The Optimist's Daughter

By: Eudora Welty

Narrated by: Eudora Welty

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

This story of a young woman's confrontation with death and her past is a poetic study of human relations.

Public Domain (P)2011 Random House Audio

Beautiful writing

Like most people I don't like abridged versions of books and avoid them. So I WISH that Eudora Welty had recorded the unabridged version of this book, but to the best of my knowledge she didn't.

That being said, the beauty of the writing and the wonderful narration by the author outweigh any frustration resulting from abridgment. I have owned this recording for 10 - 15 years (first in audio cassettes), and returning to it is always a pleasure. I hear something new each time I listen.

I highly recommend this recording.

velvety cloak of words... stitched with gold....

A story of an adult daughter's (Laurel) struggle with the death of her father, after already having lost her husband and her mother. She recalls her mom and dad reading parts of books to each other:

“She was sent to sleep under a velvety cloak of words, richly patterned and stitched with gold, straight out of a fairy tale, while they went reading on into her dreams.”

It is a story of the people and things we recall upon the death of a parent, the loss of that part of your life, the rooms, the stories, and the attempt to hold onto what others see as the smaller things. It is also about contemplating the defects of the parents through others you see after the loss.

We have all known folks like the busy-body neighbors and friends here. Perhaps we have all known despicable human beings like the step-mother (a younger self-centered and completely negative nelly married late in life by Laurel's widowed father). She is a dismal, awful spirit that you cannot help but wonder what the father could have seen in her to marry. This part of the novel made my stomach churn and my hair stand on end.

A poetic, semi-autobiographical look at death and life, as peculiarly experienced in the South, sure to strike a chord with anyone who has lost a parent.

A perfect southern book

I love southern stories and authors. the slow, southern drawls of the reader were great.

I have heard Miss Welty

Where does The Optimist's Daughter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

thoroughly enjoyable

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Optimist's Daughter?

I loved the description of the sewing woman, Miss Berna Longmeyer. Her description tells a deep story about that exact time in the south.

What about Eudora Welty’s performance did you like?

It is always wonderful to hear a story in the author's voice, but this one was exceptional. Her southern soul was on display

If you could take any character from The Optimist's Daughter out to dinner, who would it be and why?

My first choice would be Fay, because she would be entertaining, but I wouldn't want to actually spend any time with her. I'd prefer to spend time dining with Juge McKelva

Enjoyed it.

While I am sure there could be more entertaining readers, you just can't beat hearing an author's words read by the author herself. I found it wonderfully fascinating, and Mrs. Welty's deep southern drawl surely helps one imagine this novel.

Eudora's voice lacks intonation

Not easy to listen to. You can hear starts and stops in production. Her sentences all run together. She doesn't do a good job of narrating it. She's obviously a gifted writer but I would have much preferred a different narrator.

Eudora Welty

This was my first Welty book. I've wanted to get to know her my entire life, and I was not disappointed. Her prose was rich with character description and development. And I loved that she was reading it to me. How precious is that? She used to read to the children at the public library, one of them was a friend of mine. How precious is that?

Barely Abridged

If you could sum up The Optimist's Daughter in three words, what would they be?

Worthy of praise.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Optimist's Daughter?

Everything after the 117 or after the funeral.

Have you listened to any of Eudora Welty’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, she does a wonderful job reading her own material.

Who was the most memorable character of The Optimist's Daughter and why?

Fay, she was viciously ignorant.

Any additional comments?

Welty reads all but a few sentences in this audiobook herself. Don't be scared off by the

Breathtaking writing

The scene that takes place during the long night in the storm in the dark house with a bird knocking on the doors is one of the most brilliant in Amerixan literature. incredible to hear the author read it.

Beautiful

I loved this book and loved hearing the author read it. A very precious gem.

Eudora Welty

Great Writer she is so descriptive in her beautiful style. Listen to her fantastic and heartwarming narration.
I could listen to her voice forever
The stories are fascinating and the pace is superb.
Highly recommended to any reader of literature.

Total garbage

I do not write reviews, ever. But everything in this book, from story to narrator was apallingly bad. No wonder it was free. Just garbage. Total utter garbage