Dimestore
A Writer's Life
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
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Dimestore
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Linda Stephens
-
By:
-
Lee Smith
About this listen
In her first work of nonfiction, Lee Smith deploys the wit, wisdom, and graceful prose for which she is beloved to conjure her early days in the small coal town of Grundy, Virginia - and beyond.
For the inimitable Lee Smith, place is paramount. For 45 years, her fiction has lived and breathed with the rhythms and people of the Appalachian South. But never before has she written her own story. Set deep in the rugged Appalachian Mountains, the Grundy of Lee Smith's youth was a place of coal miners, mountain music, and her daddy's dimestore. It was in that dimestore - listening to customers and inventing life histories for the store's dolls - that she began to learn the craft of storytelling. Even though she adored Grundy, Smith's formal education and travels took her far from Virginia, though her Appalachian upbringing never left her.
Dimestore's 15 essays are crushingly honest, always wise, and superbly entertaining. Smith has created both a moving, personal portrait and a broader meditation on embracing one's heritage. Hers is an inspiring story of the birth of a writer and a poignant look at a way of life that has all but vanished.
©2016 Lee Smith (P)2016 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Silver Alert
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 203
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 171
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 171
Aging Herb’s charmed life with his dear wife, Susan, in their Key West house is coming undone. Susan now needs constant care, and Herb is in denial about his own ailing health. The one bright spot is the arrival of an endlessly optimistic manicurist calling herself Renee. She sings to Susan during manicures, gets her to paint, and brings her a sense of contentment. But then Herb and Susan’s adult children arrive to stage an intervention on their stubborn, independent father, and as a consequence, Renee’s gig with Susan—and her grand plans for her own life—start to unravel as well.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great storytelling!
- By Pamela Martin on 04-27-23
By: Lee Smith
-
Guests on Earth
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 186
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
When she is thirteen years old, Evalina Toussaint, the orphaned child of an exotic dancer in New Orleans, is admitted as a mental patient to Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. The year is 1936, and the hospital, under the direction of celebrity psychiatrist Robert S. Carroll, is famous for its up-to-the-minute shock therapies and for Dr. Carroll's revolutionary theory of the benefits of non-introspection. Evalina finds herself in the midst of a kaleidoscope of characters, including the estranged wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A book I will long remember
- By wobbly on 08-12-14
By: Lee Smith
-
Oral History
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Full Cast
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 128
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
Oral History, the lyrical saga of a Virginia mountain family, follows four generations of Cantrells over more than a century. Researching an assignment for an Oral History course, Jennifer drives to the town where her mother and father grew up. Raised by a stepmother, the young college student wonders why her father never talks of her real mother and is intrigued by the mystery of her heritage. One by one, the Cantrells tell of lives filled with vitality, colored by the land and family history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What a treat!
- By Linda on 02-17-12
By: Lee Smith
-
The Christmas Letters
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Cynthia Darlow, Julia Gibson, Christina Moore
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Lee Smith delivers the heartwarming tale of three generations of women who record their lives in Christmas letters to the family.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
classic Lee Smith
- By Tom Goodman on 11-29-17
By: Lee Smith
-
On Agate Hill
- A Novel
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Kate Forbes, Danielle Ferland, Katie Firth
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 193
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 102
Orphaned when her father dies in the Civil War, Molly Petree is taken in by Uncle Junius on his Agate Hill plantation. But the terminally ill Junius is manipulated into marriage by his housekeeper, Selena, who inherits Agate Hill upon his death. Neglected and abused under Selena's watch, Molly escapes to a better life with help from her father's closest battlefield companion. But as she grows into a refined, educated woman, Molly remains haunted by tragedy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful book and narration
- By Anna on 10-07-09
By: Lee Smith
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16,645
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15,402
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15,388
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
So incredibly boring
- By Rhonda Morrison on 08-05-23
By: Ann Patchett
-
Silver Alert
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Caitlin Davies
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 203
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 171
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 171
Aging Herb’s charmed life with his dear wife, Susan, in their Key West house is coming undone. Susan now needs constant care, and Herb is in denial about his own ailing health. The one bright spot is the arrival of an endlessly optimistic manicurist calling herself Renee. She sings to Susan during manicures, gets her to paint, and brings her a sense of contentment. But then Herb and Susan’s adult children arrive to stage an intervention on their stubborn, independent father, and as a consequence, Renee’s gig with Susan—and her grand plans for her own life—start to unravel as well.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great storytelling!
- By Pamela Martin on 04-27-23
By: Lee Smith
-
Guests on Earth
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 186
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
When she is thirteen years old, Evalina Toussaint, the orphaned child of an exotic dancer in New Orleans, is admitted as a mental patient to Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. The year is 1936, and the hospital, under the direction of celebrity psychiatrist Robert S. Carroll, is famous for its up-to-the-minute shock therapies and for Dr. Carroll's revolutionary theory of the benefits of non-introspection. Evalina finds herself in the midst of a kaleidoscope of characters, including the estranged wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A book I will long remember
- By wobbly on 08-12-14
By: Lee Smith
-
Oral History
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Full Cast
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 128
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
Oral History, the lyrical saga of a Virginia mountain family, follows four generations of Cantrells over more than a century. Researching an assignment for an Oral History course, Jennifer drives to the town where her mother and father grew up. Raised by a stepmother, the young college student wonders why her father never talks of her real mother and is intrigued by the mystery of her heritage. One by one, the Cantrells tell of lives filled with vitality, colored by the land and family history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What a treat!
- By Linda on 02-17-12
By: Lee Smith
-
The Christmas Letters
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Cynthia Darlow, Julia Gibson, Christina Moore
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 24
Lee Smith delivers the heartwarming tale of three generations of women who record their lives in Christmas letters to the family.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
classic Lee Smith
- By Tom Goodman on 11-29-17
By: Lee Smith
-
On Agate Hill
- A Novel
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Kate Forbes, Danielle Ferland, Katie Firth
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 193
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 102
Orphaned when her father dies in the Civil War, Molly Petree is taken in by Uncle Junius on his Agate Hill plantation. But the terminally ill Junius is manipulated into marriage by his housekeeper, Selena, who inherits Agate Hill upon his death. Neglected and abused under Selena's watch, Molly escapes to a better life with help from her father's closest battlefield companion. But as she grows into a refined, educated woman, Molly remains haunted by tragedy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful book and narration
- By Anna on 10-07-09
By: Lee Smith
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16,645
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15,402
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15,388
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
So incredibly boring
- By Rhonda Morrison on 08-05-23
By: Ann Patchett
-
The Netanyahus
- An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family
- By: Joshua Cohen
- Narrated by: Joshua Cohen, David Duchovny, Ethan Herschenfeld
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 760
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 667
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 661
Corbin College, not quite upstate New York, winter 1959-1960: Ruben Blum, a Jewish historian—but not an historian of the Jews—is co-opted onto a hiring committee to review the application of an exiled Israeli scholar specializing in the Spanish Inquisition. When Benzion Netanyahu shows up for an interview, family unexpectedly in tow, Blum plays the reluctant host to guests who proceed to lay waste to his American complacencies. Mixing fiction with nonfiction, the campus novel with the lecture, The Netanyahus is a wildly inventive comedy of blending, identity, and politics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Phillip Roth would certainly listen!
- By Martin on 01-17-22
By: Joshua Cohen
-
The Little Locksmith
- A Memoir
- By: Katharine Butler Hathaway
- Narrated by: Julia Atwood
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4
In 1895, a specialist straps five-year-old Katharine Hathaway, then suffering from spinal tuberculosis, to a board with halters and pulleys in a failed attempt to prevent her from becoming a “hunchback” like the “little locksmith” who does odd jobs at her family’s home. Forced to endure her confinement for ten years, Katharine remains immobile until age fifteen, only to find that none of it has prevented her from developing a deformity of her own.
-
Fair and Tender Ladies
- By: Lee Smith
- Narrated by: Kate Forbes
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 494
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 344
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 344
Author of many novels and short stories, best-selling writer Lee Smith has received numerous awards for her works, including two O. Henry Awards. Fair and Tender Ladies is an epistolary novel that traces the life of Ivy Rowe, born in the isolated Virginia mountain community of Sugar Fork.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fair and Tender Ladies
- By Deanna on 10-16-04
By: Lee Smith
-
The Poisonwood Bible
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Dean Robertson
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,581
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12,192
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,214
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Listen to the sample first!
- By Cheryl D on 07-30-08
-
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
- A Novel
- By: Fannie Flagg
- Narrated by: Fannie Flagg
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,590
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,224
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,201
Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with is her mother, the formidable Lenore Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a secret about her mother's past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Now I'm awaiting the NEXT Fannie Flagg novel....
- By Rio Delta Wild on 11-16-13
By: Fannie Flagg
-
The Caretaker
- A Novel
- By: Ron Rash
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 161
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
It’s 1951 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Blackburn Gant, his life irrevocably altered by a childhood case of polio, seems condemned to spend his life among the dead as the sole caretaker of a hilltop cemetery. It suits his withdrawn personality, and the inexplicable occurrences that happen from time to time rattle him less than interaction with the living. But when his best and only friend, the kind but impulsive Jacob Hampton, is conscripted to serve overseas, Blackburn is charged with caring for Jacob’s wife, Naomi, as well.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The main reason to listen to audible
- By Patrick K. on 11-10-23
By: Ron Rash
-
The Shell Seekers
- By: Rosamunde Pilcher
- Narrated by: Hayley Atwell
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,589
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,234
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,218
At the end of a long and useful life, Penelope Keeling's prized possession is The Shell Seekers, painted by her father, and symbolizing her unconventional life, from bohemian childhood to wartime romance. When her grown children learn their grandfather's work is now worth a fortune, each has an idea as to what Penelope should do. But as she recalls the passions, tragedies, and secrets of her life, she knows there is only one answer...and it lies in her heart.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Narrator Speed
- By TB on 01-18-18
-
A Woman in Time
- A Novel
- By: Bobi Conn
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 228
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie’s line, soaked up everything she could about the secrets of the forest before a series of tragedies left her alone, without the protection of the women who came before her.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
BORING
- By Jack Kelley on 02-21-23
By: Bobi Conn
-
Big Stone Gap
- A Novel
- By: Adriana Trigiani
- Narrated by: Adriana Trigiani
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 826
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 740
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 740
It's 1978, and Ave Maria Mulligan is the thirty-five-year-old self-proclaimed spinster of Big Stone Gap, a sleepy hamlet in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She’s also the local pharmacist, the co-captain of the Rescue Squad, and the director of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the town’s long-running Outdoor Drama.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Italy meets Appalachia . . . Gotta Love It!!!
- By Debbie on 02-22-14
By: Adriana Trigiani
-
The Color of Water
- A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
- By: James McBride
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Susan Denaker
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,942
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,573
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,570
Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her 12 Black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome
- By Michael on 05-30-17
By: James McBride
-
Where I Come From
- Stories from the Deep South
- By: Rick Bragg
- Narrated by: Rick Bragg
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 516
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 455
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 452
Celebrated author and newspaper columnist Rick Bragg brings us an ode to the stories and history of the Deep South, filled with “eclectic nuggets about places and people he knows well” (USA Today) and written with honesty, wit, and deep affection. A collection of wide-ranging and endearingly personal columns — from Bragg’s love of Tupperware (his mother preferred margarine tubs and thought Tupperware was “just showing off”) to the decline of country music, from the legacy of Harper Lee to the metamorphosis of the pickup truck.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great writing as usual
- By Tina on 10-30-20
By: Rick Bragg
-
Just a Regular Boy
- A Novel
- By: Catherine Ryan Hyde
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch, Kate Rudd
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 531
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 478
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 479
Out there is chaos, the collapse of society, and so much to be afraid of. All that matters is freedom. That’s what Remy Blake has been taught by his survivalist father. Raised off the grid in the middle of nowhere, his own survival skills not yet honed, Remy is days shy of his eighth birthday when his father unexpectedly dies. As seasons pass, supplies run out, and fending for himself grows more desperate, Remy sets out on foot, unprepared for the great unknown of civilization.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Vaccine, mask, covid... and a kid.
- By Stacey Weaver on 07-25-23
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Dimestore
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Debbie
- 03-30-16
Much loved by a long time reader
I didn't realize this wasn't another novel when I saw it pop up. What a pleasant surprise to hear the life story of one of my favorite authors. Hearing about the places and experiences that inspired her wonderful books was a treat. I laughed and cried all weekend listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 07-28-16
Great Memoir, Disappointing Narrator
Any additional comments?
This was a really lovely memoir, but I so, so wish that it had been read by Lee Smith herself. This narrator does not capture the warm southern accent that Smith has, and instead it feels forced and unappealing. Also, it grated on my every nerve that she pronounced Appalachian "appa-lay-shun." It seems like a huge oversight that the narrator of an Appalachian memoir wouldn't pronounce it "appa-latch-un," as is fairly universally considered the correct pronunciation, not to mention how Smith herself pronounces it. I'd say read this one but skip the audiobook!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tricia
- 03-26-16
Pronunciation matters!
I wish I had read this book in form rather than listening on Audible. The way the reader pronounces 'Appalachia' ruined it for me. It is clear the reader is not from the area she reads about...but this should have been caught by the author and editors. It is a sign of respect to pronounce a word as local tradition pronounces it. If you are from Southern Appalachia you will know what I mean. Pronunciation matters...ask Sharyn McCrumb who explains it well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janet
- 06-18-18
Did not like the narrator.
Though Lee Smith has reached her seventies, she has a wonderful gentile Southern accent that sounds much younger. The narrator sounded like an old lady from New York.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beverly Porter
- 07-05-16
Enjoyed
Loved it but wish reader had been Lee or a Southerner to be more realistic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wrightfive
- 11-14-17
Inside the writer’s life
If you’ve loved Lee Smith’s writing as I have, then you’ll truly enjoy reading these stories / essays about her life growing up in Grundy, VA, and in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, North Carolina.
An only child, her father suffered bouts of depression, and her mother was “kindly nervous”, and both were hospitalized numerous times and then she would be taken in by other relatives. During that era, hospitalization for mental illness / depression was difficult and not talked about. But Ms. Smith shares openly. It’s heartbreakingly sweet. The stories about her father’s business, the Dimestore, reminded me of my youth. Be sure and go to her personal website for photos of the Dimestore and Grundy. The stories devoted to her youth and family made me feel like I was porch sittin’ right there with her.
Ms. Smith also shared stories about her marriages, and about her son’s battle with schizophrenia, and his death at age 33. After a year of grieving, a doctor told her he could fix this, and wrote her a prescription: “Write two hours every day”. Thank goodness, because we then got to read On Agate Hill. There were many insights into her other books as well. I think I’ll go back and re-read Fair and Tender Ladies, my favorite Lee Smith book, and see how it feels now that I’ve read Dimestore.
“Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry”
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Gilmer
- 06-02-16
Sourthern Story Read by Northener
Where does Dimestore rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
near the top, as a book
What was one of the most memorable moments of Dimestore?
Chapter about son's illness and death
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
yes
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
not necessarily
Any additional comments?
Lee Smith's story is that of a Southern Mountain girl. It should NEVER have been performed by someone with a Northern accent. Worst of all, she pronounced the key word "Appalachian" the way nobody in the mountains EVER does. She said "Appa lay chian" at least 200 times, which totally wrecks the mood and gist of the story. The reader gave it her all, but she continually spoke in the wrong voice for this book. I'm sure Lee Smith would be shocked to hear her personal story told in this voice. I was.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- paintcan
- 04-09-16
After hearing Appalachia pronounced .............
What made the experience of listening to Dimestore the most enjoyable?
...with a long A's four times consecutively I decided it was ignorance and not simple mispronunciation.Honestly Audible - this may be your single biggest production screw up ever. Do you have anybody editing ? Did Lee Smith hear this mistake before it was released ?
What did you like best about this story?
Lee Smith's writing.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Little respect for the material - see above.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but I can't now.Probably will return it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- AppyArts
- 10-30-18
Narrator is definitely NOT from Southwest Virginia
I am a huge fan of Lee Smith, but this narration leaves a lot to be desired. It is very apparent that the narrator is not from Appalachia. If she were, she would know that we who live here are offended when it is called Appa-LAY-cha. It is correctly pronounced APPLE AT YA and that's exactly what I wanted to throw at this narrator. I could hardly get through it because of this mispronunciation and am surprised that Ms. Smith did not object. The story was ruined for me as I am sure it will be/was for others. It is like having Gomer Pyle read Shakespeare.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Patricia Jansen
- 10-07-17
Interesting autobiography
Terrible narrator. Cannot even pronounce Appalachia correctly. Bad singing voice.
Story was good. Worth listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!