All My Puny Sorrows

By: Miriam Toews

Narrated by: Erin Moon

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Elf and Yoli are sisters. While on the surface Elfrieda's life is enviable (she's a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, and happily married,) and Yolandi's a mess (she's divorced and broke, with two teenagers growing up too quickly), they are fiercely close - raised in a Mennonite household and sharing the hardship of Elf's desire to end her life. After Elf's latest attempt, Yoli must quickly determine how to keep her family from falling apart, how to keep her own heart from breaking, and what it means to love someone who wants to die.

©2014 Miriam Toews (P)2014 Recorded Books

The most beautiful book I have read in a very long time

I could not sleep for reading this book. The narrator is absolutely wonderful. The writing is engulfing and terrible and beautiful. I hardly ever read books a second time, I know I will read this one again.

Deserves more stars!

The narrator was perfection for this tale. I was enchanted by this story. Have listened to the end twice so far and will do it again. So many nuances, descriptions, nuggets of hard learned & earned wisdom are worth rereading for more depth. I recommend this book.

So slow and boring!

This is one of the most boring books I have ever listened to! I understand that the author touches on a difficult subject, and I normally appreciate that in a story. The book dealing with suicide, I obviously was not expecting an upbeat or fun book, but this was just so monotone and it dragged on for way too long (think: listening to a song with just one or two notes = monotone indeed). Wow, am I glad this is over!

Exquisite book

Would you consider the audio edition of All My Puny Sorrows to be better than the print version?

Typically I prefer the one I engage with first. It's sometimes shocking to hear how a narrator handles a book I've read. I hadn't imagined it his or her way. In this case, the narrator enhanced what was already a great book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was the mother but her sister and both of her daughters were also beautifully drawn.

What about Erin Moon’s performance did you like?

Everything. Even the hospital staff was well and sometimes sympathetically voiced.

Who was the most memorable character of All My Puny Sorrows and why?

I can't think of anyone who isn't memorable.

Any additional comments?

Unless solicited for advice, I usually don't recommend books. But I sent a few emails after finishing this one.

Great book

What a good story and I loved how involved the reader was. She really got into every single character.

Really depressing story

Don't listen to this if you are prone to depression. It's super dark.

However, it is masterfully written and very well performed.

brilliant story and perfect narration

I've listened to this book twice now and each time I've been swept into its heartbreak, black humor, grief and the healing power of love. Each sentence is packed with so much emotion it's almost unbearable while the narrator captures all the characters perfectly. Don't miss this one if you're tired of trite stories.

Loved everything about this book

I loved every line of this book. Beautifully written. Beautifully read. Thought provoking. It will stay with me for a long time.

Not my usual cup of tea.

But I really liked it. I think the performance didn't quite hit the level of sarcasm present in the narrator's hyperbole, but that's maybe a subjective nitpick. The ending felt drawn out and it was a chore to finish. Totally worth it though. I'm a male with no siblings and this story punched me in the heart. The narration was incredibly sincere. Pretty great through and through.

Complexity

Is one characteristic to describe a good wine. Like such, AMPS was layered in complexity of story lines, characters, present day, history, dreams and fantasies. All tied together to make you not want to stop. So concerned that I may have missed something, I found myself repeating chapters before moving on. Sad and joyful and inspiring at in one story.