Marcia Gay Harden has narrated 3 audiobooks on Listento.it by 3 authors, with an average listener rating of 4★ across 4 ratings. The most-rated is Tikki Tikki Tembo.
The Seasons of My Mother
Summary
In this poetic and inspiring memoir, one of America’s most revered actresses uses the imagery of flowers and the art of Ikebana to depict the unique creative bond that she has had with her mother throughout the years - and how, together, they are facing her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Marcia Gay Harden knew at a young age that her life would be anything but ordinary. One of five lively children born to two Texas natives - Beverly, a proper Dallas lady, and Thad, a young officer in the US Navy hailing from El Paso - she always had a knack for storytelling, role-playing, and mischief-making. As a military family, the Hardens moved often, and their travels abroad eventually took them to a home off the coast of Japan. It was here that Beverly, amid the many challenges of raising a gaggle of youngsters, found solace in Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Using the imagery of flowers and Ikebana as her starting point, Marcia Gay Harden takes us through the different seasons of her mother’s life, all the while weaving in the story of her own journey from precocious young girl to budding artist to Academy Award-winning actress. With a razor-sharp wit as well as the kind of emotional honesty that has made her performances resonate with audiences worldwide, Marcia describes the family’s travels overseas, her flourishing career in New York and Hollywood, and, most poignantly, Beverly’s struggles today to maintain her identity as she tackles her greatest challenge yet: Alzheimer’s disease. This memoir illustrates the uniqueness, beauty, and unforgettable love of motherhood as Marcia does what Beverly can no longer do: She remembers. Like a cross between Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club and Lisa Genova’s Still Alice, this memoir is a lyrical, loving homage to one mother’s strength as reflected in the tenacity and artistry of her daughter.
©2018 Marcia Gay Harden (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Audio
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Summary
This humorous retelling of a favorite folktale recounts how the Chinese came to give their children short names. This storybook is one adults and children will enjoy sharing together again and again. When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names. Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo is the name of a mother's first, and most honored, son. It means, "the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world"!
©1968 Arlene Mosel (P)2009 Macmillan Audio
Hill Towns
Summary
A single event in her childhood irrevocably marked Catherine Gaillard, and made it impossible for her to leave her cloistered mountaintop town in Tennessee for the next 30 years. But her devotion to her husband, Joe, and her desire to forever put the incident behind her propel Cat on a life-changing trip to Italy. Making their way across the countryside of Tuscany with two other couples, Cat and Joe soon feel themselves pulled in different directions, and the fabric of their marriage begins to unravel. Expanding beyond the bounds of a carefree trip, their journey takes them deep into the heart of their relationship and becomes the ultimate test of their love.
©1993 Anne River Siddons (P)1993 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.