Music to Words: Two Audiobook Reviews:
Making It So: A Memoir, written and narrated byPatrick Stewart (Audiobooks.com)
Be still, my heart. Sir Patrick Stewart’s life in his ownwords, in his own voice.
I put a hold on this audiobook months before it becameavailable. My library purchased extra copies to accommodate all the requests.To say the wait was worth it is an understatement. The memoir details afascinating life and an exciting, varied, and long career, much of which I wasalready familiar with. Sure, I knew Stewart from Star Trek: TNG and itsmovies, X-Men, I, Claudius, and other films. But I also had apassing familiarity with his charismatic presence on the stage. My daughter andI attended his one-man performance of A Christmas Carol by CharlesDickens, in which Stewart filled the auditorium with his vitality,story-telling genius, and ability to make the text come alive as we’d never beforeknown it. That’s one of the things that stood out for me in his memoir: how hetakes a text and makes it emotionally and intellectually accessible, to takethe sense of the words and bring them alive. (Highlight: Stewart reciting severalof Shakespeare’s Sonnets. This is, of course, to be expected from ahighly experienced veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Theater.
And his voice! We all know that rich, supple voice, althoughsince Stewart is now in his 80s, it has acquired “age gravel.” But what thedecades have diminished, skill, life experience, and understanding haveenhanced even more. He recounts events with intimacy and meaning, as if he hadbeen there, which he had.
I also knew that he came from a working-class family, thathis strong stance against domestic violence arose from watching his father’sbrutality, that he had been a stage actor long before he ventured into film andtelevision, and that he is so secure in his sexuality that he is comfortablebeing demonstrably affectionate with a close gay friend (Ian McKellen). Which,needless to say, other straight men ought to emulate. There was much I didn’tknow, and discovering it in the course of listening became a delight, one Iwill not spoil for you. Just download a copy or put yourself on the wait listat your library, and enjoy.
SomeoneYou Can Build a Nest In,by John Wiswell, narrated by Carmen Rose (Tantor Audio); print and ebookpublished by DAW.I’d heard of John Wiswell, one of the new generation ofsplendid young authors, so I grabbed a review copy of the audiobook version ofhis debut novel, SomeoneYou Can Build a Nest In.Narrator Carmen Rose did a splendid job bringing this unusualmonster/horror/romance to life. On a panel at the recent Nebula Awards weekend,a speaker referenced this book as a fresh take on the theme of monster asprotagonist, in this case monster as heroic, romantic protagonist. Suchcharacters hold a mirror to our deepest fears, offering shared humanity as apath to laying our nightmares to rest. While Wiswell’s book is not an entirelynew approach to the point of view of a monster/villain, he brings a wonderfulcombination of grit, darkness, and lyricism to the story.
MonsterShesheshen, a formless, pluripotent jelly, is rudely awoken from hersleep in the bowels of a ruined manor by human hunters. Quickly assembling hardmaterials to construct human-like body parts (a metal chain for a backbone, oldbones for limbs, and so forth), she disguises herself as a refugee. The ruseworks for only a short tome. The hunters are relentless, driven by theobsessive local nobility who, as it turns out, have their own share of horrendoussecrets. Badly injured during a chase, Shesheshen experiences her first tasteof kindness when a rejected daughter of the noble house rescues her. Bit bybit, step by step, they each heal one another. The monster’s quest eventuallybecomes how to build a life with, rather than inside of, the love of her life.And to survive her murderous in-laws.
It's a gorgeous, inventive, intoxicating love story, filledwith heart-rending truths, self-sacrifice, and gradual unfolding of character.We should all have such a monster in our lives.
Highly recommended.
