The Last Original Wife

By: Dorothea Benton Frank

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Leslie Anne Greene Carter is the Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley's wildly successful Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children they promised to love and cherish - till death did them part - for tanned-and-toned young Barbie brides.

If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn't painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les's world and push her to the edge. She's had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he's doing her a favor keeping her around. Now, she's going to take some time forherself - in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. In her brother's stately historic home, she's going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivan's Island. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants...and find the life of which she's always dreamed.

Told in the alternating voices of Les and Wes, The Last Original Wife is classic Dorothea Benton Frank: an intoxicating tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, and love, that is as salty as a low country breeze and as invigorating as a dip in Carolina waters on a sizzling summer day.

©2013 Dorothea Benton Frank (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Full of Sass and Southern Humor - Loved it!

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

Yes! I just finished the audio The Last Original Wife and loved it! I started reading the book; however, switched to the audio as it was so funny and full of southern humor – I did not want to miss a thing!She is such a wonderful storyteller – she puts you in the mood and adore her detailed descriptions of the settings (when you are from the south the food, design, and style matters )– as they love to entertain! If you are over the age of 50 you will enjoy this book and highly recommend! Having worked in the Charleston area and lived in Atlanta – loved hearing about all the great restaurants and this book makes you want to return to the Low Country as soon as possible. The characters were so engaging -- loved the way she used the first person sarcastic phrases from Les and Wes (awesome)! The narrator did an excellent job capturing the southern dialogue, as well and fell in love with the gay brother (would love to see a movie of this book).

Who was your favorite character and why?

Les was my favorite as she grew in the book and loved her sass and spirit (glad to see her finally enjoying life)! I also loved her gay brother - his style as well as Jonathan as he was good for Les.

Which character – as performed by Robin Miles – was your favorite?

The same - Les as Robin did an excellent job with the Charleston Low Country dialect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When she went home to care for her husband but held strong and did not get sucked back into the old life. Glad she was able to travel and enjoy her life in the end and maintain her dignity.

Any additional comments?

Great book!

Accent was hard to take.

What disappointed you about The Last Original Wife?

The story was tolerable but the accent was difficult to listen to - really over the top.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Someone else narrating would have been helpful.

What didn’t you like about Robin Miles’s performance?

Really not a good job with the southern accent. I live in the south and it was really hard to listen to. My husband was raised in Virginia and he commented about the bad accent as he passed by and heard a portion of the story.

What character would you cut from The Last Original Wife?

I thought all the charachters belonged in the story.

loved this book so much- recommend it to everyone

What did you love best about The Last Original Wife?

I loved how this woman finally woke up and stood her ground in the most entertaining way. i loved it so much that I am reading it again.

What about Robin Miles’s performance did you like?

her accent was great and sounded Charlestonian

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

yes- i have an 30 minute commute both ways and normally i just listen in the car but this book I had to take inside and continue it. I just could not put it down.

The worst southern accent I've ever heard

Would you consider the audio edition of The Last Original Wife to be better than the print version?

No I would not because the performance accent was so over done...

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Leslie, she was strong and once she made up her mind she did what she needed too.

How could the performance have been better?

The Accent was one of the worst southern accents I've ever heard, I'm from the south, and it was distracting from the story

Any additional comments?

I loved that the main character's were in their 50's and 60's, it was something as I a woman in my mid 50's could really relate too.

Great read!

What did you like best about this story?

The laugh-out-loud humor

What didn’t you like about Robin Miles’s performance?

I do NOT like Robin Miles's southern accent. I am from the South. We do NOT sound like Miles when she performs "southern". I would prefer never to hear Miles's do southern again but I do like Dorothea Benton Frank.

Who was the most memorable character of The Last Original Wife and why?

Wes................he just doesn't get it.

Any additional comments?

Loved the book. Light and funny with just enough mystery to keep the reader guessing.

Poor performance voice

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Better character voice presentation.

What was most disappointing about Dorothea Benton Frank’s story?

The fake, over dramatization of a 59 - 60 year old southern woman's voice by the narrator. I could not listen to the book because the voice was like scrapping nails on a chalkboard to me.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robin Miles?

The same narrator may have been fine with the absence of the fake voice.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Last Original Wife?

Cannot give suggestions since I did not listen to the entire book.

Just ok ...

I always look forward to Dorethea Benton Frank's books, but this is the first one to let me down. It started off really slow and depressing, but by the end of the book it was better. In spite of this, I still look forward to her next book.

Fresh Air

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I really am not a chic-lit kind of reader, but I was looking for something a bit lighter than my normal reading material. I was pleasantly pleased with this book.
I liked that the story centered on a mature character and that she was a strong woman with a sense of determination. I thought the main character was one of Dorothea Benton Frank's best. Les proved to be a formidible woman who maintained her dignitiy and her devotion to her family.
The only weakness to this book was unfortunately the narrater. I am sure Robin Miles is great at reading other books, but this book was set in the south and the characters were southern. Robin Miles is definately not southern. I found the over reach of the southern accent to be a little distracting.
All in all though I thought this was a really good book.

Pretty Good Story, Terrible Narration

What made the experience of listening to The Last Original Wife the most enjoyable?

The story kept my interest and I kept listening to see what was happening next.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Original Wife?

When Les actually left Wes.

How could the performance have been better?

The fake southern accents were the worst ever. The narrator actually made it painful to listen to the book. Surely a better narrator could have been found. If you are from the South, you will hate the way she pronounces many words, especially "about'.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, my only reaction was to the narration.

Held my interest!

The story was not predictable and I enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to get in my car and hear more. It had a great ending and the performance thoroughout - I thought was very good. Narration was great and a sequel would be awesome!