-
The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Mira Jacob
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $35.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Good Talk
- A Memoir in Conversations
- By: Mira Jacob
- Narrated by: Mira Jacob, Kivlighan de Montebello, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 287
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 254
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 249
A bold, wry, and intimate memoir about American identity, interracial families, and the realities that divide us.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Inspiring, funny, very good yet quick read
- By Maureen on 06-03-19
By: Mira Jacob
-
The Lightmaker's Manifesto
- How to Work for Change Without Losing Your Joy
- By: Karen Walrond
- Narrated by: Karen Walrond
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 43
Leadership coach, lawyer, photographer, and activist Karen Walrond knows that when you care deeply about the world, light can seem hard to find. But when your activism grows out of your joy - and vice versa - you begin to see light everywhere.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
life changing and authentic
- By Karen in CT on 01-07-22
By: Karen Walrond
-
Bittersweet
- How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
- By: Susan Cain
- Narrated by: Susan Cain
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 644
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 560
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 551
Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world. It recognizes that light and dark, birth and death - bitter and sweet - are forever paired. Susan Cain employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir she used in Quiet to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the true path to creativity, connection, and transcendence.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I disagree
- By Jonathan on 04-08-22
By: Susan Cain
-
Atlas of the Heart
- Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
- By: Brené Brown
- Narrated by: Brené Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 8,615
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,518
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7,420
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances - a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect
- By Mandy on 02-16-22
By: Brené Brown
-
Nothing to See Here
- By: Kevin Wilson
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,785
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 8,666
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,633
Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then, Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal, and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family, and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: The twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Everything to see here!
- By KayMac on 10-30-19
By: Kevin Wilson
-
Crying in H Mart
- A Memoir
- By: Michelle Zauner
- Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,717
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,899
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,886
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian-American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Broken Korean
- By Tim on 04-21-21
By: Michelle Zauner
-
Good Talk
- A Memoir in Conversations
- By: Mira Jacob
- Narrated by: Mira Jacob, Kivlighan de Montebello, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 287
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 254
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 249
A bold, wry, and intimate memoir about American identity, interracial families, and the realities that divide us.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Inspiring, funny, very good yet quick read
- By Maureen on 06-03-19
By: Mira Jacob
-
The Lightmaker's Manifesto
- How to Work for Change Without Losing Your Joy
- By: Karen Walrond
- Narrated by: Karen Walrond
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 43
Leadership coach, lawyer, photographer, and activist Karen Walrond knows that when you care deeply about the world, light can seem hard to find. But when your activism grows out of your joy - and vice versa - you begin to see light everywhere.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
life changing and authentic
- By Karen in CT on 01-07-22
By: Karen Walrond
-
Bittersweet
- How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
- By: Susan Cain
- Narrated by: Susan Cain
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 644
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 560
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 551
Bittersweetness is a tendency to states of longing, poignancy, and sorrow; an acute awareness of passing time; and a curiously piercing joy at the beauty of the world. It recognizes that light and dark, birth and death - bitter and sweet - are forever paired. Susan Cain employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir she used in Quiet to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the true path to creativity, connection, and transcendence.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I disagree
- By Jonathan on 04-08-22
By: Susan Cain
-
Atlas of the Heart
- Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
- By: Brené Brown
- Narrated by: Brené Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 8,615
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,518
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7,420
In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances - a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect
- By Mandy on 02-16-22
By: Brené Brown
-
Nothing to See Here
- By: Kevin Wilson
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,785
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 8,666
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,633
Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then, Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal, and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family, and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: The twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Everything to see here!
- By KayMac on 10-30-19
By: Kevin Wilson
-
Crying in H Mart
- A Memoir
- By: Michelle Zauner
- Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,717
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,899
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,886
In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian-American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Broken Korean
- By Tim on 04-21-21
By: Michelle Zauner
-
Go Back to Where You Came From
- And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become an American
- By: Wajahat Ali
- Narrated by: Wajahat Ali
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 186
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 170
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 170
Now a middle-aged dad, Ali has become one of the foremost and funniest public intellectuals in America. In Go Back to Where You Came From, he tackles the dangers of Islamophobia, white supremacy, and chocolate hummus, peppering personal stories with astute insights into national security, immigration, and pop culture. In this refreshingly bold, hopeful, and uproarious memoir, Ali offers indispensable lessons for cultivating a more compassionate, inclusive, and delicious America.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Must read (or in this case, listen)!!
- By Jessica S. on 01-26-22
By: Wajahat Ali
-
The Four Pivots
- Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves
- By: Shawn A. Ginwright
- Narrated by: Shawn A. Ginwright
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 47
We need a fundamental shift in our values—a pivot in how we think, act, work, and connect. Despite what we’ve been told, the most critical mainspring of social change isn’t coalition building or problem analysis. It’s healing: deep, whole, and systemic, inside and out.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What the World Needs NOW
- By Jkdpjd1 on 05-07-22
-
Unbound
- My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
- By: Tarana Burke
- Narrated by: Tarana Burke
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,455
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,293
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,289
From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, the "me too" movement, Tarana Burke debuts a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words - me too - and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation in one of the largest cultural events in American history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Resilient
- By Sharna Che on 09-14-21
By: Tarana Burke
-
Long Bright River
- A Novel
- By: Liz Moore
- Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
- Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,353
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,077
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,064
In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling. Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit - and her sister - before it's too late.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Has no heft
- By Marion on 01-15-20
By: Liz Moore
-
Wish You Were Here
- A Novel
- By: Jodi Picoult
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,572
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,790
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,754
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos - days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing Jodi + excellent narration = 5+++
- By Kindle Customer on 12-03-21
By: Jodi Picoult
-
I Was Anastasia
- A Novel
- By: Ariel Lawhon
- Narrated by: Jane Collingwood, Sian Thomas, Ariel Lawhon
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,016
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 924
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 921
Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survives. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Review
- By Amazon Customer on 08-24-18
By: Ariel Lawhon
-
The Personal Librarian
- By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,845
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,393
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,369
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Treat For This Academic Librarian!
- By AlTonya on 07-14-21
By: Marie Benedict, and others
-
Klara and the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Sura Siu
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8,026
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,990
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 6,956
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well Worth Having Waited For!
- By otherdeb on 03-04-21
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Idea of You
- By: Robinne Lee
- Narrated by: Robinne Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,568
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,393
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,394
Solene Marchand, the 39-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she's more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solene expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of 20 years old further complicates things. What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantasy meets Reality
- By Renee on 08-08-18
By: Robinne Lee
-
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
- A Novel
- By: Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,041
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10,354
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10,324
January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb.... As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends - and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
MUCH better than I ever expected! Give it a try!
- By Kent on 10-19-09
By: Mary Ann Shaffer, and others
-
The Help
- By: Kathryn Stockett
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 43,472
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 28,680
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 28,657
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What a great surprise!
- By Jan on 12-02-09
By: Kathryn Stockett
-
Fall of Giants
- Book One of the Century Trilogy
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19,162
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14,747
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14,695
Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh - as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it and learned alot.
- By Louis on 10-19-10
By: Ken Follett
Publisher's Summary
A winning, irreverent debut novel about a family wrestling with its future and its past - for listeners of J. Courtney Sullivan, Meg Wolitzer, Mona Simpson, and Jhumpa Lahiri
Named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Bustle, and Emily Gould, The Millions
With depth, heart, and agility, debut novelist Mira Jacob takes us on a deftly plotted journey that ranges from 1970s India to suburban 1980s New Mexico to Seattle during the dot.com boom. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing is an epic, irreverent testimony to the bonds of love, the pull of hope, and the power of making peace with life's uncertainties.
Celebrated brain surgeon Thomas Eapen has been sitting on his porch, talking to dead relatives. At least that is the story his wife, Kamala, prone to exaggeration, tells their daughter, Amina, a photographer living in Seattle.
Reluctantly, Amina returns home and finds a situation that is far more complicated than her mother let on, with roots in a trip the family, including Amina's rebellious brother Akhil, took to India 20 years earlier. Confronted by Thomas' unwillingness to explain himself, strange looks from the hospital staff, and a series of puzzling items buried in her mother's garden, Amina soon realizes that the only way she can help her father is by coming to terms with her family's painful past. In doing so, she must reckon with the ghosts that haunt all of the Eapens.
Praise for The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing
“With wit and a rich understanding of human foibles, Jacob unspools a story that will touch your heart.” (People)
“Optimistic, unpretentious and refreshingly witty.” (Associated Press)
“By turns hilarious and tender and always attuned to shifts of emotion... [Jacob’s] characters shimmer with life. ”(Entertainment Weekly)
“A rich, engrossing debut told with lightness and care.” (The Kansas City Star)
“[A] sprawling, poignant, often humorous novel... Told with humor and sympathy for its characters, the book serves as a bittersweet lesson in the binding power of family, even when we seek to break out from it.” (O: The Oprah Magazine)
“Moving forward and back in time, Jacob balances comedy and romance with indelible sorrow.... When her plot springs surprises, she lets them happen just as they do in life: blindsidingly right in the middle of things.” (The Boston Globe)
Critic Reviews
“Jacob’s novel is light and optimistic, unpretentious and refreshingly witty. Jacob has created characters with evident care and treats them with gentleness even as they fight viciously with each other. Her prose is sharp and true and deeply funny.... This is the literary fiction I will be recommending to everyone this summer, especially those who love multigenerational, multicultural family sagas.” (Associated Press)
“Always engrossing and often feels so true to life that it’s a surprise that it’s not.” (The Austin Chronicle)
“Mira Jacob has written an utterly dazzling, epic debut. The story of an Indian American family is at once completely relatable and totally fresh. A beautifully timed novel, The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing is intricately woven and sparklingly played out, and it triumphs. I did not want this breathtaking book to end.” (Julie Klam, author of Friendkeeping)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cmlmmomii
- 01-10-15
The best book I have read in a long time
The story was amazing and I think I loved it more with the author reading. Her different voices for each character became easily recognizable. I am sad it is over.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- WPH
- 02-01-15
One of the best books I have read in a long time
I read a review after reading this book that said that the author pulls the reader into every nuance of Amina's life. The depth of character in this book is alarming and wonderful.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sonya Priestly
- 07-19-16
Albuquerque
I had no idea this story was partially set in Albuquerque, NM when I purchased it. I enjoyed the authors descriptions of life here. The cultural challenges she describes are intriguing and thought provoking. Anyone who enjoys exploring family ties will like this book.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- k2
- 03-10-15
Wasn't sure
I wasn't sure at first, but grew to love the characters.
The story gave me appreciation for different family dynamics.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura
- 10-01-14
Wonderful family saga and outstanding narration !!
If you could sum up The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing in three words, what would they be?
Moving, Funny, Interesting.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Kamala.She is funny, loving and sounds so genuine.
Have you listened to any of Mira Jacob’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Unfortunately no. But I'll be on the look out for her next one for sure!
If you could take any character from The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Kamala, because her passion is cooking and so is mine. that would make for an interesting conversation.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robyn T. Fink
- 10-08-14
Gateway listen!
Any additional comments?
This is the first time I've listened to a full-length fiction title. I listen to tons of podcasts, and I've listened to autobiographies and Freakonomics-style nonfiction, but never a novel. h/t to Laura Hogensen for the rec, and she was right - the author does an excellent job with the voices, and I found myself taking the long way home just so I could listen for a few extra blocks. If you've ever wondered if audiobooks are for you, this should be your gateway listen!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- R.Reader
- 08-01-14
A Good First Effort
I purchased this book because they compared the writer to Jhumpa Lahiri - my favorite writer. Besides the fact that they both explore the lives of Indians in America torn between two worlds, and the intricacies of a family - the similarities end there. Although Thomas' story was touching, I didn’t find myself thinking about it once I'd finished the book. And although Akhil's story seemingly came out of left field, I suspect many of us expected it. We can be amused by the "time travel" aspect as we get to hear the thoughts of the character's in their time and we know what eventually happens (garbage bags with handles, phones you can use in your car). But I often found myself wondering how old Amina was at times - like Im 30, and have had my share of "auntys" but none of them are going to twist my ear in reprimand...I'm 30 not 10!
This is book is long - very long and endlessly meandering, by the end of the book, you would have juggled as many as 7 storylines. Feels like the author couldn’t make up her mind as to which of her character's wants to cater to, so we got a little of everything. This is clear even with the title of the book. They may have compared Mira Jacob's familial exploration to that of Jhumpa Lahiri, but Lahiri's silences scream. Jacob is not quite there yet, but I think she's well on her way. She can tell a story, and that is what makes this book worth the listen.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- RueRue
- 09-07-17
Excellent author narrator !
I really enjoyed this author's narration of her book. It's a rarity for an author to excell as a narrator. She be each character a distinctive voice and nailed the accents - loved it ! I just wish the story had been more compelling. It was overly long, especially the last third which just seemed to drag, and then.....a non-ending. There was no payoff for the 15 hours of listening.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- ABQMIMI
- 03-22-15
Written with heart;Narrated Brilliantly
What made the experience of listening to The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing the most enjoyable?
The author's narration was excellent. Loved her acting and accents
What about Mira Jacob’s performance did you like?
Her ability to act all of her characters.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Made me laugh in places cry in others.
Any additional comments?
The book's characters and their story portray the many shades of love.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- JG
- 07-08-16
The audio version really enhances the story
Where does The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I loved this book so much and the audio version really enhanced the story. Narrated by the author, the accents and inflections added so much to this sweet, touching story. It made my long commute short and I was so sad when it was over.
What other book might you compare The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing to and why?
The Namesake - because it provided a glimpse into the similarities and differences of daily life in Indian families
2 people found this helpful
