Sound Recommendations: Audiobook Hits & Misses
I Was Really Very Hungry: A Portrait of M. F. K. Fisher is a collection of Fisher's writings that was adapted for the theater by Kelly Nespor for L.A. Theatre Works. Fisher, if you don't know, was one of the original food writers, and if you are familiar with her work, you'll recognize many of the scenes compiled here. The audiobook is a recording of the theater production and is read by a full cast, headed by Anne Archer as Fisher. All the actors, and especially Archer, captured the personalities of characters, giving the production a believable emotional depth. The pieces making up this audiobook are linked by their focus on the many types of appetites, such as hunger, sex, love, and ambition. The audiobook production is well done and maintains the theater feel by retaining the audience's reaction to the stage play. Probably best suited for Fisher's fans.
Love, Loss, and What We Ate is a memoir written and narrated by Padma Lakshmi. I normally shy away from author-read audiobooks, but I had confidence that Lakshmi's television experience would make her a good narrator. I was right, and it was pleasure to hear her read her own story. I was interested in her journey from India to America and from model to food television fame. And, of course, I was curious about her marriage to Salman Rushdie. Lakshmi's performance is relaxed and conversational, making you feel as if you were listening to a friend talk about her life. Besides a little celebrity gossip, Lakshmi frankly shares her issues with infertility and endometriosis, giving this memoir broad appeal.
Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan is a sort of mashup of dystopian fiction and the fairy tale "Rapunzel." I know, sounds really weird, but the story kind of worked. The characters were good, the love story had some depth, and the action scenes were vivid, but the overall world-building was lacking. In addition, the characters sometimes acted in unbelievable ways (a blind girl found her way through an unfamiliar forest, for example). Still, the performances by Phoebe Strole and James Fouhey were well done and emphasized the differences between the two main characters. Listen to this if you are a fan of fairy tale retellings or zombie stories, otherwise I think you'll be safe to pass on it.
I like Roy Blount Jr. and I like food writing, so Save Room for Pie seemed like a good match for me. The audiobook is a compilation of essays in which Blount talks about dishes from his childhood, eating local, raising chickens, and going fishing, among other topics. The stories are mostly amusing and are read by Blount himself, who has years of experience behind the mic. I particularly liked the contrasts between his Southern upbringing and his current New England life, especially in terms of how he eats. Although the subtitle of the book is "Food Songs and Chewy Ruminations," there is no singing. Unfortunately I can't quite recommend this wholeheartedly. The performance was fine, but I began to tire of the stories by the end of the audiobook. If you're curious, I suggest listening to this a piece or two at time, perhaps on your commute.
