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The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All Audiobook
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(2.05) - 364 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Throughout her life, Alexandra Penney's worst fear was becoming a bag lady. Even as she worked several jobs while raising a son as a single mother, wrote a multimillion-dollar bestselling advice book, and became editor in chief of Self magazine, she was haunted by the image of herself alone, bankrupt, and living on the street. She even went to therapy in an attempt to alleviate the nagging in her mind that told her that all she had worked for could crumble.
And then, one day, that's exactly what happened. Alexandra Penney had taken a friend's advice and invested nearly everything she had ever earned with Bernie Madoff. So one day she was successful and wealthy; the next she had almost nothing. Suddenly, at an age when many Americans retire, Penney saw her worst nightmares coming true.
Entertaining and inspiring, The Bag Lady Papers chronicles Penney's struggle to cope with the devastating financial and emotional fallout of being cheated out of her life savings, and traces her journey back to sanity and security. Her outraged blogs about the Madoff scandal in The Daily Beast and her commentary on CNN have generated millions of hits and earned her a loyal following.
How do you pick yourself up after your worst nightmare comes true? Penney shows us how.
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"I listened to the audio book. The voice of the reader and subject content did make the author come off as pretentious at times, but in the end she detailed an adventurous life filled with tidbits of advice on living without regret, being resourceful, and surrounding yourself with great friends."
— Christina (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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[Penney] writes in an appealingly plainspoken way...about gaining a deeper appreciation of life in her reduced post-Madoff circumstances.
— The Wall Street Journal
The Bag Lady Papers Listener Reviews
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" While I was interested in this story and have empathy for what these folks have gone through, I have a hard time drumming up much sympathy for a woman who owns two (small) vacation homes, has Chanel suits, Baccarat crystal, etc. Boo-hoo-hoo. Not sure I will finish this. "
— Lisa, 2/7/2014 -
" This is an interesting little memoir - about an enterprising single woman who lost her next egg to Madoff. "
— Sally, 1/31/2014 -
" So far it's mostly an annoying book, but I will probably finish it anyway. "
— Lori, 1/18/2014 -
" Read a couple of chapters, and realized that the title was very misleading. Alexandra lost her life savings, but was able to recover. I finished at chapter 8 and would not recommend. "
— Shandra, 1/18/2014 -
" I was listening to this on Overdrive and her voice just about did me in. Couldn't listen to any more of it...and just don't have time to waste listening to someone who "lost everything" through a bad investment/scheme. I hate that it happened to her, but it's just not my kind of read. "
— Marnie, 1/15/2014 -
" OK - I thought this was interesting because Bernie Madoff's impact was felt by so many. The author was rather hard to empathize with. I realize she worked "hard" for her money, but so do so many others. I wonder how she is doing now.... "
— Kathy, 1/10/2014 -
" She's had a very interesting life but the book gets a bit boring in parts. "
— Hope, 12/18/2013 -
" Did not like this book AT ALL! The author herself put it better than I can: "The tale of a spoiled rich white lady who lost her shirt and thought she'd lost it all." Sickening. "
— Tauheedah, 12/16/2013 -
" Light read. Pretty funny. A must read for those of us with this syndrome! "
— Michelle, 12/8/2013 -
" This was just an OK read... somewhat self-serving. I skimmed through it, and was not sorry to turn the last page. "
— Phyllis, 11/6/2013 -
" A wonderful read. I was so impressed at how the author handled her extraordinary financial loss. Saved many quotes to help me in my life.......not just with losses, but just with life! "
— MaryCarol, 10/20/2013 -
" Loved the current time of this book, the Bernie Madoff twist.The great summation of what many of us wonder about how we would handle this situation ! "
— Jenni, 5/27/2013 -
" Somewhat interesting. Quick read. "
— Beth, 4/18/2013 -
" This is the assembled hand wringing, high pitched complaining of a vain woman. She doesn't lose it all. It became work to read through her woe-is-me rants. "
— John, 3/15/2013 -
" Penney wrote a column for the Daily Beast last year on what it was like to have lost your entire retirement to Bernie Madoff. "
— Ellen, 12/9/2012 -
" The book title is a bit misleading. I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of this book, but I didn't get anything. I'm sympathetic to anyone who works their butt off only to lose it all to a crook. Luckily, she was still able to live an upper middle class life even after "losing it all". "
— Betsy, 8/3/2012 -
" Hmmm. Not sure that the writer would have ever ended up as a bag lady, but I am sure her fear was real. A memoir of her life, not so much info about how to live if you lose it all. "
— Pam, 7/12/2012 -
" Interesting story - quick read, kept me going. Liked the "older, wiser" outcome. "
— Sylvia, 6/29/2012 -
" This book wasn't what I expected but it was still okay...I just moved on to something else and plan to get back to this book later. "
— kathi, 6/3/2012 -
" Meh. I wanted to like this book, but this lady's idea of "losing it all," is just too hard to relate to. If I had taken it too seriously, I never would have finished it; I would have been too irritated. "
— Marisa, 1/19/2012 -
" This book was written by someone who suffered financial ruin after the ponzi scheme involving Bernie Maddoff. "
— Jennifer, 12/30/2011 -
" Loved the current time of this book, the Bernie Madoff twist.The great summation of what many of us wonder about how we would handle this situation ! "
— Jenni, 6/17/2011 -
" This reminded me that pulling yourself out of the ashes is possible. "
— Virginia, 5/24/2011 -
" She's had a very interesting life but the book gets a bit boring in parts. "
— Hope, 2/3/2011 -
" Easy, fun read about how a rich girl turns poor, but not really poor. "
— Gaurett, 11/13/2010 -
" the book was a fun easy book to read but it was a bit annoying at times when she talked about loosing it all because even after loosing money she still had hired help and other homes in multiple states..... I had fun though. "
— Jennifer, 10/31/2010 -
" I listened to this book. It was really interesting to listen to, I'm not sure how it would be to read. I liked it pretty well. "
— Amy, 10/13/2010 -
" Much, much better than I anticipated. Definitely worth a read. She tells a great story, writes very well, and has a great sense of humor. I think she shares some very valuable lessons. It's not earthshattering, but definitely thought provoking. "
— Jill, 9/11/2010
About Alexandra Penney
Alexandra Penney is an artist, bestselling author, and former editor-in-chief of Self magazine. She had a one-person show at Galerie in Berlin, and her work was shown at Miami’s Art Basel. She lives in New York.
About Marguerite Gavin
Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. She has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career. With over four hundred titles to her credit, her narration spans nearly every genre, from nonfiction to mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and children’s fiction. AudioFile magazine says, “Marguerite Gavin…has a sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion.”