An Abbreviated Life

A Memoir

By: Ariel Leve

Narrated by: Martha Plimpton

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A beautiful, startling, and candid memoir about growing up without boundaries, in which Ariel Leve recalls with candor and sensitivity the turbulent time she endured as the only child of an unstable poet for a mother and a beloved but largely absent father, and explores the consequences of a psychologically harrowing childhood as she seeks refuge from the past and recovers what was lost.

Ariel Leve grew up in Manhattan with an eccentric mother she describes as "a poet, an artist, a self-appointed troublemaker and attention seeker". Leve learned to become her own parent, taking care of herself and her mother's needs. There would be uncontrolled, impulsive rages followed by denial, disavowed responsibility, and then extreme outpourings of affection. How does a child learn to feel safe in this topsy-turvy world of conditional love?

Leve captures the chaos and lasting impact of a child's life under siege and explores how the coping mechanisms she developed to survive later incapacitated her as an adult. There were material comforts but no emotional safety except for summer visits to her father's home in Southeast Asia - an escape that was terminated after he attempted to gain custody. Following the death of a loving caretaker, a succession of replacements raised Leve - relationships that resulted in intense attachment and loss. It was not until decades later, when Leve moved to the other side of the world, that she could begin to emancipate herself from the past. In a relationship with a man who had children, caring for them yielded clarity of what was missing.

In telling her haunting story, Leve seeks to understand the effects of chronic psychological maltreatment on a child's developing brain and to discover how to build a life for herself that she never dreamed possible: an unabbreviated life.

©2016 Ariel Leve (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Very rich

Explores all the nooks and crannies of a deeply distrupted and painful childhood. I did not want it to end. I was totally immersed and absorbed in her struggle.

Wanted to know what she meant by “abbreviated”.

Loved this book. I cannot relate to all of it, but I can relate to some of it. Beautifully written from a place a both purity and rawness. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

Martha Plimpton, If You're Reading This...

Any additional comments?

Martha Plimpton needs to read all the audiobooks. ALL OF THEM.

I started journalist Ariel Leve’s gorgeous, riveting memoir on a plane and didn’t remove my earbuds once during the five-hour flight and one-hour commute home. Her larger-than-life mother (an unstable poet given to fits of alternating sweetness, uncontrolled rage, and disappearance) is as alluring a character as you’d find in a great novel. As Leve probes her chaotic childhood and subsequent struggle toward trust and stability, the super-talented Martha Plimpton elevates the material with intelligence, humor, and conviction. When I am super rich, I will have her read absolutely everything to me.

Wished it was longer

The story and Martha Plimpton as the narrator were simply incredible. I couldn't put it down. Hoping Ariel Leve has written more and I will listen to ANYTHING by Martha.

Amazing!!

If I could give a million stars to the performance, I would. Martha was the perfect narrator to give voice to Ariel’s story, and it’s a voice that needs to be heard.

Poignant & Riveting

Narration: Martha Plimpton should narrate EVERY audio book ever recorded. Absolutely not one criticism. Her inflections and change of tone were consistent and very helpful as the speaker in the book would change. Absolute perfection. Ariel's story was, of course, the real star. I feel the need to address some of the bizarre comments reviewers made regarding Ariel's privileged childhood somehow voiding the reality of her abuse. I had the EXACT same mother yet was raised in a paycheck to paycheck setting. Never, at any point, did I dismiss Ariel's feelings or experiences because she had a ritzy address or for the celebrities who partied in her mom's apartment in the wee hours of the morning as Ariel was trying to get to sleep for school the next day. Anyone who reads this book and has that as a takeaway 1. did not read the entire book and 2. has absolutely no concept of narcissistic abuse syndrome. I will listen to this book again. And again. I am Ariel's age and have had precisely the same circular, manipulative conversations with my mother. Ariel does an amazing job of painting, with excruciating detail, exactly what it's like to be indentured to a narcissist. I live with a hardcore narcissist right now (no surprise to other victims) and this book hit the nail on the head for his behavior as well. If you have a narcissist in your life, or suspect you have one, in any capacity, this book may be the validation you've been looking for.

Courageous book dealing with the devil you know

Ariel Leve’s story is remarkable and validates the crazy / unpredictable family life we endured. Leve describes her struggles growing up in a toxic environment and how she finds her personal pathway to freedom from her mother’s grip. I finished this book with hope for the future.

Beautifully written memoir

This is personal memoir at its best. The story is sad, tragic, funny, hopeful. The writing is excellent and the author clearly shows the emotional pain she has endured. It's not all maudlin. The author also paints a picture of healthy adults, and children, in her life. I loved the scenes of New York, the name-dropping, and her life overseas.

Martha Plimpton's narration is wonderful and was a perfect choice. All the best to the author and her mother.

Offers a view into origins of mental health issues

This was something of a surprise and left me thinking about it for weeks afterwards. I'd be tempted to suggest this be required reading as part of a general education system, just because it would probably help avoid people leaping to conclusions when discussing mental health and social issues - it's all too easy to suggest "pull yourself up by your shoe laces) without giving thought to the root cause. This is a valuable account and I'm extremely glad to have been exposed to it.

I am savoring this story

The best narration for an audio book I have found so far. Am really enjoying listening on my nightly commute back home in 15 minute snippets.
Love the writing, the story and narration and the New York City backdrop. Nostalgic for me being a native New Yorker. I found out quickly that audiobooks are not all created equal. Very few of them have professional narration like this book by Ariel Leve has.