
The Olive Picker
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Patricia Santomasso
-
By:
-
Kathryn Brettell
About this listen
More than a memoir, The Olive Picker is a touching experience brimming with strength and triumph. Facing a horrific attack, a resourceful nurse must summon her wits or lose her life. In this brave and shocking memoir, the author masterfully guides us through the pivotal points of her life, from an abusive upbringing that destroys her self-confidence, to the wreckage of an ill-conceived marriage, and on to a defining moment, full of grace and mercy, which gave her the wings to become the conquering and triumphant phoenix she is today. Kathi's story is a heart-wrenching testament to the endurance of the human spirit. Beautifully portrayed, The Olive Picker will grab you by the soul and hold you captive.
©2015 Kathryn Brettell (P)2016 Kathryn BrettellListeners also enjoyed...
-
Hold Her Down
- By: Kathryn R. Biel
- Narrated by: Lisa Beacom
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elizabeth Zurlo is lost. She's a wife, a mother, a teacher, a PTA volunteer - but somewhere along the way, she has lost herself. Depression and despair can lead to desperate measures, and when she is pulled back from the brink of suicide, Elizabeth slowly tries to rebuild her marriage and reclaim her life.
-
-
Loved the message of the book and the narration was spot on to the changing emotions of the characters
- By Jackie C on 04-19-20
By: Kathryn R. Biel
-
True Love Way
- By: Mary Elizabeth
- Narrated by: Jeff Hays
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has been taught she can be invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses. Her mind is her worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For a kid like her, staying in bed is easier, especially when the day has come to start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
-
-
Audio that shines
- By Misty Walker on 08-24-16
By: Mary Elizabeth
-
Not Exactly Love: A Memoir
- By: Betty Hafner
- Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 1969, and all the rules were changing, when Betty, a woefully single French teacher on Long Island, met the handsome but edgy new teacher at her school -- a hippie just back from Woodstock. His vitality opened up a new world to her, but when they married his rages turned against her, and often ended with physical violence. Like millions of women who discover they've married an abusive man, Betty was forced to make daily decisions to suppress her feelings or risk confrontation, to keep it secret or report, and ultimately, to live with it or leave. Part gripping story, part warm-hearted look at the '70s, and part therapeutic journey.
-
-
Insightful
- By Damont and Deidre Smith on 03-31-18
By: Betty Hafner
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
Orphan Train
- A Novel
- By: Christina Baker Kline
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse.... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
-
-
Moving story of sharing and transformation.
- By Kathi on 04-03-13
-
Etched in Sand
- A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island
- By: Regina Calcaterra
- Narrated by: Regina Calcaterra
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Regina Calcaterra recounts her childhood in foster care and on the streets and how she and her savvy crew of homeless siblings managed to survive years of homelessness, abandonment, and abuse. Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together.
-
-
Big eye-opener about our Foster Care system
- By Jo L. on 09-14-16
-
Hold Her Down
- By: Kathryn R. Biel
- Narrated by: Lisa Beacom
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Elizabeth Zurlo is lost. She's a wife, a mother, a teacher, a PTA volunteer - but somewhere along the way, she has lost herself. Depression and despair can lead to desperate measures, and when she is pulled back from the brink of suicide, Elizabeth slowly tries to rebuild her marriage and reclaim her life.
-
-
Loved the message of the book and the narration was spot on to the changing emotions of the characters
- By Jackie C on 04-19-20
By: Kathryn R. Biel
-
True Love Way
- By: Mary Elizabeth
- Narrated by: Jeff Hays
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some days are brighter than others, but Penelope Finnel has been taught she can be invisible behind the colored lenses of her heart-shaped sunglasses. Her mind is her worst enemy, and simply waking up in the morning is risky. For a kid like her, staying in bed is easier, especially when the day has come to start school in a new town with new kids who don’t understand that the clouds are not the only reason everything is so gloomy.
-
-
Audio that shines
- By Misty Walker on 08-24-16
By: Mary Elizabeth
-
Not Exactly Love: A Memoir
- By: Betty Hafner
- Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 1969, and all the rules were changing, when Betty, a woefully single French teacher on Long Island, met the handsome but edgy new teacher at her school -- a hippie just back from Woodstock. His vitality opened up a new world to her, but when they married his rages turned against her, and often ended with physical violence. Like millions of women who discover they've married an abusive man, Betty was forced to make daily decisions to suppress her feelings or risk confrontation, to keep it secret or report, and ultimately, to live with it or leave. Part gripping story, part warm-hearted look at the '70s, and part therapeutic journey.
-
-
Insightful
- By Damont and Deidre Smith on 03-31-18
By: Betty Hafner
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
Orphan Train
- A Novel
- By: Christina Baker Kline
- Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to "aging out" out of the foster care system. A community-service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse.... As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
-
-
Moving story of sharing and transformation.
- By Kathi on 04-03-13
-
Etched in Sand
- A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island
- By: Regina Calcaterra
- Narrated by: Regina Calcaterra
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Regina Calcaterra recounts her childhood in foster care and on the streets and how she and her savvy crew of homeless siblings managed to survive years of homelessness, abandonment, and abuse. Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together.
-
-
Big eye-opener about our Foster Care system
- By Jo L. on 09-14-16
-
The Women in the Castle
- By: Jessica Shattuck
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined - an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel from the author of the New York Times notable book The Hazards of Good Breeding.
-
-
Skating On The Thin Ice Of Life
- By Sara on 04-29-17
By: Jessica Shattuck
-
Home Front
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Maggi-Meg Reed
- Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then a deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider, she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth.
-
-
Very Disappointed
- By Elizabeth on 03-17-12
By: Kristin Hannah
-
Commonwealth
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Hope Davis
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly - thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining of two families.
-
-
Patchett and Me--In-sympatico
- By Mel on 09-18-16
By: Ann Patchett
-
Maid
- Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
- By: Stephanie Land, Barbara Ehrenreich - foreword
- Narrated by: Stephanie Land
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper-middle-class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets.
-
-
Very engaging
- By NMwritergal on 01-24-19
By: Stephanie Land, and others
-
Trail of Broken Wings
- By: Sejal Badani
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When her father falls into a coma, Indian American photographer Sonya reluctantly returns to the family she'd fled years before. Since she left home, Sonya has lived on the run, free of any ties, while her soft-spoken sister, Trisha, has created a perfect suburban life, and her ambitious sister, Marin, has built her own successful career. But as these women come together, their various methods of coping with a terrifying history can no longer hold their memories at bay.
-
-
Just Annoying
- By karen on 09-06-15
By: Sejal Badani
-
Funny Farm
- My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
- By: Laurie Zaleski
- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues - horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs - when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own.
-
-
Heartwarming
- By Petfan on 04-13-22
By: Laurie Zaleski
-
We Are Water
- A Novel
- By: Wally Lamb
- Narrated by: Wally Lamb, George Guidall, Maggi-Meg Reed, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After 27 years of marriage and three children, Anna Oh - wife, mother, outsider artist - has fallen in love with Viveca, the wealthy Manhattan art dealer who orchestrated her success. They plan to wed in the Oh family’s hometown of Three Rivers in Connecticut. But the wedding provokes some very mixed reactions and opens a Pandora’s Box of toxic secrets - dark and painful truths that have festered below the surface of the Ohs' lives.
-
-
Lamb writes Fine Literature/What a Book!
- By Suzn F on 10-27-13
By: Wally Lamb
-
Counting by 7s
- By: Holly Goldberg Sloan
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family. Willow Chance is a 12-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by sevens. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life...until now.
-
-
I Guess I Am Just Too Old To Enjoy This Book!
- By Kathy in CA on 05-15-20
-
The Aviator's Wife
- A Novel
- By: Melanie Benjamin
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.
-
-
The Megalomaniac's Wife
- By Audrey on 01-19-13
By: Melanie Benjamin
-
Saving Gracie
- By: Terry Lee
- Narrated by: Michelle Babb
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kathryn Broussard has managed her life with dignity and an I-know-you-have-feelings-but-I'm-coming-through-anyway attitude. She exudes confidence and control over the land much as a reigning queen rules her court. Her main focus - Grace, her daughter. Although grown, Grace depends on her mother's razor-sharp decision-making ability for everything. All is well in the land of dysfunctional mother-daughterhood until the unthinkable happens. Kathryn dies.
-
-
MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS!!
- By Annie The Audible Addict!!! on 06-28-16
By: Terry Lee
-
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
- By: Ayana Mathis
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Bahni Turpin, Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A debut of extraordinary distinction: through the trials of one unforgettable family, Ayana Mathis tells the story of the children of the Great Migration, a story of love and bitterness and the promise of a new America. In 1923, 15-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented.
-
-
Hattie and her Family Tragically Flawed
- By Suzn F on 12-14-12
By: Ayana Mathis
-
Tucker's Way
- The Tucker Series, Book 1
- By: David Johnson
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After enduring a childhood of horrific abuse and crushing poverty, Tucker seeks refuge in her rural Tennessee home. The three grandchildren she is raising are her only connection to the outside, and her demeanor is purposefully rough. But her world is turned upside down when a new neighbor, Ella, moves into the old McDaniel place next door.
-
-
Okay
- By Lori K. on 11-10-15
By: David Johnson
What listeners say about The Olive Picker
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan Patterson
- 12-09-16
What a roller coaster of emotions!
Would you consider the audio edition of The Olive Picker to be better than the print version?
N/A I prefer audiobooks so I can do other things at the same time.
What other book might you compare The Olive Picker to and why?
Stands alone. I've never experienced so many different emotions in one book.
Which scene was your favorite?
When Kathy was being beaten by her husband and the voice of an angel kept telling her what to do.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, you can keep track of the characters and events better and it builds up the suspense.
Any additional comments?
I'm sorry this had to happen in real life. It was very emotional."I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.”
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 02-15-17
The Olive Picker: A Memoir
I was given a copy of this audio book so that I could listen and provide an honest review that I hope will help others on deciding whether or not to spend a credit. The narrator did a good job. The story is some what of a 'coming of age' story of a young woman. She has had an abusive past and some of the story is told through her sessions with her therapist. It kept my attention throughout. In my opinion, it is worth spending a credit on.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- cafurg
- 12-02-16
A very strong woman!
What did you like best about this story?
Ms. Brettell never gave up, no matter what, she found a way to conquer everything that was thrown at her. As the saying goes... you never know how strong you are until strong is the only option (something like that...).
What about Patricia Santomasso’s performance did you like?
The narration was very good. It felt as if she were talking directly to me.
Any additional comments?
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator for an unbiased review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MANI
- 12-13-16
A Memoir
Which scene was your favorite?
The Memoir is a wonderful story of strength, survival and moving beyond the pain. This book is anyone who has or is in an abusive relationship It gives much needed hope. For those of us who are gifted with healthy relationships, this story should remind you of how precious those people in you life truly are.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kimberly Berg
- 12-14-16
Worth a listen!
I really enjoyed this novel. Hard to believe this came from a first time writer!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Heidi
- 04-15-17
Riveting!
I was sucked right in after the first chapter. The reader has a great voice and reflected the author very well, and knowing this was a true story made it even more intriguing. I kept going back to it because I wanted to see what happened!! The end was very difficult to listen to, because through listening I I cared so much for the woman under attack. After finishing the book I am still thinking about the experiences she endured. I think this book would be good for anyone who has had a difficult childhood, or gone through a traumatic experience as an adult, or anyone who wants to get inside the head of someone who has gone through these things, and survived.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vickie
- 12-03-16
This is one of the best books that it has ever been my privilege to read
I can not say enough good things about this novel. The writing was excellent, The narration was top notch, it had me engaged from the very first chapter all The way till the end. I started the book and had to finish it in just one sitting, it is really that good. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story. I received this review copy from the author publisher or narrator
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- janek
- 12-04-16
So much more than an abuse survivor memoir. Highly recommend.
Right from the beginning I could not put this down. It is a memoir of an abuse survivor, but it is so much more. It is a gripping and heartbreaking story you can't help but keep listening It consumed my life for the two days in which I listened to it. The authors conversational style in telling her story without judgement is riveting
It reminds me of an old saying. People don t judge you by the things that happen to you but by the way you deal with those things. This is certainly true of Kathryn Brettell. This story will stay with me for a long time. This is not the type of book I would normally choose but I am so glad I did. Well worth recommending
“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Daman
- 12-26-16
Worth Every Minute of Listening
Would you listen to The Olive Picker again? Why?
Yes, love the message and journey this book offered.
What did you like best about this story?
Never give up!
What does Patricia Santomasso bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Good narration with strong voice.
Any additional comments?
"This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- NANCY H.
- 03-01-17
Survival despite overwhelming odds
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. gut-wrenching honesty
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!