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Marjorie Morningstar
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 28 hrs and 23 mins
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Inside, Outside
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Israel David Goodkind is a minor bureaucrat in the Nixon White House, killing empty office time by writing the story of four generations of his large, sprawling Russian Jewish immigrant family. As he recounts his brief stint in show business, his torrid affair with a showgirl, and his encounters with a hassled and distracted President Nixon, Goodkind also witnesses historical events firsthand - the Watergate scandal, the Yom Kippur War - and eventually finds his way back to his Jewish faith.
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One of the greatest storytellers!
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Arthur Youngblood Hawke, an ex-Navy man moves from rural Kentucky to New York to assault the citadel of New York publishing with his first novel, an oversized manuscript that becomes an instant success. Toasted by critics and swept along on a tide of popularity, he gives himself over to the lush life that gilds artistic success. Love comes with an affair with an older married woman and an unfulfilled flame with his editor, while wealth pours in with the publication of his second novel, and participation in real-estate developments.
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More than a good yarn
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Don't Stop the Carnival
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It's every parrothead's dream: to leave behind the rat race of the workaday world and start life all over again amidst the cool breezes, sun-drenched colors, and rum-laced drinks of a tropical paradise. It's the story of Norman Paperman, a New York City press agent who, facing the onset of middle age, runs away to a Caribbean island to reinvent himself as a hotel keeper. (Hilarity and disaster - of a sort peculiar to the tropics - ensue.)
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Silly but Charming. Funny, Smart and Memorable.
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The Caine Mutiny
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Having inspired a classic film and Broadway play, The Caine Mutiny is Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life—and mutiny—on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater. It was immediately embraced upon its original publication as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of the Second World War. In the intervening half century, this gripping story has become a perennial favorite, selling millions throughout the world, and claiming the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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Even Better than the Movie
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The Hope
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Starting in 1948 and reaching its climax during the Six-Day War of 1967, The Hope begins the story of Israel, a country fighting for its life - outmatched and surrounded by enemies. Zev Barak, Sam Pasternak, Don Kishote, and Benny Luria are all officers in the Israeli Army, caught up in the sweep of history, fighting the desperate desert battles and meeting the larger-than-life personalities that shaped Israel’s fight for independence.
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One of my favorite books along with The Gory!
- By Deborah on 10-26-18
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The Winds of War
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Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events - and all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II - as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.
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A Masterpiece
- By Robert on 05-24-13
By: Herman Wouk
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Inside, Outside
- By: Herman Wouk
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- Length: 25 hrs and 55 mins
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Israel David Goodkind is a minor bureaucrat in the Nixon White House, killing empty office time by writing the story of four generations of his large, sprawling Russian Jewish immigrant family. As he recounts his brief stint in show business, his torrid affair with a showgirl, and his encounters with a hassled and distracted President Nixon, Goodkind also witnesses historical events firsthand - the Watergate scandal, the Yom Kippur War - and eventually finds his way back to his Jewish faith.
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One of the greatest storytellers!
- By Dwight on 12-11-18
By: Herman Wouk
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Youngblood Hawke
- By: Herman Wouk
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- Length: 41 hrs and 5 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Arthur Youngblood Hawke, an ex-Navy man moves from rural Kentucky to New York to assault the citadel of New York publishing with his first novel, an oversized manuscript that becomes an instant success. Toasted by critics and swept along on a tide of popularity, he gives himself over to the lush life that gilds artistic success. Love comes with an affair with an older married woman and an unfulfilled flame with his editor, while wealth pours in with the publication of his second novel, and participation in real-estate developments.
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More than a good yarn
- By Arken on 10-24-18
By: Herman Wouk
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Don't Stop the Carnival
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It's every parrothead's dream: to leave behind the rat race of the workaday world and start life all over again amidst the cool breezes, sun-drenched colors, and rum-laced drinks of a tropical paradise. It's the story of Norman Paperman, a New York City press agent who, facing the onset of middle age, runs away to a Caribbean island to reinvent himself as a hotel keeper. (Hilarity and disaster - of a sort peculiar to the tropics - ensue.)
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Silly but Charming. Funny, Smart and Memorable.
- By Kelly on 10-20-18
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The Caine Mutiny
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Overall
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Having inspired a classic film and Broadway play, The Caine Mutiny is Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life—and mutiny—on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater. It was immediately embraced upon its original publication as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of the Second World War. In the intervening half century, this gripping story has become a perennial favorite, selling millions throughout the world, and claiming the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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Even Better than the Movie
- By James on 06-20-12
By: Herman Wouk
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The Hope
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- Narrated by: Mark Ashby
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Starting in 1948 and reaching its climax during the Six-Day War of 1967, The Hope begins the story of Israel, a country fighting for its life - outmatched and surrounded by enemies. Zev Barak, Sam Pasternak, Don Kishote, and Benny Luria are all officers in the Israeli Army, caught up in the sweep of history, fighting the desperate desert battles and meeting the larger-than-life personalities that shaped Israel’s fight for independence.
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One of my favorite books along with The Gory!
- By Deborah on 10-26-18
By: Herman Wouk
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The Winds of War
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A Masterpiece
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This Is My God is Herman Wouk's famous introduction to Judaism completely updated and revised with a new chapter, "Israel at 40". A miracle of brevity, it guides listeners through the world's oldest practicing religion with all the power, clarity, and wit of Wouk's celebrated novels.
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Good explanaing of Judism
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An "enormously entertaining" portrait of "a Bronx Tom Sawyer" (San Francisco Chronicle), City Boy is a sharp and moving novel of boyhood from Pulitzer Prize winner Herman Wouk.
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I wanted the next adventure of Herbie Bookbinder!
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The Covenant of Water
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Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time.
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Story Telling At Its Best
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Exodus
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Exodus is an international publishing phenomenon - the towering novel of the 20th century's most dramatic geopolitical event. Leon Uris magnificently portrays the birth of a new nation in the midst of enemies - the beginning of an earthshaking struggle for power. Here is the tale that swept the world with its fury: the story of an American nurse, an Israeli freedom fighter caught up in a glorious, heartbreaking, triumphant era. Here is Exodus - one of the great best-selling novels of all time.
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My favorite book of ALL Time
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Abandoned pregnant and penniless on the teeming streets of London, 16-year-old Amber St. Clare manages, by using her wits, beauty, and courage, to climb to the highest position a woman could achieve in Restoration England - that of favorite mistress of the Merry Monarch, Charles II. From whores and highwaymen to courtiers and noblemen, from events such as the Great Plague and the Fire of London to the intimate passions of ordinary - and extraordinary - men and women, Amber experiences it all.
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Outstanding. one of the best I've ever listened to
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On the surface, everything is all right with Babbitt’s world of the solid, successful businessman. But in reality, George F. Babbitt is a lonely, middle-aged man. He doesn’t understand his family, has an unsuccessful attempt at an affair, and is almost financially ruined when he dares to voice sympathy for some striking workers. Babbitt finds that his only safety lies deep in the fold of those who play it safe. He is a man who has added a new word to our language: a “Babbitt,” meaning someone who conforms unthinkingly, a sheep.
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Jonathan Franzen, circa 1922
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Frenchman's Creek
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Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him
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Very sexy without the details
- By Edwillmom on 05-05-18
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Anna Karenina
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Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
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Need to Disclose and Highlight Name of Translator
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By: Leo Tolstoy
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The Godfather
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With its brilliant and brutal portrayal of the Corleone family, The Godfather burned its way into our national consciousness. This unforgettable saga of crime and corruption, passion and loyalty continues to stand the test of time, as the definitive novel of the Mafia underworld. A #1 New York Times bestseller in 1969, Mario Puzo's epic was turned into the incomparable film of the same name, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is the original classic that has been often imitated, but never matched.
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Huge fan of the movie, loved this audiobook!
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By: Mario Puzo, and others
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Fall of Giants
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh - as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.
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Loved it and learned alot.
- By Louis on 10-19-10
By: Ken Follett
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The Power of One
- By: Bryce Courtenay
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships with Hymie and Gideon, Peekay gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, the Judge, Peekay will fight to the death for justice.
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Compelling story lifted higher by the narration
- By Bob on 05-14-09
By: Bryce Courtenay
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The Clan of the Cave Bear
- Earth's Children, Book 1
- By: Jean M. Auel
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear.
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Production and Narration didn't quite ruin it
- By nolagal on 07-28-14
By: Jean M. Auel
Publisher's summary
Marjorie Morningstar is a love story. It presents one of the greatest characters in modern fiction: Marjorie, the pretty 17-year-old who left the respectability of New York's Central Park West to join the theater, live in the teeming streets of Greenwich Village, and seek love in the arms of a brilliant, enigmatic writer. In this memorable novel, Herman Wouk, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has created a story as universal, as sensitive, and as unmistakably authentic as any ever told.
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odd premise, but it works!
- By Sean Dunnahoo on 03-03-04
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Another Country
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, Another Country tells the story of the suicide of jazz-musician Rufus Scott and the friends who search for an understanding of his life and death, discovering uncomfortable truths about themselves along the way. Another Country is a work that is as powerful today as it was 40 years ago - and expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
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Powerful and sad
- By Kenneth on 04-10-09
By: James Baldwin
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Vegas Rich
- Vegas, Book 1
- By: Fern Michaels
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 21 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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With a heart full of dreams, Sallie Coleman leaves Texas and heads west determined to get as far from the squalor of her dirt poor beginnings. With its shifting sands, smoky saloons, and bingo palaces, Las Vegas seems like a paradise. A paradise where an extraordinary twist of fate makes Sallie the most powerful businesswoman in Nevada.
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Get this booK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-26-10
By: Fern Michaels
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Welcome to the Monkey House
- By: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: David Strathairn, Maria Tucci, Bill Irwin, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut's shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly, what these superb stories share is Vonnegut's audacious sense of humor and extraordinary range of creative vision.
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Classic Vonnegut
- By Michael Carrato on 08-17-06
By: Kurt Vonnegut
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Going to Meet the Man
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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"There's no way not to suffer. But you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it." The men and women in these eight short fictions grasp this truth on an elemental level, and their stories, as told by James Baldwin, detail the ingenious and often desperate ways in which they try to keep their heads above water.
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Punch in the gut
- By Rebecca on 05-08-17
By: James Baldwin
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Josephine Baker's Last Dance
- By: Sherry Jones
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones spans Josephine Baker's early years in servitude and poverty in America to her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt to her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington to her final, triumphant performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the 20th century comes to stunning life on the page. With intimate prose and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings Josephine Baker into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life lived in technicolor.
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Josephine Bakers Last Dance
- By Robin on 09-02-20
By: Sherry Jones
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Disturbing the Peace
- By: Richard Yates
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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To all appearances, John Wilder has all the trappings of success, circa 1960: a promising career in advertising, a loving family, a beautiful apartment, even a country home. John's evenings are spent with associates at quiet Manhattan lounges and his weekends with friends at glittering cocktail parties. But something deep within this seemingly perfect life has long since gone wrong.
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7 hours and 27 minutes pure blisd
- By Mia on 01-05-13
By: Richard Yates
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Miss Lonelyhearts
- By: Nathanael West
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser, Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Miss Lonelyhearts is an unnamed male newspaper columnist writing an advice column, which is viewed by the newspaper as a joke. As "Miss Lonelyhearts" reads letters from desperate New Yorkers, he feels terribly burdened and falls into a cycle of deep depression, accompanied by heavy drinking and occasional barfights. The novel is essentially a black comedy and is characterized by an extremely dark but clever sense of humor and irony.
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Charged with Meaning, and Far Leftist Leaning
- By W Perry Hall on 01-27-16
By: Nathanael West
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What listeners say about Marjorie Morningstar
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- anne Silverstein
- 12-06-14
An amazing, surprisingly complex story
I thought the book was going to be a relatively superficial coming of age story. However, the social, political, and philosophical ideas explored make the story rich and thought provoking. Even though the story takes place between 1934 - 1940, the issues explored in the novel are as contemporary now as then. A bonus is Wouk's wonderful sense of humor sprinkled throughout the book.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 04-22-16
A tragedy or a fairytale? Or both.
Would you consider the audio edition of Marjorie Morningstar to be better than the print version?
Both were excellent.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Marjorie Morningstar?
There are several. Her horse ride in Central Park and the resulting date with her first love. Her tragic affair with the director. Her naiveté on the cruise. And finally, the ending.
Have you listened to any of Gabra Zackman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
A naive American girl looking for someone else to give her life meaning, discovers herself along the way.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Francesca M. Parker
- 07-14-17
A marvellous depiction of a time and place.
From the perspective of 2017, so much of Marjorie's life may seem ridiculous. But this is a story of a woman in a certain time and place by a man who was also young in that time and place, and, as such, is a marvellous depiction that speaks with, in my opinion, a very authentic voice. Young women of today might learn a few things about what the past was like from reading this book. Plus it is very well written and beautifully performed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- JoAnne Halada
- 02-17-17
52 years
When I read this book in my 20 pure joy first novel about a Jewish family in New York . I was a farm girl thoroughly enjoying reading I now had a library to visit and very well read librarians suggesting excellent novels. By the way I remembered many of the things that happened. Pure enjoyment
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1 person found this helpful
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- irina
- 12-24-16
Another incredible story by extraordinary writer!
If you could sum up Marjorie Morningstar in three words, what would they be?
Bright, intelligent, determined.
What other book might you compare Marjorie Morningstar to and why?
Nothing comes to mind...
Have you listened to any of Gabra Zackman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Great performance.
Who was the most memorable character of Marjorie Morningstar and why?
Mike Eden.
Any additional comments?
Wonderful book. Can't stop thinking about it...
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ms Winston
- 08-21-14
Revisited an old favorite
What made the experience of listening to Marjorie Morningstar the most enjoyable?
The narration of Gabra Zachman was, with a couple of reservations, just amazing! She did a variety of characters -- male, female, young, elderly, middle aged, some with eastern European accents. I felt that her younger men (George, Sandy, Wally) were the weakest characterizations in that they sounded too much like young women in their breathlessness. Initially, I wasn't all that impressed with her Noel as I thought it was too harsh sounding, but as the recording went on, it grew on me. Marsha sounded more refined that I expected but it was a good overall performance. I think her best characterizations were the Morgensterns, and other older characters.
What did you like best about this story?
It is a saga and, therefore, a commitment of time. I had forgotten how long the book actually is as it has been several years since the last time I read it. It gives a wonderful picture of what life for an upper middle class Jewish family during the 1930's may have actually been..It covered six years in the life of the main character, Marjorie, from age 18 to 24 (and the years 1933-1939). I think the fact that we, the reader and/or listener, know what is coming over the course of the next 15 years makes it very moving, especially as events take the characters closer to World War II.
Have you listened to any of Gabra Zackman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not listened to any other Gabra Zackman performances, but I will be on the look-out for them.
If you could take any character from Marjorie Morningstar out to dinner, who would it be and why?
I would actually like to take Marjorie and her mother out to dinner. Much of their relationship reminds me of that of myself and my own mother, who passed away in 2001.
Any additional comments?
I was very impressed with the overall performance and the ability of the narrator to do a variety of voices. I felt that the author did stretch out some scenes past the time I found them interesting, something I did not notice with the book but which were more obvious in the recorded version.
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- BD
- 11-06-22
The sexiest book I ever read…..
When I was 14 that is. Listening to it today I could not remember one word from that read so long ago. The naivety of the times and the story makes the book a delight
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- Friday's Child
- 10-15-12
Dated and Tedious
Wow, what a chore. I'm nearly finished listening and wonder why I've stuck with it so long. This book takes place in the 30s and was probably dated even then. I know a few people who were Marjorie's age then and none of them remotely resemble the characters in this book. The conversations between friends and lovers alike pretend to be philosophical, but are simply sophomoric, rude, and demeaning. The characters are one-dimensional - no one grows, no one learns - and meanwhile pretty Marjorie endures it all, moving through her life like a Barbie Doll. Other characters in the book apparently find her to be quick, witty and bright, but those traits surely aren't evident in any of her conversations or decisions. I didn't mind the narration as much as other reviewers, even though I agree that all the Jewish men sounded like they just stepped off the boat.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Colby
- 07-06-12
Very Disappointing...Could have been great.
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
This could have great story that led somewhere. This was presented as much more than it turned out to be. It wasn't even a love story, but more of a story of a girl SORT-OF "coming of age", but badly. I kept waiting for a pay-off of some kind, some amazing turn of events, some reason I followed this girl through her discovery of what life and love and the theater are about, but got nothing. Even World War II was barely mentioned - and the main characters are all Jewish - and running around Europe in the 30's for goodness sake! I kept waiting for her to become a star, win over the bad boy - or ditch him - his endless dissection of her, him, the world - ack. He was an undiagnosed bi-polar and that is rarely entertaining to listen to. I kept waiting for SOMETHING to happen. It never did. And the story just ended with a lame diary entry for the final chapeter - wrapping up the final 15 years of the story - IN ONE LOUSY CHAPTER! Very sad work from one of the best.
What do you think your next listen will be?
I am already burning The Kitchen House.
Which scene was your favorite?
The barmitzvah where Marjorie realized her family had merit, as did her religion, and it showed the first glimmers of her maturity beginning.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Sure, the characters had great promise, but they never did anything. Because they were so clear, I kept picturing so many things that COULD happen to all of them, but none of them ever did anything.
Any additional comments?
I would love for a new writer to take the bones of this one and flesh it out. Use the romances to make her life interesting - add a couple marriages. Use WWII and their Jewish heritage to add to the story. Use the natural drama in those early days of the movies, have her bomb out in the theater, but take ANY of the characters connected to the theater and send them to Hollywood and let her follow them there. Oh, the missed opportunities are endless.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Debra
- 08-02-12
32 Hours of Tedium
The only thing that saved this book from 1-star is that I finished it. I can generally find something redeeming in most every book but not this one. If I have been too subtle, my recommendation is that you not buy this book.
Marjorie is, at best, one dimensional for 99.9% of the book and the 0.1% section where she isn't a piece of moving wallpaper isn't worth the wait. By the time I was halfway through the book, I just wanted her to give up and "marry the Butcher!" (Sorry, that was Fiddler on the Roof.)
Most of the male characters in the book are pretty interesting, except for their lifelong servitude to the alter of Marjorie. However, even the dynamic Noel becomes annoyingly whiny after the halfway point.
I could not wait for this book to end. If I wasn't such a cheap Scot, I would have shut if off and moved on.
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