• Learning to Live out Loud

  • A Memoir
  • By: Piper Laurie
  • Narrated by: Piper Laurie
  • Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (35 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Learning to Live out Loud  By  cover art

Learning to Live out Loud

By: Piper Laurie
Narrated by: Piper Laurie
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The intimate memoir by three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie, one of Hollywood's most gifted and respected actresses, read by the author.

At the age of 17, in the glory days of moviemaking, Piper Laurie was living every little girl's dream. A contract star with Universal, Piper was elevated to the heights of Hollywood, her name emblazoned on 1950s marquees across America for hit movies like The Prince Who Was a Thief, The Mississippi Gambler, and Ain't Misbehavin'. Meanwhile, Piper's beauty was admired by the likes of Ronald Reagan, Howard Hughes, Paul Newman, and Tony Curtis as well as dozens of directors and legions of fans.

But Piper discovered early on that the little girl's dream was not her own. Mortified by the shallowness of the roles and movies she was given, she longed for the freedom and fulfillment of her own artistic vision, finally finding the courage to leave her contract behind. After leaving the oppressive studio culture, Piper began to star in the live TV shows, plays, and films that became her career hallmarks: The Glass Menagerie on Broadway, the original Days of Wine and Roses, The Hustler, the iconic Carrie, and Twin Peaks - earning three Oscar nominations and winning Emmy and Golden Globe awards during her impressive career.

This memoir is the inspiring tale of Piper's perseverance to break from tradition and to practice her craft at the highest level. She started life as a withdrawn, mute child who couldn't find her voice and was transformed into a woman who learned to live out loud by her own rules.

©2011 Piper Laurie (P)2016 Piper Laurie

What listeners say about Learning to Live out Loud

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing woman and life.

Would you consider the audio edition of Learning to Live out Loud to be better than the print version?

I don't know as I have not "read" the printed. I do know there is something wonderful about Ms. Laurie's voice that makes this audiobook a true pleasure to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

I never got bored. All of her life and stories about old Hollywood and the movies, Theatre, and TV she has done are all so fascinating to me. She was a woman ahead of her time!

Which scene was your favorite?

So many of them I loved but I would have to say all the Twin Peeks info was great fun to learn.

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

Laughed a few times. Did not cry but I did feel her pain many times.

Any additional comments?

This is one of, if not the best autobiographies I have ever read. She is so honest about herself and her life that you cannot help but be drawn into her telling of it. There are things many people would have left out but not Ms. Laurie. She lets you see her warts and all. I loved every step of the road she took me on with this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

An absolute gem - don't miss it

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

Ms. Laurie tells her extraordinary life story with enormous gusto. Few would guess, from her public persona, that she has lived one of the most colorful lives in show business.

What did you like best about this story?

A lot of surprises. And Ms. Laurie's beautiful delivery.

Which scene was your favorite?

Every one.

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

Yes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Piper Laurie's Honey Tinged Voice Will Enthrall!

Piper Laurie will forever be remembered for her roles in 1976's "Carrie" and the original television series "Twin Peaks". Yet, her illustrious career began years earlier as a contract player with Universal Studios where Shelley Winters also had her start.

Listening to "Learning to Live Out Loud" is a treat for the reader because Laurie, like actress Patricia Neal, has such an instantly recognizable and charming voice that her well written biography takes on a more conversational tone. I was so pleased to learn that Laurie narrates the entire text which is over 14 hours in length. Laurie doesn't read her life to you or even perform it. Rather, she relives it which makes the experience a rewarding and memorable one.

Recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Fantastic Read and Listen!

A life full of stories and it's wonderful hearing her tell it in her own words!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Breathtaking...

I don't even know what drew me to this book but I'm so glad that I took the plunge and gave it a shot. Piper Laurie takes you on a beautiful journey and you finish feeling extremely privileged to have learned so much about life, love and overcoming your fears to achieve your dreams.
Bravo Ms. Laurie, bless you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Keeps on Giving

Where does Learning to Live out Loud rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Wow, what an interesting account from an actress. She has great stories about many of our favorite actors and her own personal upbringing is quite interesting. She shares everything, and I like that. Her feelings and thoughts are not spared. The book is great, because even toward the end, she keeps things interesting. I definitely, got a lot of book for my money. I had to read it over several days. I would listen while I walked, drove, or made dinner. Very interesting. I highly recommend this book!

What did you like best about this story?

The honesty, she did not seem to portray anyone in her life, in a bad lite. She mainly sees the good in people.

What about Piper Laurie’s performance did you like?

Her voice is part of the story, because it is told from her perspective and it feels real.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Her childhood when she and her sister were left for 2-3 years at a school for children, with barely a word from their parents.

Any additional comments?

I think I would like Piper Laurie a lot if I were to meet her in person. She seems like a classy lady.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

A truly fascinating listen

The elder Piper Laurie’s deep, expressive voice, illuminating the life and career of the younger woman in those wonderful films?—just delicious. PL so intelligently tells her own story, set in an era when actresses were supposed to conform to Hollywood’s rules—only sometimes she didn’t. Her perspective and performance are a treat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

In her own voice

Piper Laurie’s narration in her beautiful voice of her own life was very inspiring!! She started out so tough in her childhood and grew to be such a strong, intelligent and talented women, especially during a time when women were only approved of, if they married and had children. I loved the movie Tim, and at the time...told myself it was because of Mel Gibson...later realizing it was because of Piper Laurie.
This is a relaxing and enjoyable memoir that includes all her feelings about inner-growth, love and loss, and at times is very poignant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

I love it.

I've been a fan of Piper Laurie for awhile and love listening to her tell her life story. I've listened to the audio book a few times and also read her book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Voice annoying

Could not continue to listen to this book. The reader’s voice was annoying to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!