My Life as an Extra

By: Ruth Kaufman

Narrated by: Kevin Theis, Ruth Kaufman

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

After an unexpected divorce, Marla Goldberg yearns to believe "someday is now" and pursue her dream of being an actress in Chicago. But how can she quit her frustrating radio station account executive job when she's only booking work as an extra?

When she dips her toes into the daunting dating pool, her first "date" wants to meet in a pet store parking lot. Other forays yield equally unfortunate results that make her friends laugh out loud. As she seeks a talent agent and speaking roles, it's one step forward, one step back. When told to eat a muffin at a commercial audition, her mouth is so dry she can't spit it out in time to say her line.

Dealing with overachiever siblings, judgmental parents and longing to make her dreams come true, she struggles to learn the hardest lesson of all: how to feel special when you're not the star.

©2017 Ruth Kaufman (P)2017 Ruth Kaufman

This is a good book! I really enjoyed it.

What do you do when your life is turned upside down? Follow your dreams and get it back up right again. This is what the main character in this book does when her husband divorces her just before her 42nd birthday. It is a great story line that shows her working to get going again in life, rather than sitting there, mired in self-pity. I love how there is a subtle amount of humour throughout the book. The narration was really good and all the better when you know that the author is reading it to you. Definitely, a must-read!

Great Book!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. The narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end. If you are looking for a great book with well-developed characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrator.

A story about following your dreams

I enjoyed this story a lot, it had some realistic life and workplace situations, and some funny ones as well. The main character was very likeable and her struggles are familiar to most of us. It was very interesting to follow Marla on her journey, to witness her doubts, determination and life changing decisions. There was no glamour there, just real face of show business. A lot of anecdotes and funny situations made it a very pleasant book.

Highly recommended.

"Sex in the City" meets "Bridget Jones Diary"

I loved this book!! I was given a code to listen to this book for free in exchange for a review. I must admit I was a little concerned about this deal, but it was great and I am happy to report! It is “Sex in the City” meets “Bridget Jones Diary” in Chicago.

You would think that a book about a 42 yr. old woman who is recently divorced, navigating the current dating scene, leaving corporate America to pursue her life long dream of being a working actor and a “star” would be sad and not entertaining. It is the total opposite. The humor is fantastic! I found myself laughing out loud as I listened to it during my daily commutes on public transportation. Kaufman ‘s descriptive writing is brilliant. Even though it is an audiobook, I felt like it came with illustrations. She made it so easy for me to visualize every scene and feel the emotion that Marla felt as she traipsed through her mid-life journey of finding her life’s purpose, acceptance and a loving relationship.

The dual narration by Kaufman and Kevin Theis is terrific. They are the perfect blend to bring the characters to life and very soothing and easy to listen to. Theis’ voice is bold with a nice smooth edge that easily morphed from one character to another leaving no doubts as to the intention, and mood of the moment. His firm voice is a great backdrop for the quirky, frantic, silly, solemn, and oh, so hopeful Marla Goldberg. The Author/narrator Ruth Kaufman matches her colorful writing with her equally colorful voice. This duo had me routing for Marla to find the happiness she so desperately wants. I highly recommend it!

For anyone who is thinking of doing extra work

The author tells a very different picture of what life as a movie or television extra really is than what we on the screen. She talks about the gruelling hours of standing around for hours in the background of a scene as the director tries to get the right shot. She talks about the roller coaster of emotions as she is picked to be in a scene with the main star only to discover after the movie is released that her scene was cut.

She's trying to juggle her day job of working at a radio station where there's been so many changes recently that no one is happy there and trying to follow her dream of being in the movies.

The story is very entertaining and anyone who's ever thought about trying to get into doing extra work, this is a great listen for an insider view of what that world is really like.