Bawdy Madonna

By: Kathleen MacArthur

Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts

Angie Lanier, the heroine of Kathleen MacArthur's new novel, travels a world away from her Midwest background, where she absorbs a mysterious spell cast upon her by a Balinese priest. Her efforts to learn more about her father prompts flashbacks of her confusion between the values of her modest mother and her outrageous grandmother. Angie's relationship with a free-spirited young congressman, the idol who dominated her childhood fantasies, is immediately jeopardized when she meets a highly principled and compassionate Oxford don. She experiences a life very different from her promising career as a society tattler for a Washington, DC magazine. With wry insight and moments of randy sex, MacArthur invites her listeners to share Angie's efforts to resolve the challenges imposed by the 60s sexual revolution, plus her discovery of a horrific family secret. The novel also includes some not-so-subtle hints of reincarnation.

©2010 Kathleen MacArthur (P)2015 Kathleen MacArthur

Who's your Daddy?

Would you consider the audio edition of Bawdy Madonna to be better than the print version?

I love audio but in this case I would say the print version may be better. The audio sometimes changes in sound in odd places. Was more disturbing to me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Richard was my favorite character. He has his own demons to put to rest.

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Roberts – was your favorite?

Rebecca Roberts did an awsome job with this reading.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book takes you to Bali, France, London. I felt intrigued when Angie is going to places alone that she had never been before.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author/narrator/publisher free of charge in exchange for an unbiased review.

Kathleen MacArthur tells a romantic tale

Kathleen MacArthur tells a woman and family focused story in Bawdy Madonna

The late Kathleen MacArthur's audiobook, Bawdy Madonna was published by her son, Karl G. Trautman. In Bawdy Madonna the reader is introduced to Angie Lanier, who wants to get away from her home in the Midwest and is looking for something. She has a spell cast upon her, a whole world away from where she came from, and she tries to discover the truth about her father. She has so many different experiences, and Kathleen MacArthur brings Angie's life to the forefront. Her experiences, trysts, and challenges, really make the woman who she is determined to be. Some believe that a woman who is a free-spirit and enjoys the intimacies that the flesh need, and enjoy makes her a certain kind of woman, but that is not so. I haven't listened to anything from this author before, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were incredible and very inspiring, and yet, some likeable where others were not. The author's storytelling style is intense and right on point for this story. This narration really brought this story to life. The author's technique of intense characters and great plotlines is a gift. It's a great story to listen to and try to figure out what will happen next. This author's characters develop and interacts well with the other characters. Bawdy Madonna on audiobook is a definite listening recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who listens to this book, to also write a review.

Very loosely plotted, lacking tension.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I did not really enjoy this book.

What was most disappointing about Kathleen MacArthur’s story?

The plot is almost nonexistent. Instead of there being a real plot it's all kind of summary of who the people are and what their motivations are. Summary summary summary and while there is an idea of a mystery the pacing is just totally off so there's minimal tension.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narration was good, as is always the case with Rebecca Roberts' work. But the sound editing was bad. The sound quality of individual chapters was highly variable. Also for one character who is fairly important who is in the very beginning of the book, I assumed he was female because of the narration and this threw off my understanding until I realized the character (the tour guide in Bali) was male.

Was Bawdy Madonna worth the listening time?

I really did not enjoy this book. So again, I would have to say it was a frustrating listen. The lack of tension in the book meant I didn't care much ultimately about how the plot ended up, and it seemed neither did the author because the plot was very loose. Ultimately even though the recording was hit or miss (because of sound editing), the real issue is with the plotting and tension here.

Any additional comments?

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.