Alabama Blue

A Southern Gothic Memoir

By: Toni K. Pacini

Narrated by: Toni K. Pacini

Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

From white trash mill village girl to Senior Cinderella. In Alabama Blue, Toni K. Pacini shares her tumultuous journey. A girl raised up like an invasive weed in an Alabama cotton mill village where illiteracy, bigotry, religious fanaticism, and abuse were as commonplace as fried chicken on Sunday. From pillar to post, and coast to coast, she sought a dauntingly illusive refuge.

Toni fled a life predestined for sorrow from cold cradle to cold crypt, and she made it! Her life needed a major re-write, and in Alabama Blue, she rewrote the hopelessness into hope, the sorrow into joy, and left the past to rest, as she moved forward into a new tomorrow.

©2016 Toni K. Pacini (P)2016 Toni K. Pacini

Listened to this one twice. Excellent!

I loved that Toni Pacini narrated this. I've heard better narrator but one can make many allowances in exchange for listening to the author's rendition. No one can quite fill the emotional toll like the author and in this case particularly. I would have enjoyed reading it but I can't imagine loving it equally. Some things are just better when read. A Mississippi girl myself, I love that drawl and it makes me miss my first home.
The story itself just flows. With all the biblibiographies that are told in flashbacks and back and forth time, the beginning- to- end was a welcome change. I feel a very fortunate person after listening to this memoir. I am not fond of people telling stories about how rough they had it just to say it was rough. This was my cup of tea. A rough story that was transcended, often by just hanging in there. Love it.
I was gifted this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Love a happy ending

I hurt for this poor girl all throughout the story. it made my life, one that wasn't wonderful or please be ,seem like a dream. I was so glad to see her end up having a happy ending . I almost could not hold back tears when she told about Goose! the one thing that would have made me give it 5 stars would have been finding out that she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior . I was as to know that she never did .

A universally relatable story on many levels.

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

Haunting, absorbing, triumphant

What was one of the most memorable moments of Alabama Blue?

I was struck most by how close to the edge she lived - as a child, a young adult and even in middle age. It was like a swamp was always sucking at her feet, trying to drag her back. The best part is that resounding pop when she finally pulls completely free.

Have you listened to any of Toni K. Pacini’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, both sometimes. Sometimes I could tell what was coming and I had to stop. "Look away". Take a breath. But come right back to it.

Any additional comments?

I am not a fan of memoirs in general. However, this one is not a run of the mill life story - even if it does start in a mill town (lame pun intended). Interesting and well told, it led me to relive those decades the way I lived them, by all the things that were recognizable and to be fascinated to see it all from Ms. Pacini's perspective. She is a relatable character / person. It's hard to use the word "fun" about a story of a child's hard-scrabble start in life and the epic battles she fought as an adult. But it is a plain *good story* and yes, that made it fun. In this audio version, her southern accent and the careful traces of emotion that come from it being narrated by the author made it particularly enthralling. I would recommend this story to anyone - not because there is any profound lesson in it (although there is), or because it's one of those where you come away admiring the courage and tenacity of a fellow human (although you do) but just because it is an interesting story, vividly told.

Alabama Blue

A must listen to audio book. I received a free copy of this audio book and of the book in exchange for honest review of each. The narration is a real compliment to the story. You can hear and feel the South in the narrator's voice and words. You transported to the time and place of the South era of the 1950s and 60's. A truly awesome narration.

Alabama Blue

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”


Alabama Blue
: Toni K. Pacini

A very emotionally riveting book about growing up in the most dire circumstances.


The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.

This is a wonderfully written colorful novel

I absolutely loved this book. I am usually not a fan of authors net narrating their own work, but Tony did an exemplary job. This was an incredibly emotional novel for me. I laughed and cried from beginning to end. The Way that she spoke of her dog goose you could tell just exactly how much she loved her baby. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. I received this book at no cost for an honest review

WOW! What a story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely refer this to a friend. An emotionally riveting memoir for sure.

Have you listened to any of Toni K. Pacini’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first experience listening to Ms Pacini narrate. I think it added so much to this book having her narrate it herself.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Story of Survival!!

Any additional comments?

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

I was raised less than 20 miles from Opelika al.

I hated every minute of this but because we are the same age and lived in the same place, I had to get through it. she reminds me of blanch in streetcar named desire. she isn't a victim of the horrible things that happened to her but rather the choices she made. I'm glad she found happiness. but all I could think of was that she found a perfect victim and I worried for him. I knew several girls in her circumstances who rose above it made a better life. there were resources available to her and good people to help in my town. I hate that she didn't choose a better path. I knew someone who knew her mother. she said that she did the best she could but her children we very much loved. I am glad she found some happiness and hope that she is still happy at this writing.