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The Woman Who Wouldn't Audiobook
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(3.03) - 462 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The beloved actor and screenwriter’s second novel, set in 1903, stars a young concert violinist named Jeremy Webb, who one day goes from accomplished adagios with the Cleveland Orchestra to having a complete breakdown onstage. If he hadn’t poured a glass of water down the throat of a tuba, maybe he wouldn’t have been sent to a health resort in Badenweiler, Germany. But it’s in that serene place that Jeremy meets Clara Mulpas, whom he tries his hardest to seduce. Clara is so beautiful that Jeremy finds it impossible to keep from trying to detect a chink in her extraordinary reserve and elegance. He realizes he is reflexively flirting to get a reaction–after all, a tease and a wink have always worked before, with women back home. But flirting probably isn’t the best way to appeal to a woman who was married to a dumb brute and doesn’t want to have anything more to do with men. Jeremy isn’t sure how to press his case–but he won’t give up. Wilder’s prose is elegant, spare, and affecting. But it’s his romantic’s eye for the intense emotions that animate a real love story that makes THE WOMAN WHO WOULDN’T an unforgettable audiobook.
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"A tender, short tale quite unlike anything I expected from Gene Wilder. To hear him read it, however, is simply divine. His words conjured up vivid images of the characters and settings. I was transported for a pleasant 2.5 hours to a German health spa in the early 1900's. "
— Lisa (4 out of 5 stars)
The Woman Who Wouldn't Listener Reviews
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" Cute short book. If you like Gene Wilder you'll be amused by this book. I was impressed by Wilder's insight. "
— Elisabet, 2/17/2014 -
" This was funny and sweet, and a quick & easy read. I enjoyed it, but there wasn't much depth to the characters; the writing, while adequate and easy to follow, was nothing too special. I prefer Mr. Wilder's acting to his writing. "
— Elizabeth, 2/11/2014 -
" If Webb was wilder (pardon the pun) and Clara refused his advances longer, I would have been more impressed. Still it was silly, at times, and a tad sweet. "
— Judith, 1/30/2014 -
" Gene Wilder is an amazing author. "
— E, 1/25/2014 -
" Good story, easy read, but well written. "
— Cathy, 1/24/2014 -
" A nice little read. Suffers a little from the modern tone of the dialog (it's set in 1903), but not too bad. "
— Alesia, 1/24/2014 -
" Bought this one out of curiosity. On the back cover was a quote from Kirkus Reviews: "A sweet, adult fable". Utterly true. A short book, I suggest you read it in one sitting, preferably in a nice quiet park. it will be finished way too soon. "
— Jo, 1/19/2014 -
" Not particularly well written, but sweet and a little sad, especially if you know Gene Wilder's personal history. "
— Kim, 1/18/2014 -
" Quick read. Maybe 2 hours constant. Wonderful love story. Gene Wilder did a great job describing the characters and I was lost in time with this one. "
— Sarah, 1/16/2014 -
" What a delicious little book. Completely blew me away. I've always loved Gene Wilder's acting, but this book is completely unlike anything I thought he would write. Loving, sensitive, moving. A true love story right up until the end. "
— Mom, 1/8/2014 -
" Short- New Yorker short story-short. Sweet. light. Less substantial than his last little light book "My French Whore" but who doesn't like Gene Wilder and wish him well? "
— Laura, 12/21/2013 -
" I was confused while reading this book; where is Gene going with this? By the time I was done, I was still left wondering what the point was. I like Gene Wilder, but this wasn't my favorite read. Like Obama said, "We can do better." "
— Carole, 10/26/2013 -
" I would like to read more by Gene Wilder, but this story seemed like it was written by an 8th grader. The story was good, but the writing was average. "
— Liesl, 10/10/2013 -
" This was a two hour read, with chapters on average of about 3.5 pages. You can hear Wilder's voice and humor in his writing, but it's no Vonnegut. I'm returning it to the Bucktown library, if you're looking for a book to kill during naptime... "
— Lauren, 10/1/2013 -
" i really like gene wilder as an actor. "
— Margaret, 6/10/2013 -
" This is a very odd, very sweet little book. Novella length. It's probably better appreciated by people my age or older. I enjoyed it. "
— Matilda, 2/26/2013 -
" Book tape read by Gene Wilder -- wish this was the Gilda story "
— Gail, 1/21/2013 -
" Could be favorite little read this summer. The ending was not at all what I thought it was going to be. Mr Wilder has a very tender way of writing. "
— Beckett, 1/8/2013 -
" I found an autographed copy of this book at the local Dollar Tree. It was an interesting read, and an easy read. Though the story didn't go very far and it ended quickly. It was just okay. "
— Madelyn, 11/16/2012 -
" IT SUCKED. Honestly, how can someone fight cancer when she is pregnant? Doesn't it make the cancer worse? It's impossible. And the girl calling a guy's manhood a "willy." WHAT? Anyway, I wasted P45 for this. "
— Danielle, 8/17/2012 -
" Charming and delightful. It was refreshing to read a book that doesn't try to convey a lot of complexity. It reads like a screenplay or short film. "
— Siddhartha, 4/22/2012 -
" There were a few funny parts, but overall mediocre "
— Marcie, 10/24/2011 -
" Things happen in life that surprise us-not all is planned. "
— Sue, 10/22/2011 -
" First, I didn't know Gene Wilder wrote novels. Second, this is more of a novella and really reads like a short story. I found the whole thing charming. Quiet and charming. "
— Jennifer, 8/25/2011 -
" Read most of it on the bus this morning. Very light fare. Not terribly historic (I agree with Susan) but fun. "
— Stefanie, 8/5/2011 -
" Very sweet and touching story...I really enjoyed it. "
— Keri, 7/25/2011 -
" What a treat! I ran across this when looking for something by another author. I had no idea that he had written any books (embarrassing for a librarian to admit!) This is almost like a long short story, but so sweet. Very enjoyable. "
— Martha, 5/19/2011 -
" A slight novel (more of a novella really) with a strangely dissociative fairy-tale ending. It might have been a moving piece had Wilder not indulged himself in that way. Still not bad, and worth a read (and it won't take long). "
— Jon, 4/26/2011 -
" I'll definitely make e review :)) Just wait... "
— Gian, 3/15/2011 -
" There were a few funny parts, but overall mediocre "
— Marcie, 2/4/2011 -
" Audiobook- <br/> Gene Wilder is an author ? YUP ! I loved this quick little story , read by Gene himself . It's sappy and sweet , yes , but amazingly pretty good . "
— Angie, 12/27/2010 -
" What a treat! I ran across this when looking for something by another author. I had no idea that he had written any books (embarrassing for a librarian to admit!) This is almost like a long short story, but so sweet. Very enjoyable. "
— Martha, 9/7/2010 -
" First, I didn't know Gene Wilder wrote novels. Second, this is more of a novella and really reads like a short story. I found the whole thing charming. Quiet and charming. "
— Jennifer, 7/12/2010 -
" Not particularly well written, but sweet and a little sad, especially if you know Gene Wilder's personal history. "
— Kim, 6/19/2010 -
" enjoyable with a quirkly ( wilderesque ) ending. i didn't know if i wanted it to be longer or shorter. yeah....shorter is my decision. a short story , not a short book. "
— Cindy, 5/18/2010
About Gene Wilder
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.