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Seen it All and Done the Rest Audiobook
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(3.02) - 454 listener ratings
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The toast of Europe, Josephine Evans had spent thirty years abroad establishing her reputation as one of the finest actresses of her generation. In Amsterdam, she redefined who and what an African American diva could be, and her legions of loyal fans loved her for it. But when a war she didn't even understand suddenly makes her the target of angry anti-American protests, Josephine is forced to return to America to see if she can find a new definition of home. Camping out with her granddaughter in Atlanta's West End, Josephine tries to reclaim her old life even as she scrambles to shape her new one. An unexpected reunion with an old friend, Abbie Allen Browning, soon offers her a chance to set things right. Rallying with Abbie against an unscrupulous land developer who threatens to tear the community apart, Josephine finds herself playing the most important role of her life, as she shows her neighbors what courage really is and learns the real meaning of coming home.
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"There is something about Pearl Cleage's books that just appeal to me that I just cannot put a finger on it. Could it be the fact that the folks all revolve around Atlanta,(except the first two) and the neighborhoods that are declining or situations that are desperate and you just cannot leave it without finding out the outcome would be. In this novel(and if you've been reading her novels, all her books are closely related to one another with the characters mingling from one book to the other). Anyhow, in this book, you have a expatriate American actress Josephine, who has come to a lull in her career abroad. Although she has opened and closed the plays in the theater she's been affliated with for over thirty years in Amsterdam, things come to a head, and suddenly being an American in Amsterdam or anywhere in Europe is not a great idea any longer. So, she decides to go on home to Atlanta, where her granddaughter, Zora, who is suffering from her involvement in a scandal(see Baby Boy Blues)and sitting at home watching The Wizard of Oz, and sipping on vodka on a steady basis. While checking on the home Josephine's mother left her, she finds an indignant transient who reads her the riot act, yet activate her to do something about it, and here is where the plot gets to humming and going good. First Josephine decides to rehabilitate the house, then her long lost friend Abbie hook her up with Aretha, who gets it going,then Zora gets caught up and starts an online show on the same project and things really start cooking and the work starts, even though you have this great community thing going, you gotta have some folks who don't want to see this and will do anything to prevent this from making this a reality. Not to give nothing away, but do check out this book for yourself and find out what happens and feel a whole lot better after reading this book. I guarantee you will."
— Nandi (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Sparkling…No doubt, Seen It All’s leading lady, actress Josephine Evans, will soon [become] a book-club fave.”
— Essence -
“The uplifting end of the story is never in doubt, but Cleage provides enough plot turns and setbacks to make things interesting. Best of all, Josephine’s voice—independent, smart, wise, and funny—never flags. She’s a winning character.”
— Boston Globe -
“Robin Miles is one of the best narrators in the business…Miles portrays Josephine’s militant patriotism, but behind all the bravado there’s a well of sorrow. Listeners will thoroughly enjoy this offbeat plot and Miles’s totally convincing narration.”
— AudioFile -
“Cleage revives some beloved characters as she celebrates personal evolution and the joy of true homecoming. Fans of this bestselling author will love this latest work.”
— Booklist
Seen it All and Done the Rest Listener Reviews
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" This Pearl Cleage was much better. It took on some tough issues but was manageable, even hopeful. "
— Vilo, 2/17/2014 -
" I think that I read this book in 2007 or 20008 when my grandma was sick and I was in chicago. It is about a fabulous woman who is past middle age. I just love all of her books. "
— Monique, 2/17/2014 -
" Pretty good. I thought Babylon Sisters was better, though. "
— Kathryn, 2/16/2014 -
" I adore Pearl, a little cinematic at the end... enjoyed it "
— Jennifer, 2/4/2014 -
" As my mom would say, this book is hardly great literature. And yet it was SO much better written than I expected it to be. Chick lit for grown women. Entertaining and with a heroine you can really cheer for. Points removed for the author's giving the heroine a dead son and then pretending said fact hardly ever entered the character's consciousness. Otherwise, a lot of fun and a book which really truly would make a great movie. "
— Elise, 1/20/2014 -
" I was reminded how important it is to not let anything or anyone steal my joy. "
— Lawana, 1/18/2014 -
" I chose this book from the Library as I had read 'What looks like Crazy on an Ordinary Day' and enjoyed it. This was good also. A nice easy read - nothing too though provoking. "
— Susan, 1/17/2014 -
" If I was an older woman with grandchildren who was having a midlife crisis, I might have liked this book better. "
— Laura, 1/16/2014 -
" Great characters, love the dialog, story line is a little predictable "
— Dhaverma, 1/6/2014 -
" I loved this book, read it from cover to cover in 3 days. "
— Danielle, 12/22/2013 -
" This book was just ok...I felt like the ending was too unrealistic. "
— Angela, 12/14/2013 -
" Really enjoyed the reader, Robin Miles. "
— Ronda, 11/20/2013 -
" I just couldn't finish it. This is the second novel of Pearl that I have tried to read and couldn't finish. I just can't get into her style of writing. "
— Amarie0081, 11/15/2013 -
" Nice feel good story. While this is part of a series, I know you can read it as a stand-alone book because I haven't read any others by her and I didn't feel that I was missing anything. My guess is that the other books take place in the same neighborhood, not that they are a continuing story line. "
— Tyra, 11/9/2013 -
" Excelllent book. I didn't realize I was in the middle of a series. The characters were well written and evolved. Wasn't one of those books that left me guessing or feeling like there wasn't enough plot to develop all of the characters. Will definitely read more by this author. "
— Angelique, 8/15/2013 -
" Another wonderful Pearl Cleage --amazing! "
— AnnMarie, 11/4/2012 -
" A good coming toghether book for those who dont know how.(one step at a time) "
— PHYLLIS, 10/11/2012 -
" Just started reading this book, so far so good. "
— Vanessa, 9/16/2012 -
" Good story and I enjoyed this author's style of writing. "
— Karen, 12/13/2011 -
" So far, this is a great read. I love her descriptions and the fact that some of the characters from her previous novels reappear. "
— Kossiwa, 11/2/2011 -
" I'm enjoying the West End series with the addition of new characters and updates on the ones we've met in prior books. "
— LJ, 8/23/2011 -
" The book was a feel good read. "
— Corliss, 1/30/2011 -
" This was a follow up to Baby Brother's Blues. The story was moving but the book was very predictable. Wonderful story of what happens when family and community pulls together. "
— Seritasunflower, 12/26/2010 -
" This Pearl Cleage was much better. It took on some tough issues but was manageable, even hopeful. "
— Vilo, 6/26/2010 -
" So far, this is a great read. I love her descriptions and the fact that some of the characters from her previous novels reappear. "
— Kossiwa, 6/10/2010 -
" This book was just ok...I felt like the ending was too unrealistic. "
— Angela, 5/3/2010 -
" Good story and I enjoyed this author's style of writing. "
— Karen, 4/13/2010 -
" I think that I read this book in 2007 or 20008 when my grandma was sick and I was in chicago. It is about a fabulous woman who is past middle age. I just love all of her books. <br/> "
— Monique, 4/12/2010 -
" I chose this book from the Library as I had read 'What looks like Crazy on an Ordinary Day' and enjoyed it. This was good also. A nice easy read - nothing too though provoking. "
— Susan, 1/18/2010 -
" I was reminded how important it is to not let anything or anyone steal my joy. "
— Lawana, 12/1/2009 -
" If I was an older woman with grandchildren who was having a midlife crisis, I might have liked this book better. "
— Laura, 8/15/2009 -
" I just couldn't finish it. This is the second novel of Pearl that I have tried to read and couldn't finish. I just can't get into her style of writing. "
— Amarie0081, 1/6/2009 -
" I adore Pearl, a little cinematic at the end... enjoyed it "
— Jennifer, 8/5/2008 -
" I loved this book, read it from cover to cover in 3 days. "
— Danielle, 8/1/2008
About Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage is an award-winning playwright whose play Flyin’ West was the most-produced new play in the country in 1994 and a bestselling author whose novels include What Looks like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, I Wish I Had a Red Dress, Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do, and Baby Brother’s Blues, among others. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
About Robin Miles
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors’ unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.