The Madwoman in the Volvo

My Year of Raging Hormones

By: Sandra Tsing Loh

Narrated by: Sandra Tsing Loh

From an "imaginatively twisted and fearless" writer (Los Angeles Times), a hilarious memoir of middle age.

In a voice that is wry, disarming, and totally candid, Sandra Tsing Loh tells the moving and laugh-out-loud tale of her roller coaster through "the change". This is not your grandmother’s menopause story. Loh chronicles utterly relatable, everyday perils: raising preteen daughters, weathering hormonal changes, and going through the ups and downs of a career and a relationship. She writes also about an affair and the explosion of her marriage, the pressures of keeping her daughters off Facebook while managing the legal and marital hijinks of her 89-year-old dad, and a despairing withdrawal to a tiny cabin where she combined wine and Ambien, paralyzing her arm into a claw. In one outrageous chapter, a hormonal Loh finds herself trekking to her preteen daughter’s school to confront a 10-year-old bully half her size. In another she attempts to subsist on only zero-calorie noodles and the occasional fat-free yogurt in a hopeless effort to vanquish added midlife weight.

In The Madwoman in the Volvo Loh speaks hilariously and honestly about her life as a mother, a daughter, and an artist. She recounts her journey through a tumultuous time of life, trying to maintain appearances during an epic hormonal - and that means physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual - change. The upbeat conclusion: it does get better.

©2014 Sandra Tsing Loh (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Up and Down

I swung between laughter, empathy and annoyance. This was worth the read but be prepared for a lot of whining.

wanted to like it but couldn't make it through

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

No, primarily due to the narration. I know her from radio clips and was familiar with her voice going in, but found her narration exhausting in the longer format.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I was interested in both her personal story and humor, which I've always appreciated in small chunks. I liked parts of the sections I listened to but other parts felt desperately overworked.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Excessively intense. I know that her radio clips are in the same singsong, hyperdramatic voice, but they were apparently short enough that I didn't get weary of the pace. In book format it wore me out after a while.

Was The Madwoman in the Volvo worth the listening time?

Middling. Enjoyed some of it but just couldn't finish.

Hire a narrator

It is rare for an author to be able to read their own work pleasingly. This is one of the examples of a frustrating read. I suggest listening at 1.25x speed. It's much more tolerable. Especially for someone like me who is living through the same emotional stress as the author describes.

A story readers can engage with

The narration is very good and full of the charm of Sandra. The story is her own personal story, full of humor and also pathos. She comes out at the end on a positive note, which is refreshing and, I feel, honest.

Just what I needed!!

I laughed, I cried, I related in a dozen ways as someone in peri menopause who occasionally contemplates throwing NPR mugs as catharsis. This isn't a book for everyone, but if you enjoy Sandra's voice, observations, honest rawness, and admitted solipsism, this is a perfect book for you.