I've Tried Being Nice
(Among Other Things): Essays
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Narrated by:
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Ann Leary
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By:
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Ann Leary
About this listen
New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary offers a literary feast of humor and wisdom told from the perspective of a recovering people pleaser.
Having arrived at a certain age (her prime), Ann Leary casts a wry backward glance at a life spent trying—and often failing—to be nice. With wit and surprising candor, Leary recounts the bedlam of home bat invasions, an obsession with online personality tests, and the mortification of taking ballroom dance lessons with her actor husband. She describes hilarious red-carpet fiascos and other observations from the sidelines of fame, while also touching upon her more poignant struggles with alcoholism, her love for her family, her dogs, and so much more.
Prepare to laugh, cry, cringe and revel in the comically relatable chaos of Ann Leary’s life as revealed in this delightful collection of essays.
©2024 Ann Leary (P)2024 Simon & Schuster AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of a small community on the rocky coast of Boston's North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. And she's good at lots of things, too. A successful real-estate broker, mother, and grandmother, her days are full. But her nights have become lonely ever since her daughters, convinced their mother was drinking too much, sent her off to rehab. Now she's in recovery—more or less.
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Soberingly Funny
- By Mel on 10-16-13
By: Ann Leary
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The Children
- A Novel
- By: Ann Leary
- Narrated by: Gretchen Mol
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Charlotte Maynard rarely leaves her mother's home, the sprawling Connecticut lake house that belonged to her late stepfather, Whit Whitman, and the generations of Whitmans before him. While Charlotte and her sister, Sally, grew up at Lakeside, their stepbrothers, Spin and Perry, were welcomed as weekend guests. Now the grown boys own the estate, which Joan occupies by their grace - and a provision in the family trust.
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Even better than The Good House!
- By NMwritergal on 06-07-16
By: Ann Leary
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Maggie Smith
- Narrated by: Maggie Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself in lyrical vignettes that shine, hard and clear as jewels. The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes.
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Beautiful, relatable, profound
- By Betty Blue on 04-16-23
By: Maggie Smith
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The Paris Novel
- By: Ruth Reichl
- Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.
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Magical, but read the actual book do not listen
- By Gina DiMartino on 04-25-24
By: Ruth Reichl
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Long Island Compromise
- A Novel
- By: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned to his wife and kids less than a week later, only slightly the worse, and the family moves on with their lives, resuming their prized places in the saga of the American dream, comforted in the realization that though their money may have been what endangered them, it is also what assured them their safety. But now, nearly forty years later, it’s clear that perhaps nobody ever got over anything, after all.
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We need more from Taffy Brodesser-Akner!
- By Ximena Enriquez on 08-31-24
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The Foundling
- A Novel
- By: Ann Leary
- Narrated by: Laura Benanti
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It’s 1927, and 18-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. Soon after she’s hired, Mary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escape, Mary is faced with a terrible choice.
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Interesting subject, but poor execution
- By PhotoSports on 08-16-22
By: Ann Leary
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The Good House
- A Novel
- By: Ann Leary
- Narrated by: Mary Beth Hurt
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Hildy Good is a townie. A lifelong resident of a small community on the rocky coast of Boston's North Shore, she knows pretty much everything about everyone. And she's good at lots of things, too. A successful real-estate broker, mother, and grandmother, her days are full. But her nights have become lonely ever since her daughters, convinced their mother was drinking too much, sent her off to rehab. Now she's in recovery—more or less.
-
-
Soberingly Funny
- By Mel on 10-16-13
By: Ann Leary
-
The Children
- A Novel
- By: Ann Leary
- Narrated by: Gretchen Mol
- Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Maynard rarely leaves her mother's home, the sprawling Connecticut lake house that belonged to her late stepfather, Whit Whitman, and the generations of Whitmans before him. While Charlotte and her sister, Sally, grew up at Lakeside, their stepbrothers, Spin and Perry, were welcomed as weekend guests. Now the grown boys own the estate, which Joan occupies by their grace - and a provision in the family trust.
-
-
Even better than The Good House!
- By NMwritergal on 06-07-16
By: Ann Leary
-
You Could Make This Place Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Maggie Smith
- Narrated by: Maggie Smith
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself in lyrical vignettes that shine, hard and clear as jewels. The book begins with one woman’s personal, particular heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes.
-
-
Beautiful, relatable, profound
- By Betty Blue on 04-16-23
By: Maggie Smith
-
The Paris Novel
- By: Ruth Reichl
- Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.
-
-
Magical, but read the actual book do not listen
- By Gina DiMartino on 04-25-24
By: Ruth Reichl
-
Long Island Compromise
- A Novel
- By: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway, brutalized, and held for ransom. He is returned to his wife and kids less than a week later, only slightly the worse, and the family moves on with their lives, resuming their prized places in the saga of the American dream, comforted in the realization that though their money may have been what endangered them, it is also what assured them their safety. But now, nearly forty years later, it’s clear that perhaps nobody ever got over anything, after all.
-
-
We need more from Taffy Brodesser-Akner!
- By Ximena Enriquez on 08-31-24
What listeners say about I've Tried Being Nice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- S. Denora
- 07-05-24
Funny. Thought provoking.
Really liked her voice — in reading and writing. Love that she puts her own foibles out there — just like ours.
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- gss
- 06-24-24
Big Leary Fan
Enjoyed essays found myself laughing out loud while listening..
I have enjoyed Ann Leary’s books more when she’s not the narrator.
I get it-it’s dry humor but I find Ann’s reading gets monotonous. Still a huge fan of all her books and of Rescue Me!
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- B. Saxon
- 06-18-24
I’ve tried being Nice!
This was absolutely a fun fun book, and so relatable. Ann Leary is not only enjoyable in her writing, but her own narration was spot on!!!
I’ll admit I had never heard of this author, and I downloaded the book for free only because of the title, as that is my mantra daily! Haha . I was out of credits so looking for free audio books, and I have to say this was a delicious surprise. Very few times do I luck out on the freebies , but BINGO on this one. I’ve already purchased “The Good House” and several others of hers are on my wish list!
Funny, realistic, honest, heart warming and lovely! Thank you Ann Leary.
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