Chiseled

A Memoir of Identity, Duplicity, and Divine Wine

By: Danuta Pfeiffer

Narrated by: Danuta Pfeiffer

In this gripping memoir, Danuta Pfeiffer grew up with parents as extraordinary as they were flawed. John and Patricia Rylko and their three children lived a nomadic life following the seasons to accommodate John's work as a gifted sculptor during the summers and as a philandering ski instructor in the winters. They lived in a circus tent, built their first cabin, and lost it for a dollar.

John Rylko flaunted his charm as a story teller, entrancing all who listened of his wartime glories as a Polish soldier and his silver medals in the 1936 Winter Olympics, while Patricia, a nurse, pulled double shifts at hospitals, hitchhiking to work and feeding her family off the land with roadkill deer and blackberry pies.

Those times of resiliency would have to sustain Danuta when she was raped and secretly gave birth to a baby. She escapes her enraged father on a daring journey to Alaska during the storm of the century.

Through betrayals and loss and her search for redemption, she becomes the unlikely co-host to a television evangelist bent on becoming the president of the US. When her past catches up to her, she is caught in the crosshairs of politics and religion. In a gutsy move, she abandons Christianity during a bicycle ride from Canada to Mexico and unravels her father's hidden life in the Carpathian Mountains of Poland, only to discover her own life hidden in the folds of resiliency, tenacity, and grit.

Danuta Pfeiffer now lives in a vineyard in Oregon, making fine wine with her husband Robin Pfeiffer.

©2015 Danuta Pfeiffer (P)2018 Danuta Pfeiffer

like fine wine!

with each obstacle she faced she became stronger and more determined! This Woman's life was filled with challenge and drama. She managed to turn each chapter of her life into an adventure which strengthened her and delighted her friends. the book is so well written I could hardly put it down. She dazzles with wordplay and metaphor building while telling an incredible story.

Such an empowering story!

I had the pleasure of meeting Danuta Pfeiffer during a writer's convention in Oregon a few years ago. I bought and read a copy of her book, and thought it was such an empowering story. I couldn't put it down. The audio version is enhanced by the fact that it was being read by the author herself.

Chiseled, took me on a rollercoaster ride of the highs an lows of Danuta's life, and left me feeling the kind of empowerment that one gets from reading about someone that has had had many obstacles thrown her way, yet finds the strength to not only pull herself up from rock-bottom, but thrive.

This book left me feeling determined to use all of the obstacles that I've faced both as a teen when I had my first of two children, now ages 27 and 17, and as a woman living in a man's world. This book left me feeling that my dreams can be a reality; they're mine for the taking.

Even More Amazing than The Book!

Before listening, I read this incredible book. Danuta is such a gifted writer. Her descriptions and the way she puts words together kept me in awe, not only of her story but her gift of writing. I LOVE hearing Danuta read her story. It was personal and riveting. I highly recommend the Audible book to everyone. CS

A fascinating personal journey

This isn’t my usual reading but the book blurb intrigued me. I wanted to know how a person swings back and forth between such extremes. I don’t have to agree with all of person’s views to find their life interesting. I expected to read this book in chunks but once I started it, I was pulled in and listened to most of the book in one day, finishing it off the following morning. Pfeiffer tells a great story sharing the biggest and most important moments of her life in vivid detail, not shying away from the ugly, life-changing, and privately beautiful.

I’ve never watched the 700 club, though I have heard of it. I found this part of the book particularly fascinating because it seems so very odd to me. While I claim no religion, I do expect those that do to do their best to live up to it. However, with the 700 club there was the public persona (which abided by the 700 club code) and then the private life. Alcoholism was common despite the no alcohol rules. Faith healing, words from God, and the ‘give to get’ belief collided with private marital problems, alcohol abuse, and more. Plus, the 700 club wasn’t really into gender equality though Pfeiffer managed to become a very popular part of the show.

I was shocked to learn that Pat Robertson attempted to gain the Republican ticket to run for president. I was still a kid when this was going on, so I give myself a pass for not knowing this before. Now I’m glad we ended up with Bush instead of Robertson. Of course, Robertson became concerned about Pfeiffer’s private past (her child born out of wedlock during her teen years) while he was campaigning. Because of that painful time in her life, Pfeiffer becomes aware of just how much of a double standard there is for men and women in the 700 club.

By that point, I was ready to yank Pfeiffer away from Robertson and his TV church. You’re better than that! The story continues on and it takes a long while for Pfeiffer to realize that this is true. What followed was a bit of a train wreck and it was also hard for me to put away the book. Pfeiffer struggles with an alcoholic & suicidal husband, a depressed mother, and her own self doubts.

One of the things that helped her during this time was the audio memoirs of her dad. They were a surprise find that a friend of her father’s had been holding onto. Things had not gone well with her dad for years and then he passed away. Through these audio memories, she learns to reconnect with him. Later in the story, there’s a rude awakening about her dad’s past which made the book even more interesting.

It does seem that Pfeiffer is a bit of a hockey puck that gets smacked this way and then that, rarely taking control of her own life or taking ownership for her decisions that added to the situation. During her teen years, I found this completely realistic. Things happened during those years that affect her for life. Then as a young lady, she gets swept up into the 700 club with their positive acceptance of yet another convert to their faith. Still, she allows the 700 club and their parent TV station to make life decisions for her, like her marriage. It’s not until after the 700 club has chewed her up and abandoned her that she tentatively starts making decisions for herself. So I would have liked a bit more reflection along those lines, how sticking your head in the sand and just going with flow is an action that can leave you wanting later.

All told, it’s an interesting memoir even for someone like me who knew nothing of the author prior to picking up this book. 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Danuta Pfeiffer narrates her own book and she does a pretty good job. She has a variety of voices for the various people in this book and she gives a passable Polish accent for her dad and his relatives as well as a passable Swedish accent for her husband. Pfeiffer relates the emotional scenes quite well, imbuing the moment with just the right amount of emotions without going over the top. Her pacing is perfect. There were no technical issues with this recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Danuta Pfeiffer. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

#TraumaSurvivors #Spirituality

#tagsgiving and #sweepstakes

Beautiful Memoir!

I loved this author’s memoir! I don’t always love memoirs/non-fiction, but this author did a fantastic job with writing her own encounters in life. It felt at times like a fiction novel which is excellent for me, because I love the way it flowed. I felt many emotions while reading Pfeiffer’s life story, many of which made me want to scream at the audiobook while I was driving. I’m glad she found her way and was able to become so successful! I’m always in awe of individuals who eventually find themselves and their life purpose. I’m hoping I can come to that sooner rather than later myself 🙂 I give it a 5/5 stars.

The narration was also done by Pfeiffer, which felt like an excellent choice since this is her life story. She does well with each voice, making them distinct, and probably this is how they sounded to her while she experienced these events. I didn’t find anything wrong with studio production or pacing of the narration. I give it a 5/5 stars as well!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Danuta Pfeiffer. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.