The English American

A Novel

By: Alison Larkin

Narrated by: Alison Larkin

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

This AudioFile Earphones Award-winning recording of Alison Larkin's best-selling autobiographical novel about an adopted English woman who finds her birth parents and herself in the US is followed by an exclusive interview with the author.

"Author and narrator Alison Larkin lights up the earphones with her portrayal of Pippa Dunn, a young English woman who discovers that her birth parents are Americans. Pippa decides to go to America to meet them and ends up finding herself-and true love. Larkin's heartfelt narration conveys Pippa's mixed up feelings of confusion and guilt-as well as the story's humor. Larkin moves delightfully between the various British and American accents. With gentle humor, she pokes fun at both American and British cultures while making it clear she loves them both. This audio experience is like watching a great romantic comedy. Have the tissues ready at the end-the romance is that good!" (AudioFile Magazine - Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award)

In addition to being a best-selling novelist and comedienne, Alison Larkin is also the award-winning narrator of over 200 audiobooks including The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll and Peter Pan and The Inconsiderate Waiter by J. M. Barrie.

Larkin's interview with Grammy Award-winning producer Paul Alan Ruben is followed by "The DNA Song", lyrics by Alison Larkin, music by Gary Schreiner, and sung by Alison Larkin.

©2008 Alison Larkin (P)2018 Alison Larkin Presents

Interesting Story

I was not a fan of this story at the beginning but as I listened to it and got over the foul language, I really got into the story. The heroine is adopted but although loved she still feels the need to find her real parents. She creates many characters to represent them but nothing beats the actual. The narrator added the emotions but many times she sounded like an American trying to speak British English. Most times she was in character so this did not distract from the story. The end was interesting though. I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review.

absolutely delightful

Truly enjoyed this story. As a Brit living in America it made me smile knowingly many times and miss England terribly.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

The English American is one of my all time favorite books. To find out that this award-winning recording has been released with an interview with the author AND the DNA song, which I heard Larkin perform live was a thrill.

Instead of the usual two-dimensional adoptee this novel has an authentic adopted heroine at it's center. Pippa is charming, British, flawed, human, idealistic, talented, untidy, unpredictable and the sort of character you fall in love with. She's a heroine who makes you laugh one minute and cry the next. And the narration! All I can say is WOW! Alison Larkin is a narrator at the very top of her game and in addition to writing a compelling story that makes you laugh one minute and cry the next, her observations about the differences between England and America are hilarious and true. I have spent a lot of time in both countries and I just love the whole thing!

Paul Ruben's interview with Alison Larkin is thoughtful and fascinating. Alison Larkin herself was adopted and the novel is autobiographical. This is very special. I love it.

Fun Funny Sweet and Poignant

The English American is a wonderful story of a personal journey to self discovery.

This book is simply perfect.

I do not say this often, but this book is perfect. Based on true events, it is a touching story about an American baby who is adopted by English parents. She is nothing like her adopted parents, although she loves them very much. As an adult she feels the need to find her birth parents in order to answer some questions and find herself. Her Georgia born, free spirited birth-mother could not be more of a contrast to her proper British mother. The story is very well-written, emotionally truthful, and poignant without ever portraying the adopted heorine as a victim. Don't let the perfectly captured emotional scenes fool you. This is a funny, smart, uplifting and inspiring book. The dialogue is hilarious. It is well-paced and perfectly perfomed. The narrator has an excellent singing voice. Often when an author performs her own work, it is a disaster. That is not the case here. She could not have chosen a better narrator than herself for this book.

There is a small amount of swearing that is authentic to the story. Since the heorine (and the author herself) are a result of an adulterous affair, the themes are necessarily adult. With that in mind, the book is relatively clean. No graphic sex. It is appropriate for older teens and adults. The story is amazing. I highly recommend it to every age appropriate person.

WONDERFUL!

I love this audio book. It's poignant and funny and true and you can't stop listening. I fell in love with Pippa Dunn from the beginning and was rooting for her as she found her roots and herself. I laughed out loud at the cultural comments - the differences between England and America. Plus the interview at the end is fascinating. This book is a wonderful, wonderful listen. No wonder it won so many awards.

Hooray for Pippa!

Pippa, the main character, is the best part of this book; she is quirky, funny, and slightly oblivious to herself as she is discovering herself. The story itself was good, but meandered a little long for me; still, it came to a good conclusion. Narration was good.

My only complaint is that once again, conservatives are portrayed as crazy, off the deep end…can we just leave politics out of a good story for a change? It doesn’t occur often here, but enough for me to be annoyed with the typical stereotypes.

The story itself was fantastic.

The first two chapters were a little slow, but it kept me interested enough to keep going. Then I was hooked.

Wonderful story of finding your adoptive parents!

This is the story of an English girl meeting her American birth parents and discovering herself in the process. It also is an expose of the adoption laws which do not serve the adoptive kids well. To find her birth parents, she had to go through an incredible amount of red tape even though both the parent and the child wished to connect. She had to hire an investigator who specializes in ancestry to finally meet.

The book is absolutely wonderful! I didn't want the story to end! I wish there was a sequel! It is inspiring, funny, and sad. It is also beautifully narrated by the author. I was gifted a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Truthful and delightful

I loved every paragraph. I cried, I laughed out loud and I contemplated my own relationship to my parents. Even though I am not adopted - I could relate to my parents and my journey.