Strive

Deliciously narrated by Stanley himself

Reviewed: 30-06-22

I have been playing this Audible in the kitchen whilst making dinner over the past few weeks, having recently enjoyed Stanley’s wonderful CNN series on Italian food and culture (also on BBC iPlayer).
It’s a food oriented autobiography with occasional recipes should you wish to recreate the scenes he describes. The chapter towards the end about 2020 lockdown is hugely endearing and relatable then the final chapter tells the story of his 2017 journey with mouth cancer and his anguish his joy of eating and cooking might be taken away forever. This is definitely a book that merits from being enjoyed in Audible format although I’m sure the paperback is equally engaging.

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3 people found this helpful

Gripping

Reviewed: 06-04-22

Absolutely fascinating from start to finish, this account of Clementine Churchill’s long eventful life examines her unconventional upbringing and compatibility with Winston. Her story gives a fly on the wall perspective of many world events during their marriage and his times in political office, to which she made an untold contribution. Highly recommended.

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A nostalgic memoir that will make you laugh and cry

Reviewed: 15-03-22

TV retail guru Mary Portas shares evocative memories of her working class upbringing in Watford with Irish parents and a crowded household of siblings during the 70s. From tellings off at convent school to her first proper job dressing up the Harrods window displays this quick paced memoir switches from a girls’ version of Adrian Mole to a deeply moving coming of age story. I hope there’s a part two underway. Mary would indeed have been a great actor as this narration shows.

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Interesting and thought provoking

Reviewed: 01-03-22

An animated narration by the author brings what might be a dry subject to life. This book will make you reassess the quality and quantity of your "digital dust" and draws interesting parallels between traditional and digital mourning.

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Brings a dry subject to life

Reviewed: 01-02-22

Enjoyable chronological account of the characters who contributed to and led the existential philosophy movement. The writer brings personalities to life and examines their sometimes loving, sometimes hostile relationships with each other. I found the narration engaging and fun. If you’ve read Simone de Beauvoir’s biographies there is some overlap but this is a complimentary read and having read the hard copy then listened to Audible afterwards I would say both forms are excellent and using both is even better!

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1 person found this helpful

Detailed and informative

Reviewed: 01-02-22

This is quite a nerdy book. Although I agree a paper copy would be easier to navigate as a reference copy afterwards, I found the American narration delightful, the narrator has similar accent to Andi Macdowell, her voice is lively, educated and doesn’t grate. I had a feeling of a stumbling into bars around the world to partake in local liquor alongside an expert explanation of how the regional terroir and flora prompted its locals to brew booze in that way and why. So yes a hard copy is a good idea as well but this is a title that also benefits from being read aloud.

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Great to listen to in the bath!

Reviewed: 01-02-22

I normally have my audibles plying in the kitchen whilst I cook and do housework but this has been my relaxation “read” lying in the bath whilst Sali imparts her expert knowledge of beauty products, beauty treatments and skincare. If you’ve found her Guardian columns useful you will enjoy this book. Her narration is soothing and reassuring, you feel you’ve had a girls night in! Also recommended by Sali, Pretty Iconic.

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Sensitive and informative

Reviewed: 01-02-22

A sobering book full of things we’d rather not think about which at the same time manages to be engaging and delightful. You feel like a fly on the wall in Lucy’s consultations as she paints novel-like portraits of her elderly patients, their family members and the situations they find themselves in. This title is much enhanced by Lucy’s animated and kindly narration, if only I had a doctor like this I kept thinking. Subjects covered include falls and mobility, medication problems, independence, quality of life, dementia, power of attorney and death itself. There’s an end chapter on Covid’s colouring upon these things.

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Detailed dramatic life story with fantastic narration by Samantha Bond

Reviewed: 01-02-22

Of course we all think we know about Mrs Simpson and the abdication but this finely researched biography expands on Wallis’s upbringing and earlier marriages to paint a complex figure and not wholly unsympathetic character. Samantha Bond brings Wallis to life with drawling quotes and an animated delivery of detailed facts about her circumstances and her circling of Edward VIII. Ensnared in exile, the section about their wartime governance of the Bahamas is particularly enlightening. If you enjoys this then there is an expansion of the Windsor’s time on the Riviera in Anne de Courcy’s Chanel’s Riviera and this itself overlaps nicely with Anne Sebba’s Les Parisiennes for a picture of life in Occupied France.

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Gripping and informative

Reviewed: 01-02-22

A veritable soap opera of famous figures from the jazz age through the second world war and liberation of France. With Coco Chanel at the centre, this story isn’t constrained to the riviera, rather it includes much detail of the impact upon the French citizens of the German occupation and what was going on in Paris and actions of the Vichy government. The section about British ex-pats being repatriated via coal ships out of the Mediterranean and the hideous conditions of their voyage is especially interesting. If you enjoyed Les Parisiennes by Anne Sebba there is much overlap though this book concentrates more on the lives of artists and cultural figures based in the south - with many guest appearances from Churchill and the exiled Windsors. It’s not wholly a Chanel biography as the main focus is just 15 years of her life so I intend to look for a specific Chanel biography as well.

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