Customer Reviews

The Rest of Her Life CD

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Narrator Julia Gibson is almost too convincing in her spot on depiction of Kansas school teacher Leigh, whose family life is turned upside down when her daughter Kara accidentally runs over a classmate. The tragedy throws Kara into a death spin of guilt, yet affords Leigh the opportunity to mend the deep rift between herself and her daughter. Gibson perfectly navigates Leigh's awkward, strained attempts to connect with her daughter. She is so convincing that listeners will actually cringe at Leigh's bumbling attempts at communication that usually illicit nothing more than contempt or pity from Kara. Gibson is quite skilled at making the book's dialogue come to life. The book is strongest during flashbacks to Leigh's own troubled childhood marred by the cold neglect of her mother who left Kara at age 16 to move alone to California. As the story unfolds, so do Leigh's scars which have led her to inadvertently alienate her own daughter even though she strives to provide her with the love and security so lacking in her own youth. Gibson also voices the teenage characters very realistically without trying too hard to sound young. Listeners will easily find themselves caught up in this family drama about the emotional pains of parenting.
-Jessica Teel

This book was great, and I couldn't turn it off! I really related to the main character - Leigh, who is a teacher struggling to relate with her daughter. It reminded me so much of the powerlessness you can feel as a parent when trying to communicate with a teenage child. The novel centers around the relationships between mothers and daughters. Leigh's childhood is examined to shed light on her troubles with her own daughter Kara. She vows to love and support her daughter unlike her own abusive mother who abandoned her as a teenager. Inadvertently, she is cold and distant from her daughter. All this changes when Kara accidentally kills another teenage girl in a car accident. The book follows the aftermath of the accident as it affects the whole family. Leigh ends up growing through the tragedy to finally relate to her daughter in a meaningful way, and Kara learns that her mother truly supports and loves her. This book was wonderful as an audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job portraying both the adult and child characters. I really sensed from her voice the hardships of each character as they struggle emotionally. I was definitely drawn into the story, and found myself listening to the book whenever I had free time. I highly recommend this audiobook!
- Jennifer Kline

This was my first audio book and I can honestly say it was good. The narriation was excellent. I particularly liked the way the author explained each scene so that my mind could see the characters and the places described. The ending left me wanting to know more of what happened to the title character's family.

Not a complete waste of time but really could never figure out where the story was going. Was interesting at times though.

This review is for the Audio CD, unabridged. I enjoyed the book... what else is there to say? The subject was one I'd never read about before, and it did a good job of showing the impact of a tragedy on a family and community.

LAST WEEK I TOOK THE CD'S WITH ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING BY MYSELF FROM OUTSIDE OF PHILADELPHIA TO BUFFALO, NY AND BACK--7 HOURS EACH WAY. I LISTENED TO THIS BOOK ON CD'S---IT WAS A WONDERFUL STORY AND THE DRIVE WENT QUICKLY. I DIDN'T EVEN GET TIRED NOR DID MY NECK HURT FROM DRIVING SO MUCH---I THINK IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS MUCH MORE RELAXED AND DIDN'T CONCENTRATE ON HOW LONG THE TRIP WAS. BOOKS ON CD'S ARE A GREAT IDEA FOR A LONG TRIP, AND 'THE REST OF HER LIFE" WAS AN UNCOMPLICATED STORY--EASY TO FOLLOW WHILE DRIVING.