YEAR OF THE MONKEY

Her best days as a punk rock priestess may be behind her, but even at age 70, Patti Smith is still a working-class hero asking questions about life, love, and dreams. And since no one else can do justice to her words, Smith narrates her latest audiobook herself. Even if her performance sometimes sounds a bit flat, almost disaffected, it seems appropriate, considering her particular musical style. She delivers wry observations of contemporary life, hers and the nation's. Her observations, imagery, and iconic non-rhyming poetry can best be appreciated when delivered by the artist herself. The memoir is a little bit of a lot of things, all tied up in a stream-of-consciousness trip across the country and across her own life as she enters her septuagenarian years. M.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2019]