Hey Mimi

Ridiculous Premise

Revisado: 04-07-24

I bought this audiobook because an elderly relative of mine was reading the book. I thought it would fun to discuss a book we were both “reading.” But the premise is utterly ridiculous and I didn’t find it “cute” to celebrate a group of (any age) people planning crimes and robbing people. It also mocks characters who were raised to believe in God. Just a bizarre, morally questionable waste of time. This is not a story that empowers or celebrates seniors. It’s not clever, cute or remotely entertaining. It was a chore to get through it.

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Unexpectedly Good!

Revisado: 01-29-24

I purchased this audiobook because it popped up as an Amazon suggestion a few days before my sobriety birthday. I had several credits building up and really should use them. When I realized that it was written by a comedian, I thought “Oh boy, this is going to be awful. She’s going to spend the whole book trying to prove how funny she is.” I listened to the sample and it sounded ok. I clicked “purchase,” fully expecting to hate it. To my great surprise, the humor and narration hit just the right tone. The humor really hit home when describing her rationalizations for why she “wasn’t that bad” or “wasn’t really an alcoholic.” Yep. It was all so real and so ridiculous. The author’s story was so similar to my own, mostly in the way she thought about alcohol, and how nothing devastating had happened YET. I like the way the author addresses the many mental obstacles to accepting a 12-step program: the God-thing, the Cult-thing, the meetings and, worst of all, the “never drinking again-thing.” Yeah. That’s a doozy. But as a person with 18 yrs of sobriety, I can say, the author does a really good job of describing how this system somehow succeeds. As someone who tried for years to get a grip through ‘anything but AA’ … in the end, I discovered that it was the only way that worked for me. The book is so serious and entertaining at the same time. I finished listening to it in just one day. I feel sure that it will help many drinking moms face the reality of their situation. I sincerely hope they will recognize themselves in this well-written story and maybe take action a few years sooner than they would otherwise.

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Jumped the Shark

Revisado: 12-17-23

What was that? One minute I was listening to the story of a mother’s grief at the loss of her grown son and the slow road to justice. Then suddenly, it turned into a scattered recitation of random court cases and acts of war (I think?). Obvious needed to stretch the book out with a strange liberal rant for filler. Weird.

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Excellent

Revisado: 05-01-17

Powerfully good insight on how emotionally immature people behave and the lasting impact it can have on the psyche of a child. Excellent advice on how to overcome the damage that has been done and live a better life.

Useful insight on recognizing & dealing with emotionally immature friends & family as an adult. This is probably the best "self-help" audio book I've ever listened to (and I've listened to a LOT). Good practical advice.

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Excellent

Revisado: 06-28-16

Any additional comments?

Absolutely riveting. Could not stop listening. I learned a lot about the Holocaust that I did not know. Narration was excellent as well.

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She sure had terrible taste in men

Revisado: 06-28-16

What made the experience of listening to The Nazi Officer's Wife the most enjoyable?

I purchased and listened to this book through Audible and found it impossible to stop listening. The story was riveting and I learned so much about treatment of the Jews that I never knew. I think listening to it on Audible was a really a lucky choice, because other reviews have complained that the writing style was too conversational or not well edited. But my experience was a good one, because the presentation was one of Edith recounting her harrowing ordeal, telling a story some 50 years later. The narrator had an accent and did a really good job of helping me forget she was reading a book.

I agree that some parts of the story seemed skewed; uncomfortable facts of the story were rushed over. Some of these scenarios made Edith a less-sympathetic character, because rather than taking time to explain any emotional conflict, she stated the facts and moved on quickly in the story. I give her credit for honesty, even if it caused embarrassment. But not taking time to express any regrets, I think, gives the reader the impression that she had none. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it sometimes made me not like the lady much, for **SPOILER *** getting engaged to a married man with a child, for having a child with an abusive Nazi, abandoning an orphan child, refusing to take part in the prosecution of war criminals, and continuing a lifelong friendship with a coward. She sure had terrible taste in men; I'll say that! *** end SPOILER***

Edith seemed so callous about these things. But a review isn't about whether I liked the woman or not. I wish she had taken more time to explain decisions like these. A little self-reflection would have made her a more sympathetic character. But I had to remind myself that this is the story of how she survived the holocaust. Maybe a more sentimental person would not have survived. She tells her story and I enjoyed hearing it. I learned a great deal in the process and I'm very glad I came across this audio book.

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Excellent! Tremendously Enlightening and Helpful

Revisado: 11-18-15

I chose this book when I read another reviewer here call it the best book she had read on the topic of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I took her recommendation and I'm glad I did! I agree completely; it is an invaluable education on understanding what you are dealing with and why you can't just "talk things through" with your NPD friend/family.

Other books I've read spend so much time describing how to recognize the NPD person, that there is very little in the way of advice on how to coexist with them. I wish there were more specific techniques on how to do that in this or any other book. Sadly, it's pretty clear that I will never be able to "talk sense" into an NPD friend. But "The Wizard of Oz and other Narcissists" did an excellent job of helping me to understand why I keep attracting these type of people into my life, how to recognize it early and NIP IT IN THE BUD!

I don't know why this book spoke to me so much more than the others I have read. Maybe because it was an audio book? Or the author's expertise on the subject? Or simply because I found the narrator so pleasant and easy to listen to! I don't know, but it's the first book that lead me to a true ah-ha moment and helped me see actions I could take to stop allowing these people into my life.

Truly life changing; I'm listening to it a second time already, so that I never forget the valuable lessons I found in this book.

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