The Miranda Obsession

By: Jen Silverman

Narrated by: Rachel Brosnahan, Josh Groban, John Benjamin Hickey, Morgan Spector, Harry Lloyd, Milo Ventimiglia, full cast

Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

 Emmy Award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan brings to life a thrilling tale of intimacy and self-invention inspired by one of Hollywood’s most alluring stories of the 1980s. Josh Groban, John Benjamin Hickey, Harry Lloyd, Morgan Spector, and Milo Ventimiglia also star, playing some of the most powerful and famous men of the decade, who fall under Miranda’s enigmatic and captivating spell.  

Imagine a 1980s world of sumptuous hotel rooms, restaurants, New York City penthouses, and the powerful men who move easily between these pinnacles of luxury. They are music producers, rock stars, writers, and restaurateurs. They are household names like Billy Joel, Art Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, and Sting. And yet, each man has an entire aspect to his life that he doesn’t talk about publicly—his depression, his rocky marriage, his feelings of shame and failure, his private loss of faith. And now: The phone rings. Imagine the woman who has each of these men at her beck and call. Late at night, on the other end of the line, she projects a confidence and glamour that immediately disarms them. They don’t know her, but she intimately understands the feelings they’ve never articulated to anybody else, and she muses—low and soft, never making them feel uncomfortable—on what it means that they feel this way, and why. When these men talk to Miranda, they never feel alone. And when she talks to them, she feels alive. Before long, they’re giving her insider tidbits—on new mergers, movies, albums, restaurants—and she’s collecting this information like the currency it is. Then she vanishes, sometimes for weeks at a time, while they wait on edge for her to call again. 

Her name is Miranda Grosvenor, and the telephone persona that she has invented—a desirable, connected, compassionate, power player—is the person she lives to be. But who is Miranda, really? As the relationships between Miranda and the famous men she calls escalate, it becomes clear that Miranda may not be who she says she is and that her game is no longer a game at all.  

Set in the glitzy world of 1980s Hollywood The Miranda Obsession stars Brosnahan as Miranda, along with an A-list cast. By turns enticing and voyeuristic, gripping and empathetic, this complex and nuanced character-driven drama examines the lengths to which we go to achieve intimacy and connection with each other, and the lengths some of us will go to feel something real.

©2022 Vice Media Group LLC, Wingate Media, and Scrap Paper Pictures (P)2022 Vice Media Group LLC, Wingate Media, and Scrap Paper Pictures

Performance art here

This really isn't a story, but like overhearing telephone conversations between a psychopath and
a series of narcissists. I love Audible because getting caught up in a great book takes me to
new places with complicated people and new situations. This makes me want to take a shower.
No doubt the cast of narrators is stellar but to me it's just creepy.

Don’t waste the hours

Stupid plot/no real “story” here and the characters are completely one dimensional. Had I actually paid for it instead of getting free with membership I would have requested a refund.

Immediately riveting!

This was so good! I came into Audible looking for a completely different kind of book and saw the image and ad for this and decided to explore what it was about. I happened to accidentally start the title playing in the cloud player and before I knew it, literally within a couple of minutes, I was sucked in. Such a great format, the way the story is presented, especially with such a stellar cast of actors! I finished listening in about 4.5 hours—considering the title was released today it’s clear that I was unable to “put it down.” Wonderful job to all who worked to create this! I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys literally any type of story!

Fascinating character study!

This podcast was really unexpected and such a great character study. Through each of the phone calls, you come to see a really complex and layered exploration of the human condition. Great performances from Rachel Brosnahan and the whole cast. Highly recommend.

Captivating and Vulnerable!

Could not stop listening from the moment I started. Finished the entire series in one day! Rachel really gets into the role, and I had a great time listening for the variations in Miranda's cadence with every new man she speaks with on the phone. A lot of fun history, but didn't feel at all like a textbook. You real feel the emotional pull of all of the interactions...

Rachel is MIRANDA

With every conversation, you get more and more hooked and you find yourself wanting to learn more about this Miranda person. The performances are lovely, the dialogue is not at all boring and/or filled with cliches. I had a really good time, absolutely recommended!

Intriguing and addictive!

From the start, I was completely hooked on The Miranda Obsession! I listened on a long drive and it kept me engaged the whole time. The voice acting is incredible (especially Rachel Brosnahan, she is so talented). The actors build up so much tension and are so vulnerable in their roles, and I just loved the format of the story through phone calls. Can’t wait to look up the true story that inspired this one.

Couldn't stop listening

Great performance by all characters! Miranda has a charming allure that makes her persona so believable. Her witty conversations suck the listener in until the end. Obsession indeed.

SPLENDID!!!

This was a pleasant listen, very riveting story that had me hooked from the sample listen until the final words uttered by the narrator Rachel Brosnahan. I get it, I understand the why, and loved the explanation behind it. The obsessions, the chase, people always wanting what they cannot have, the allure, the fantasy of what could be, it was just brilliant. Wished it was a bit longer.

just lovely

what a fun listen! the story was great. i can't imagine putting all of that together but it was done very well. the performances were spot on. well worth 2.5+ hours of my time.

Okay,no proper ending

Conversations were good,not much of a plot & many loose ends ,if you can even call it an ending....
Too much annoying repetitive music in every single episode & over-acted background noise that was unnecessary.
I prefer the Love Lines series (Plus catalogue) because the conversations are funnier,there's mystery & loose ends are tied/proper ending & more twist in the plot..
I wouldn't listen to The Miranda Obsession a 2nd time,whereas the Love Lines series I would

Male narrator dire

Couldn't take any more of that shrill male voice. The story was very poor

A fascinating real life story

I recommend listening without finding out anything about this first! The script is brilliant: compelling, naturalistic and poignant, and the performances bring the story to life immediately. Rachel Brosnahan could read out road signs and still sound interesting. Highly recommended!

Rollercoaster

What a read! This book got me from the very start in a very intense way.

Crazy amazing 🖤

Vivid

Clever story will have you smirking through the whole thing. Sound design is brillaint.

ALL GOOD! NARRATOR EXCELLENT.

The story was extraordinary.
I loved listening to this in chunks, either driving or cooking.
I understand that in real-life the woman was never found?
But this ending was better!

Excellent

Highly recommend, thought provoking, enjoyed immensely. Well written and good narration.
Looking forward to more like this.

Interesting

I like the premise. interesting to see how many are captivated by a voice

Soooo good!!!

Really gripping and enjoyable; Brilliant performances by all! Loved it would definitely listen again.

Loved this

The story was captivating, much like the character and made me look forward to my long commute to and from work.