Dollbaby

A Novel

By: Laura Lane McNeal

Narrated by: January Lavoy

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans - a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets.

When Ibby Bell's father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father's urn for good measure. Fannie's New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been - and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum - is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie's black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.

For Fannie's own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby's arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby's hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places.

For fans of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and The Help, Dollbaby brings to life the charm and unrest of 1960s New Orleans through the eyes of a young girl learning to understand race for the first time.

By turns uplifting and funny, poignant and full of verve, Dollbabyis an audiobook listeners will take to their hearts.

©2014 Laura Lane McNeal (P)2014 Penguin Audio

I’m southern, very close to New Orleans . Spot on!

Loved it. The voices were fine!! Some people! Child to teen to adult transitioned just fine. Loved it.

Don't miss this one!

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

This is a powerful story, well-written. I couldn't stop listening!

What other book might you compare Dollbaby to and why?

It reminds me of THE HELP and Sue Monk Kidd's THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. Totally engaging, a sense of being in the world the author portrays.

What about January Lavoy’s performance did you like?

She's a good narrator, with a nice voice and a real talent for accents and inflections.

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

It touched me very deeply.

Wonderfully Written

Fantastic Narrator...and this author has a fan in me for LIFE.. This book is so well written it made me wonder how did the author do the character development. the twists and turns was so fascinating it made me wonder if she wrote the book backwards because the character development was fantastic in this book. The things that she outlined the little itty bitty details that she took time to mention that really built the characters and the story around them. It really was a tantalizing masterpiece for those of us who hang on every word of a story... I didn't want it to end. and I found myself wondering how many other books she's written so I could actually go out and buy those as well; and was surprised to find out this is her first novel.As an aspiring author myself it gave me great joy and encouragement this book. well done Laura Lane McNeal

Just Another Southern Coming of Age Novel

What did you like best about Dollbaby? What did you like least?

It was set in the 1960's - 1970's. Was hoping for a sketch of the civil rights movement at that time and some fresh perspectives on racial tensions of the day. Instead I found an entire cast of stereo-types.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

While there were some interesting moments, such as when the tree fell into the house, I think the author missed so many opportunities to explore significant historical moments. I didn't feel that any particular event stood out as being meaningful or crucial to the story. Not even the death of one of the main characters -- it almost didn't seem to matter.

Which character – as performed by January Lavoy – was your favorite?

January Lavoy did an adequate job of voicing the characters. The fact that sometimes her interpretations bordered on caricatures, may be blamed on the text itself.

Do you think Dollbaby needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. There's nothing more worth exploring in the lives of these loosely-constructed characters

Any additional comments?

The story and most of the events of the story felt contrived and intentionally inserted by the author -- I could almost see her ticking off each one on a "How to Write a Novel of the South" checklist: One large, motherly black cook/housekeeper - check. One sassy, authority-challenging black housemaid - check. One almost helpless and slightly eccentric white Mistress of the house - check. Along with stereotypical black-white racial tensions, protests, sit-ins. None of them portrayed as meaningful to the characters themselves. Deaths, rapes, discrimination were all treated as ho-hum realities of life in the 1960's. None of the characters enticed me to care very much. The incongruous elements that Ms. McNeal tossed into each character were probably meant to make them seem life-like and unique. However, this only served to confuse and distract from their personalities, making it difficult to imagine them as real people. I listened to the end of the recording -- with frequent breaks of days at time -- such was my lack of connection with anything in this novel. I finished it with an unsatisfied feeling that this could have been a really good book and was left to vaguely contemplate dozens of "if-only's".

Awesome Book

Loved this book held my attention from beginning to end. Highly recommend it. Loved the characters. Hated for it to end

Felt like a YA novel

Just an OK read. Felt like a young adult book, like the edges were too smooth. I like an edgier story with more bite! Narration was good, She kept the characters seperated I thought.

A Great Book

I wasn't sure what to expect when I began this book, but I quickly got pulled into the story and the characters. The performance is excellent. The more I listened, the more I enjoyed it. It kept growing on me. Well written! I also liked the way she wove and past into the present. It's a good read!

Wonderful, poignant and well told story!

Loved every second of it. the narration was realistic with different voices conveyed consistently throughout. The story is powerful, touching, and historically accurate within the time frame of the era depicted. Vivid, detailed descriptions allow the reader to visualize surroundings and immerse themselves in the vibe of the particular place and time events are occuring. I don't usually write reviews but I loved this book!

Interesting tale

I really enjoyed this read. I was hesitant to purchase as there were so many mixed reviews, glad I did. Narration is wonderful, characters are stereo typed but I can't imagine anything different given the time period of the story. I knew I loved the book when I found myself siting in the parking lot at work not wanting to turn the car off!

Great narration. Loved this book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Dollbaby to be better than the print version?

Yes. The narrator was amazing! She brought this book to life.

What did you like best about this story?

How real it was. Family dysfunction, secrets, pain- it is there and this shined a light on it.

What does January Lavoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her wonderful voice. She carried this book. I looked forward to listening to it daily.