The Dorothy Parker Audio Collection audiobook

Quality of the stories ranges from three to five stars. Her stories were mostly about people with flawed characters. Nearly everyone has flaws so we should be glad Dorothy Parker didn't write a story about us. My favorite was Cynthia Nixon performing "Just a Little One". Alfre Woodward's stories were well done also. Shirley Booth's voice was too old for the stories she did, in my opinion, though she did them well.

I cannot recommend this audio collection enough. It is available from audible, but it may also be available for download from your local library system, or available in CD format. 16 stories or reviews ranging from 55 minutes (Big Blonde) to 4 minutes (a review of Tolstoy's play, Redemption). The reviews are all read by Christine Baransky, and she imbues them with a delicious flair. Parker reviews Emily Post's guide to etiquette as one would review a novel, taking great umbrage with the thin characterizations and unimaginative names. Baransky also reads the devastating "Horsie" and "The Game", a withering story of a cocktail party game of charades that tries desperately to ignore the elephant in the room. Alfre Woodard gets to shine reading the stories "Dusk Before Fireworks", "But the One on the Right", and "The Bolt Behind the Blue". Woodard does wonders with these pieces about jealousy, chagrin, resentment, and social graces. (On a personal note, Alfre Woodard was a regular at a movie theater I worked at in Santa Monica, and she was so fabulous, a petite woman with a big personality and wry humor. Her film/TV roles don't usually utilize that part of her the way her readings do in this collection.)Cynthia Nixon reads what is perhaps Parker's most famous story, the O.Henry Award-winning "Big Blonde", in addition to "Diary of a New York Lady" and "Just a Little One" and "Such a Pretty Little Picture". Nixon is adept at bringing out the pathos and quiet tragedy in these stories. To round out this already fantastic collection there are four brief pieces read by Shirley Booth, of "Come Back Little Sheba" and "Hazel" fame. She can be funny and tragic with just a slight adjustment in her voice. Some may say that her readings were more theatrical, and I agree, but in the most masterful meaning of the word. These were the greatest treat of all.

Beginning with Parker’s award winning story ‘Big Blonde’, this collection is an excellent compilation of this prolific writer’s work. This first story allows a glimpse of what it means to be a woman living a liberated life in the late 1920’s. Parker has a knack for pulling the threads of her character’s life apart to expose the undercurrent of sadness that runs beneath the surface. Her women are from all walks of life, but she especially enjoys women of means. Some are simply bored, others lonely and others so rich and self absorbed they mistaken self-indulgence as their life’s purpose, and Parker pokes fun of them all. I’ve always been a fan of Dorothy Parker ever since I discovered ‘The Waltz’ in an English lit textbook recovered from our attic. I read it as a monologue in 8th grade English and was enamored with the quick wit of Parker as she compliments and flirts with her dance partner outwardly, but shares her TRUE feelings of his dancing as a private aside to the reader. Shirley Booth’s rendition of ‘The Waltz’ in this collection far surpasses most audio readings I’ve heard. Her voice drips with sarcasm as she captures the narrators frustration beautifully. All the readers do an excellent job becoming Parker’s characters. Whether it’s a rich, spoiled debutante or a sad, lonely nurse, their narrations are authentic and believable. As a listener, I found myself alternately laughing out loud one moment and then gripped with sadness the next. I highly recommend this collection! Just sit back, put your headphones on and prepared to be entertained.

I never knew I had a literary soulmate until now.Known for her acerbic wit, Parker’s short stories are full of entertaining barbs and internal monologues that betray the thoughts of those navigating in high society. Parker paints vignettes of daily lives of the men and women from her era that encompasses their foibles, flaws, unrequited loves, overwhelming senses of ennui, and more. While known for her satire and wry humor, Parker also imbues a sense of humanity in her characters that make them endearing. Particularly effective are narrators she places to the side of the action so the reader (listener) experiences the one sided conversations or stray observations, such as in the end of “Such a Pretty Picture” that makes the scene drip with dramatic irony.The performances in this audio collection were also fantastic. This is my first foray into audiobook fiction (long buses + developing motion sickness with reading = audiobooks!) and the ladies kept my full attention. In particular, Nixon brings a sleepy, dream-like softness to Big Blonde that perfectly fits the protagonist and Christine Baranski’s articulate, quick, and sharp tone perfectly matches the humorous reviews she covers (the Emily Post review is deliciously spiny).

I have read these stories before. I believe I got something different out of the experience of hearing them read. All the readers were engaging, but Christine Baranski may be my favorite voice here. She matches Dorothy's attitude. Cynthia Nixon read wonderfully, as well, appropriately matched in New York sensibilities. Alfre Woodard's deep and lyrical voice brought depth and nuance to those stories that I may have missed in my own reading. Lastly, the vintage icon of Shirley Booth read a few. Gosh, I could just fall into these lines, forgetting where I am. But, none of Booth's were started with spoken titles, which threw me a bit. I had to check the screen to see where we were. And, I have to admit, ending this collection with Booth's impassioned reading of The Telephone Call left me feeling rather depressed. Listening to Dorothy's stories this way only made clearer the insecurities and fears that the author, herself, must've lived with. She led a sad life, and sadness is a theme throughout this collection - stories of disloyalty, loneliness, unrequited love, strained friendships, and even grief. Still, I'd listen again.

This was an excellent and worthwhile audiobook. It amazed me again and again how relevant it felt. There are many stories, written in a variety of different styles. I found myself going back and listening to some of them immediately, just to experience the purpose of the tale one more time.

These are wonderful short stories that were perfectly performed by highly recognizable and talented voices. The only thing better than enjoying Parker's wit is imagining what it must have been like to enjoy it in the era in which she wrote.

Awesomely funny at times, I especially laughed out loud at ‘Horsey’. She was quite a wit .

Underbart dryg.

<3

If you don't enjoy Dorothy Parker you should stop reading.....not just this review, you should stop reading period. This would be a five star review, but I listened to the audiobook and some of the narration was....sketchy. There are several narrators and specifically, Cynthia Nixon just doesn't have the voice or delivery for this material. Even Alfre Woodard was not as good as I would've expected. Christine Baranski was predictably excellent. The biggest (pleasant) surprise was Shirley Booth. She was so good, I actually watched an episode of her old 1960's sitcom "Hazel". My vague memory of the show was that it wasn't very good and it wasn't. Not her fault, just a mindless sitcom of the era. I know she won an Oscar for her role in "Come Back Little Sheba", but I haven't seen it. Now it's on my list.

Audio tape of Dorothy Parker short stories and reviews. Great readings by Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. Alfre woodard would have stolen the show if it were not for the incomparable Shirley Booth who reads only at the end. Ms. Booth's classic role was Lola Delaney in Come Back, Little Sheba. Here she ends the discs with a truly magnificent reading of a trio of stories.