Pauline

By: John Isaac Jones

Narrated by: Joan Dukore

Length: 1 hr

Publisher's summary

Jen and Shirley Ann had been best friends in Palm Springs, CA for more than 31 years. Even after Shirley Ann married and divorced Jen's older brother, they remained friends. Although both owned homes in Palm Springs, Jen later purchased a home in Colorado so she could be near her ailing mother Pauline. Once Jen moved, Shirley Ann made frequent weekend trips to the new home to visit and go hiking. During one of those weekends, Pauline suddenly died and, because she was so cheap, her insurance policy didn't cover the transportation for returning her body to Palm Springs for cremation. So, guess who was charged with that grisly chore? The spooky journey would not only test their friendship, but it would be an adventure they would always remember!

©2014, 2017 John I. Jones (P)2018 John I. Jones

Pauline

I like the cover art.I liked the storyline.There were too many'she said,and she said' for a story under an hour.I found the narration by Joan Deluce to be irritating.This has potential to be a bigger story.“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Fun, funny story but.....

BOOK REVIEW......
The story is very funny. I really liked it. However the narrator was a bad choice. She was awful.

NARRATOR REVIEW......
This narrator is just plain awful. The voices are like nails on a chalkboard bad. Which to me dragged the story some.

I received a free copy of this book from the author/narrator in exchange for an honest review

Best Friends on a Strange Road Trip

Shirley Ann and Jen must transport Jen's dead mother from Colorado to Palm Springs for cremation to fulfill the demands of the insurance policy.

The quirky events that befall the 31-year friendship are both beyond belief and somewhat comedic.

John Isaac Jones is SO very talented. The scope of which I am amazed at each book I listen to. 'Pauline' is not my favorite of Jones' works but it did keep me interested throughout… even with the narration (see below.)

I was not a fan of the narration. Joan Dukore's performance was VERY SLOW. She also chose to give one of the main characters a nasal voice, which I found grating. Oddly, her performance of the male characters was believable; husky, deep and strong.

*I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. While this was not a favorite of Jones' stories, I was captivated and wanted to know if Jen and Shirley Ann would make it to Pauline's final destination!

Please rate my review below, by selecting 'helpful' or not. I invite you to follow me on Audible for my latest reviews. Thank you.

Two whining women and a corpse

This story lays out a comedy of errors as three women take a road trip, one of them being a corpse. They must reach their destination by a certain time and as obstacles mount it seems they may not make it. Amidst the harrowing situations they find themselves in there are moments of introspection, a bit of venting, and possibly a little emotional healing as well.

The premise of this short story is not new, but this has it's own unique twist. However, I just didn't enjoy the story. It is an incredibly short story for all the content it holds, and it shows. I respect the authors ability to churn out a good plot line with some good accompanying story elements, but I never felt engaged by the writing in this one. The narration was grating with the voices mousy and whiny. That may be what the author intended for his characters, but that doesn't change the fact it is uncomfortably hard to listen to.

They Just Couldn't Get A Break!

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

I would recommend this book to a friend for a quick, humorous listen.
*I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review*

If you’ve listened to books by John Isaac Jones before, how does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any other John Isaac Jones books before, so I can't make a comparison.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Joan Dukore?

I was not a fan of Joan Dukore, personally. Her voice was too nasal and whiny and I think she missed the tone of the book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, it has dark humour that appeals to me.

one of those that are a must for me

I love to read a lot genres almost everything but sometimes books can I don't know surprise you for such a short book the story was incredibly well written I will not touch the subject of the story because the story is so short did everything I will say would be a spoiler the story is good really good I may have a repeat listen on this one

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Entertaining and comical last trip for Pauline!

Pauline by John Issac Jones is the story of Shirley Ann and Jen's trip to deliver Jen's mom, the titular Pauline, to be cremated and put in her final resting place. Shirley Ann is Jen's ex-sister in law.

There's some good, bad and ugly that these two encounter on the trip, though I don't want to go into any detail whatsoever since the short story comes in at just under an hour. It was an entertaining ride to say the least though and I could relate to some of the family issues/backstory that you learn about. It was pretty dang entertaining! Oh, and Joan Duke was lovely as the narrator. She had distinctive voices for each character and I enjoyed listening. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

What we learn about Pauline

Pauline's daughter, Jen, and former daughter-in-law, Shirley Ann, have to drive Pauline's corpse from Colorado to California after she passes away suddenly. While we never really meet Pauline, we learn a lot about her from the conversations between Jen and Shirley Ann, the good and the bad. The trip was an adventure to remember as the ladies run into every trouble that could could possibly come their way. Through it all, their conversations about Pauline and their family brought understanding and healing as Pauline enters her final rest.

The narrator did a great job. I wasn't too fond of the voice given to Jen, but with the conversation between Jen and Shirley Ann happening, I appreciated the very distinct voices so I could know for sure who was saying what.

Well written story, combining a touch of dark humor and adventure.

I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The Most Unlucky Pair of Girls

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
I must admit that I would have probably enjoyed listening to this audiobook much more without the whining and nasal interpretation the narrator thought necessary for the two female characters. The strange thing was that when she spoke in her normal tone during the narration, she had a very pleasant and clear voice. I wonder why she felt it necessary to assume that whiny tone when the two friends spoke...
The story is sweet but maybe a little rushed. The two protagonists are problems' magnets for sure and the ending comes as no surprise. A light reading all in all.

An Odd Road Trip

Shirley Ann has travelled from California to Denver with plans to go hiking with her best friend Jen. She and Jen have been thick as thieves for almost their entire lives and even Shirley Ann`s marriage – and subsequent divorce – to Jen`s brother hasn`t diminished the affection between the two women.

The morning of their planned hike, Jen receives a call from the nursing home – her mother Pauline passed away during the night. Shirley Ann has no sympathy and still wants to go hiking. Her disdain for her former mother-in-law is clear. I think we’ve all had a Pauline in our lives.

Where we differentiate ourselves is how we deal with the resentment and anger when faced with the dichotomy of a grieving friend and a person who hurt you so much while they were alive.

Shirley Ann, in the end, turns out to be a good friend. As the women set out to fulfill the final instructions of how Pauline wanted to be laid to rest, they have time to reconnect and also to share their memories of the recently deceased Pauline.

The number of incidents on the road trip to repatriate Pauline’s body in California pushed the limits of believability, but the hijinks were fun. The true point of this poignant short story is how the two women came together in a time of grief and learned to see things from the other`s perspective. They both have blind spots and they`re both ready to learn.

The end was great and I enjoyed the story. It is short, and deeper exploration of the women`s lives would have helped, but the journey itself was well-rounded. Joan Dukore is a good narrator. She followed the vocalizations as directed by the author, so be prepared. And I would definitely read another story by John Isaac Jones. This one was a quirky, dark-humour book about how we cope in life and how we all die eventually. In the end, it’s how we affect those left behind that speaks to our true impact.