancellor Makes Me Cry is a glorious and thoroughly entertaining treat.

©1994 Anne River Siddons; (P)1994 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Of interest to Seniors

This book is a wonderful look back at quieter times in the lives of those of us over 60, and probably would not appeal to

younger readers. This is my third reading of this book by an author I always enjoy. She writes well of a time when John

Chancellor was a well known newscaster held in affection with TV viewers 3 decades or so ago. I thoroughly recommend

it, but only for seniors who will smile and nod at Ms Siddons nostalgic memories in her vignettes.

Five Stars

My favorite Southern writer, in a non-fiction discussion of her life in Atlanta.

In great shape, but a little brown

In great shape,but a little brown.

A sweet Southern Woman

Of all the Anne Rivers Siddons books, this first is her only non-fiction and for some reason it remains my favorite. Without the devices of plot and character to get between the author and her audience, Ms. Siddons tells the stories that matter the most to her: the death of a beloved grandfather, the look of Atlanta in the spring, the lunacies inherent in the advertising industry and most of all a life well loved and well lived with her husband, menagerie and home.

These short essays that are somewhat dated with their references to issues that were prominent in the 1970s. However, the joys and tribulations of everyday life recounted here are timeless and the language is thoughtful, witty and heartfelt. The book is a joy to read and re-read and I give copies away like Gideon's disciples distribute bibles.

I cannot say Ms. Siddons is my favorite author or this is my favorite book (although they are whenever I'm re-read JCMMC). I can say her essays have become the dearest of friends.

"Steal Away Your Work Day Soul"

The evening news has always drawn me like a magnet - but sometimes watching it is soul wrenching. Past months have been particularly poignant. Mass murder in the name of God and parents murdering or abusing children entrusted to them, and on and on, it all become cumulative. I knew I had to replace my copy of JOHN CHANCELLOR MAKES ME CRY and re-read it. Isn't it too cool when a book is even better the more you read it? Can I recommend this book enough?

Ms. Siddons' foray into non-fiction is an excellent introduction to the depth of feeling and emotion in the many fine books she has written since. There is something that touches me on every single page of this year long glimpse into the life of this very REAL lady. Weather, stepchildren, cats, suburbs, politics, it's all there, along with a delicious slice of Maine and summers on the seashore.

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Title: The Life You Save May Be Your Own

Subtitle: An American Pilgrimage

Author: Paul Elie

Narrator: Lloyd James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-25-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 84 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Called the School of the Holy Ghost, for three decades they exchanged letters, ardently read each others' books, and grappled with what one of them called a "predicament shared in common".

Paul Elie tells these four writers' story as a pilgrimage from the God-obsessed literary past to the chaos of post-war American life. And it is a story about the ways we look to great books and writers to help us make sense of our experience, about the power of literature to change, and to save, our lives.

Critic Reviews:

"This thoroughly researched and well-sourced work deserves attention from students of history, literature, and religion, but it will be of special significance to Catholic readers interested in the expression of faith in the modern world." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

well worth the price and time

This book/audio follows the lives and thought of four Catholic literary figures from the 20th century: Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Thomas Merton and Dorothy Day. The perspective is clearly on the literary aspect of the lives of these well known Catholics. This is its strength and its weakness.

I found the work to be insightful and informative regarding the life stories of its protagonists, giving a helpful understanding of the contexts in which these persons lived and wrote. I was particularly taken by the portarits offered of O'Connor and Percy. Of course, these were to two persons of whom I had the least detailed knowledge.

The author's handling of Day and Merton left me somewhat frustrated. Perhaps this is because I have a better working knowledge of these two authors. The scheme of a life story with a literary focus worked well with the protagonists whose focus was literary. It didn't prove satisfying with those protagonists whose literary output was not the primary focus of their life's work.

These frustrations duly noted, my over all impression was that the tale told by the author was well worth the time spent listening. The audio quality of the spoken version is excellent and the narrator is quite good.

Great detail of information

Writer gives great insight into the lives and writings of these four Catholic writers. I liked the insight into their lives set in the context of historical events as well as the reference to their writings and their interaction with each other.

4 life long pilgrimages worthy to walk along with

When you walk along with them, you begin to reflect upon what your own pilgrimage is.

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Title: Michelangelo

Author: George Bull

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-17-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 25 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In this new life of Michelangelo, George Bull places him firmly in the context of his time. He worked during three-quarters of a century of tremendous change in European society, and as an artist was supremely responsive to the hopes, fears, and values of his culture, which he both exemplified and defied. Using recent research as well as the great established biographies and letters and records, Bull traces the life and spiritual quest of Michelangelo, man and artist, and brings to the narrative an exceptional feel for the Italian Renaissance.

Members Reviews:

very detailed

I struggled to finish this as there seemed to be minutiae that made the book become less interesting.

Excellent biography for those with some background

This is an excellent biography for readers who already have some knowledge about the Italy and Europe of Michelangelo's time. The author is thorough and fair. He makes good use of letters and other documents. The book is long but that is because Michelangelo lived a very long life and worked on many projects. The text moves at a good pace. If you are not reasonably familiar with the period--for instance, if you do not already know who Charles V and Francis I are--you should probably start with a more basic book. Otherwise, you might find it confusing when the author refers to Michelangelo's contemporaries with only slight background information.

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Title: The Other Side of Me

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Sidney Sheldon

Narrator: Mike O'Malley

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-14-05

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In his eagerly anticipated memoir, America's premier storyteller shares the story of his own life in a frank and revealing book that rivals any of his fictional tales. Sidney Sheldon is truly an entertainment legend: Author of over a dozen best sellers, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, and creator of some of television's greatest hits, he has lived a singularly fascinating life. Sheldon has seen and done it all, and now in this candid memoir, he shares his story for the first time, talking about the personalities, highs, and lows that have made his career and life so captivating. From a depression-era childhood in Chicago to an Air Corps stint in World War II to the bright lights and hot parties of New York and Los Angeles, Sidney Sheldon has lived the kind of life most people could never imagine...until now.

©2005 Sidney Sheldon. All Rights Reserved.; (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks. All Rights Reserved.

Critic Reviews:

"Reminiscent of his colorful novels, a rags-to-riches yarn replete with struggle, an indomitable hero, and eventual glamour." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

DULLLLLLLL

There was so much more in SS's life I would have liked to read about, but it was too much TV and not enough depth.

If only everyone's biography was this engrossing!

Sidney Sheldon should be even more famous than he is. The man has had three or four amazing careers in one lifetime and still comes across as humble as your elderly neighbour down the street. His ability to recall details from 50 years ago is astounding.

As a writer, I found myself envious; as a reader, I consider myself priveleged to now know how some of his iconic creations came into being. As a creative person, I found the whole thing incredibly inspiring. If you are any of the above you will enjoy the book and the author's own verbal input. The interview is a bit lame but then, she produced so I guess she's allowed.

Sheldon is an inspiration to any creative soul. If his story hadn't been written the world would be a lesser place. Thank God someone decided to do an audiobook. Now creative types who don't read can also benefit from a life well lived and well presented.

Loved it

If you like Sidney's books, you will love it.

Inspiring, enlightening, entertaining.

Enjoyed listening to it very much.

Terrific Story! I love Mr. Sheldon even more now.

Where does The Other Side of Me rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

One of the most enjoyable

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Other Side of Me?

The early years

What about Mike O'Malleys performance did you like?

Professional and friendly. Great performance.

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

Oh, yes!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook led me to some other biographies, which I have also enjoyed.

Ack! NOT About a Person's Struggle w/ Depression!

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I suppose someone who's a Sidney Sheldon fan, or interested in his general (hugely successful) career path, from scriptwriter to screenwriter, to TV, and finally as a novelist, would find this interesting.

What could Sidney Sheldon have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This book never delved into any real difficulty Sheldon's bi-polar disorder caused his professional or personal life.

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Title: Douglas Adams at the BBC

Subtitle: A Celebration of the Author's Life and Work

Author: Douglas Adams

Narrator: Simon Jones

Format: Original Recording

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-06-05

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 99 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Simon Jones, who played Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, presents a look back at the life and work of a writer who has captivated the imagination of millions.

When Douglas Adams created The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for BBC Radio 4, it was the genesis of a science fiction comedy legend. Yet his career at the BBC had begun in Light Entertainment, with contributions to The Burkiss Way, Week Ending, and other sketch shows of the time. He went on to script edit a series of Doctor Who, and to write a series of Hitchhiker and Dirk Gently books.

In programme, Simon Jones takes an A-Z look at Douglas Adams's career, taking in extracts from the many radio and TV programmes he contributed to. These include personal appearances on Wogan, Tomorrow's World, and Desert Island Discs, his own radio programmes such as Last Chance to See (about the search for endangered species) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Future (a look at impending technology), and even a 'lost' segment of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which Adams wrote specially for Radio 4's Steafel Plus in 1982. Also included are some of the many tributes paid to Adams following his untimely death in May 2001.

This is a fascinating and in-depth audio biography of a man whose brilliant work has inspired, enraptured, and entertained millions of people worldwide.

Members Reviews:

Reader's guide to a non-Hitchhiker Adams

Wish there had been more about the writing of Hitchhiker's and the radio and TV series. But that would be too predictable.

This is an audiography of Adams in alphabetical-not chronological-order. We are introduced to Adams of the Cambridge Footlights review, the sometime collaborator of Graham Chapman, the Doctor Who scriptwriter, the sketch artist, the friend of many Joneses--Terry, Stephen and Peter.

We get to listen in on excerpts from early radio and TV efforts and a number of author interviews, revealing an endlessly curiious and always inventive creator who excelled at recasting his stories for different media.

The audiography had many engaging letters of the alphabet, like J for Peter Jones, who was the voice of the book in the Hitchhiker series. Loved that. I would have preferred a chronological approach and, yes, more on Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, even if that would have made it a predictable biography. But if you are curious about the multi-faceted author, you'll want to hitch a ride on this one.

If you love Douglas Adams...

As a huge fan of Douglas Adams I have to listen to this every now and again just to keep in touch with his comedic genius. This is an alphabetical march through the life and career of Douglas Adams. Touching on various aspects of his contributions it is not just Hitchhikers Guide and Dirk Gentley stuff. A very touching and humorous tribute to a man who brought so much enjoyment to the world. So long Douglas, and thanks

A must for any Douglas Adams fan

If you are a Douglas Adams fan, this is a must for your collection. It has samples of interviews and things Douglas wrote from across his career.