REVIEW - It. Goes. So. Fast (audiobook)

It. Goes. So. Fast by Mary Louise Kelly (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

My family, especially my husband, are huge NPR and our local LAist radio stations. Our daughter grew up listening to it on her way to school with her dad and her love of politics grew from this exposure. 

So when I saw this audiobook, the name seemed familiar as did the voice. The premise was to enjoy and be involved in every moment of her older son's last year at home before college. It did do that, but it all strayed from the original premise and was told in a random order that was difficult.   

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

Mary Louise can write and I would expect nothing less from a world-renowned NPR journalist. But, she misses it with the heart and soul I was expecting. I wanted and expected more emotion and nitty gritty. My expectations were very high with her writing. 

Narration: 4.0 stars

Mary Louise narrates well as I expected, but again the emotion and real feeling were not there as I wanted and expected. There was some emotional reading, but it needed more, IMHO. 

Character Arc: 4.0 stars

The audiobook is in random order and seems haphazard at times. It is fine to tell backstories to add depth and character. But in this memoir, it was constant backstories and it was sometimes off-putting. It spans the birth of her sons to her older son's high school graduation in 2022.

Memorable:  4.0 stars

Mary Louise's stories about being on assignment in multiple war zones were fascinating and scary. But, again, I wanted more. 

Entertaining:   4.5 stars

The author sprinkled some funny stories throughout the memoir, but the most entertaining was the guinea pig in Ukraine. 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Appropriate!  

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Truth!

DEFINITE recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

It. Goes. So. Fast by Mary Louise Kelly (audiobook)

MacMillan Audio

7 hours, 1 minute

Release date of 4/11/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Mary Louise Kelly

My Goodreads review

Macmillan Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜