Polly!

By: Stephen Goldin

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

"Blasphemous...highly offensive"...and very funny!

Herodotus Shapiro has had an unbelievably bad week. His wife left him. The IRS is after him for thousands of dollars. His home/bookstore burned down. On his way to take refuge at his brother's place, he got a speeding ticket. And now his car has broken down in the middle of the desert in front of a large mansion. What more can go wrong?

But now his world takes a turn for the weird. The mansion has a snowman on the front lawn - in the desert, in July. The house, which is bigger on the inside than on the outside, is owned by Polly, the most preternaturally beautiful young woman he's ever met. Polly is an acrobat, a gourmet chef, a psychologist, an international financial consultant, a physicist, and a woman of who-knows how many other incredible talents. She has an unbelievable library, an art collection of all the world's great masterpieces, and a print of a previously unknown Marx Brothers film. Her toilet paper is actually silk. And she seems to have some mysterious plans for him....

©2008 Stephen Goldin (P)2016 Stephen Goldin

Polly

This was an interesting and funny book.Joe Hempel narrates nicely.A man is having a terrible week.His girlfriend leaves him and his car breaks down ,oddly, in front of the only house for miles.He walks in on what at first looks like a party.Weirdness ensues.I was provided this book free by the author, narrator or publisher.

Can you handle it?

I thought this book was humorous, but it was definitely for the non-religious, or at least someone who can accept the book with a grain of salt and enjoy it for its entertainment value. It makes jokes about God, Jesus, the Bible, and I'll be honest, it did offend me, which is why I would not recommend this for Christians. That aside, I think the book was well-written, interesting, and funny. I listened to the Audible audio version, and the narration by Joe Hempel good (I really do like his narrations).

Ye Gods! A whimsical, delightful tale about rubbing elbows with divinity.

This is a snappy, witty little story about a man at the end of his rope, who suddenly and bizarrely finds himself keeping company with a beautiful, intelligent, wealthy young woman who is more– way more– than she first appears.

The first hour evokes multiple shades of "Hotel California", and for a bit it really does feel that perhaps the story is meant to be a full-length adaptation of the haunting Eagles song: the oasis mansion in the California desert, the mysterious beauty, the motley guests drinking wine and reminiscing on their lives. Then the story itself points out that particular reference, and you realize that the narrative knows perfectly well what it's doing, and that there is still much further to go.

It's all conveyed fluidly and cleverly, assisted by the nuanced and thoughtful narration by Joe Hempel. He brings the right pitch to all the characters, particularly our hero, named Hero (or Rod; his full name is Herodotus), and the playful, quirky, too-perfect Polly.

I recommend this fun and thought-provoking story. Both the writing and narration were thoroughly enjoyable.

Wonderfully unusual

This story was extremely odd, but that's why I loved it. You never knew what Polly was going to come up with next and poor Herodotus was dragged around for all her antics. I especially loved Polly's explanation on the universe. To me it seems like the best answer that I've ever heard anyone ever explain it. I've listened to Joe narrate before and he did as great of a job as ever on this story and helped make it even funnier.

Polly

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

The book Polly by Stephen Goldin is a very thought provoking book written in a way that keeps you laughing and guessing at who Polly actually is. Herodutus Shapiro meets Polly Perfect through a series of business and personal disasters that have him ready to give up on life. Through this chance meeting he learns more about life than he had ever conceived before. This book is funny, irreverent, and thought provoking. The audio book version was read well and really brought out the personalities of the characters. I read this book while running and increased my distance because I wanted to keep listening. “I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audio book by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

What did you like best about this story?

The story was funny and quirky but well written.

What does Joe Hempel bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The personalities of the characters were really brought out by Joe Hempel. Polly's deadpan humor was hilarious and the life stories of her other guests were expressed in a way that I really felt for them.

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

Yes, I read it while running and found myself upping my mileage to get to listen to more.