If Only You People Could Follow Directions

De: Jessica Hendry Nelson

Narrado por: Jessica Hendry Nelson

If Only You People Could Follow Directions is a spellbinding debut by Jessica Hendry Nelson. In linked autobiographical essays, Nelson has reimagined the memoir with her thoroughly original voice, fearless writing, and hypnotic storytelling. At its center, the book is the story of three people: Nelson’s mother Susan, her brother Eric, and Jessica herself.

These three characters are deeply bound to one another, not just by the usual ties of blood and family, but also by a mother's drive to keep her children safe in the midst of chaos. This audiobook begins with Nelson’s childhood in the suburbs of Philadelphia and chronicles her father's addiction and death, her brother's battle with drugs and mental illness, her own efforts to find and maintain stability, and her mother's exquisite power, grief, and self-destruction in the face of such a complicated family dynamic.

Each chapter in the book contends with a different relationshipfriends, lovers, and strangers are all playbut at its heart the book is about family, the ties that bind and enrich and betray us, and how one young woman sought to survive and rise above her surroundings.

©2014 Jessica Hendry Nelson (P)2013 Audible Inc.

An Important New Voice - In More Ways Than One

Would you consider the audio edition of If Only You People Could Follow Directions to be better than the print version?

A reader can make or break an audio book. In this case the added value of the author's voice was positively atmospheric. Nelson's performance is as honest and unique as her prose style. Her eclectic dialect contains echoes of the loneliness and freedom of being in-between two cultures. It just grabs you and won't let go!

Any additional comments?

The form of this book, which blends personal essay and memoir, is ideally suited to listening in short sessions. I was completely engaged by the story and felt invested in the fate of the characters. The honesty with which the author looks at her life is truly commendable.

Artful, honest, and well Narrarated

I am so glad that I listened to the audio Version. I loved the authors story told in her own voice. Her memoir was compelling, painful, relatable and beautifully written. I loved every minute of it.

Monotone narrator plus uneven story

Would you try another book from Jessica Hendry Nelson and/or Jessica Hendry Nelson?

No. I wouldn't take another one even if it was free.

What was most disappointing about Jessica Hendry Nelson’s story?

The story was all over the place. There seemed to be no point to the book nor an even voice throughout the book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was monotone and even she sounded bored.