• This One Is Mine

  • A Novel
  • By: Maria Semple
  • Narrated by: Claire Christie
  • Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
  • 3.1 out of 5 stars (222 ratings)

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This One Is Mine  By  cover art

This One Is Mine

By: Maria Semple
Narrated by: Claire Christie
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Publisher's summary

Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life - except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap. For all their recklessness, Violet and Sally will discover that David and Jeremy have a few surprises of their own.

This One is Mine is a compassionate and wickedly funny satire about our need for more - and the often disastrous choices we make in the name of happiness.

©2008 Maria Semple (P)2013 Hachette

What listeners say about This One Is Mine

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    49
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    55
  • 2 Stars
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Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
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    51
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

REMARKABLE! Every Human Emotion Is Intertwined Exquisitely Throughout

Semple did a tremendous job showing us we are all human, & NO two journeys are the same.
We stumble, pick ourselves up, dust off and hopefully we grew insight and enough strength not to repeat our indiscretions. Sometimes, like expressed in a main character in this novel, we live the definition of insanity ( repeating the same thing over and over, and getting the same negative result.). Sometimes it takes some of us a little longer to figure this out. Every character in this book is authentic and ( like all of us ) an imperfect human being, searching for love, connections, and validation of their worth. That life is a journey of progress and learning, asking for forgiveness and forgiving. As long as keep moving forward, and looking for progress not perfection we're on the right path.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Okay book, what's with the mispronunciations?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story

What didn’t you like about Claire Christie’s performance?

The main character is supposed to be worldly and fluent in different languages, but this reader has no clue! It was annoying to hear "tarte tatin" (tart ta-tan) pronounced as (tart TAY-tin)

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Performers should know how to pronounce the words

The narration was not strong. She didn't always have the right tone or reflection, which was awkward at times. She also did not know how to pronounce some words which was highly annoying.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hermès is not pronounced "hur-meez"..

Really enjoyed the story and the narrator. My only complaint is her mispronunciation of hermès, which drove me absolutely insane.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Engaging

What did you love best about This One Is Mine?

Violet and David's relationship

Who was your favorite character and why?

David the husband. He had intelligence and depth and some unique skills which, along with some synchronicity, allowed him to be in a position of privilege. During the novel, he went through some surprising twists and turns.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were many. I enjoyed the way Violet and David's daughter Dot interacted in some surprisingly funny ways. i enjoyed the scenes before Sally's wedding because so many participants had secret/other agendas during the event. I enjoyed the scenes where David attended the yoga retreat.

Who was the most memorable character of This One Is Mine and why?

Sally, David's sister, was memorable for her self-centered and clueless interactions early on, and Teddy because he was full of surprises.

Any additional comments?

I am surprised I liked this so much. It was engaging, kept my attention, and I liked
the locale (California, the socioeconomic differences (rich and privileged to desperately poor), and the self-absorption (but capable of change) of the characters. The ending was surprising to me, but I'm glad it was.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

So bad

Would you try another book from Maria Semple and/or Claire Christie?

I don't think so. It was painful to listen to.

Would you ever listen to anything by Maria Semple again?

No plans to.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Claire Christie?

Um, anyone.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I can't think of any. I really tried to like it, I tried to stick with it thinking it would get better but it just got worse.

Any additional comments?

I downloaded the book expecting a funny, lighthearted story. What I got was unlikeable characters (really, really unlikeable, like I hated each one more than the last!) ridiculous interactions and a story that I did not care about at all. I kept hoping it would get better. Some stories start slow and get better. I am not one to stop reading a book once I start but I didn't want to lose any more minutes of my life to such an unpleasant read. Not fun, not interesting, not particularly well written. The narrator wasn't horrible but was not interesting to listen to, no inflection, all the characters sounded the same to me. This was a big disappointment to me and the first time I'll ask for my credit back.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Why is this overt racism okay in this day and age?

This book is totally entertaining, however, I’m confused about the overt racism and reliance on racist and ethnic stereotypes for humor. What’s equally bad, is the reader’s attempt at ethnic accents, even when the text does not call for it. Do we need to assume someone selling Mexican food speaks in broken English in a ridiculous Spanish accent? I cringed over and over but I’ll admit I keep listening. This isn’t a new book, but I’m shocked that it wasn’t written in 1952.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible pronunciation is distracting

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes - engaging and light, social parody

How could the performance have been better?

I am writing this review because of the reader - please at least learn to pronounce the words you are reading. Totally distracting. This is supposed to be an educated upper class narrator and the mispronunciations were like nails on a black board.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I wanted to like it

What did you like best about This One Is Mine? What did you like least?

I didn't like anything about this book so I baled. I enjoyed Maria's last book so much I jumped on this without looking at the subject matter. Narcissistic relationships and their ugliness are too close to home for me to enjoy this story. It was too painful for me to even get very far in the book. I shouldn't have assumed it was another comedy.

Any additional comments?

You may like it if you know what you are getting into.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

just don't

I can't believe the woman who wrote "Where'd You Go Bernadette" wrote this book. I've owned "This One Is Mine" on Audible for about two years. Started it a few times & gave up disgusted. It just drug on & there were no likeable characters & the dialogue rang so false & strange. I FINALLY listened to the entire thing, just bc it bugged me that I never finished it (& I LOVED her other book sooo much) & I feel nothing except anger at time lost. The end was kind of wrapped up in a bow & ridiculous. Unbelievable & unlikeable.

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2 people found this helpful