THE COST OF LIVING A Working Autobiography

With a poet's eye and a playwright's gift for compression, Levy's observations range from philosophical ponderings to elegant details of the quotidian. Henrietta Meire's intimate narration gives flesh and blood to Levy's sketches. Just as her marriage is crumbling, Levy loses her mother. The stress of these developments forces her to reflect on her place in a world in which she is considered only an appendage to her "man," and she wonders about her mother's life choices. "If our mother does the things she needs to do in the world, we feel she has abandoned us." Meire navigates the double crises Levy faces in a sure voice, sometimes allowing her vulnerability to shine through, sometimes presenting her as coolly contemplative and completely in charge. A wonderful audiobook. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2018]