The Seasons of My Mother

Actor Marcia Gay Harden's voice radiates love in her unusual memoir. Using her mother's expertise in Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, as a frame, she gathers a touching collection of significant moments from her own life. While there are a few reminiscences about the Oscars and life on the set, this isn't a peek into Hollywood glamour. Her mother, Beverly, is the constant star as Harden's lyrical prose meanders back and forth in time from her upbringing in a globe-trotting naval family through her struggles as an actor and then to her career success, with all the ups and downs involved. Harden's tone is even and gentle, only occasionally becoming a frustrated growl under her breath when she voices self-doubts and her frustration with her mother's descent into Alzheimer's. The listening experience is intimate and inspiring. S.T.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine