Bettyville

Narrator Jeff Woodman's expressive performance creates an intimate connection between listeners and memoirist George Hodgman, who recalls the months he cared for his elderly mother, Betty, at the end of her life. Woodman tunes his voice to match the many emotions of this complex, bittersweet story, allowing listeners to sense Hodgman's tender concern when Betty shows small signs of decline and feel his frustrations when he questions his caretaking abilities. Entwined throughout his mother's story are Hodgman's accounts of growing up in Missouri and his difficulties finding a place in the gay culture of New York, the city he now calls home. Both dialogue and narrative shine in Woodman's capable hands. Listeners will want to keep tissues handy. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

September 1, 2015

Hodgman's poignant and funny memoir is about returning to his hometown of Paris, MO, to take care of his 90-year-old mother, Betty. Hodgman had a successful career as a magazine and book editor in New York. After a stint in rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction, he found himself jobless. At the same time his nonagenarian mother asked him to come home. Increasingly frail, she could no longer live on her own. Hodgman returned to Paris to assess the situation. Betty was determined to hang on despite her limitations, practicing the piano (she had been the church organist), playing bridge with longtime friends, and making lists of things to remember in case her memory failed. In addition to musings on his return, Hodgman shares family stories about his grandparents and his parents, as well as reminiscences of growing up gay in the 1970s, when coming out was beyond imagining. (He reflects that Betty knew about and accepted his sexual orientation.) Hodgman shows that you can indeed go home again, but don't be surprised by the changes. This wonderful story is impeccably narrated by Jeff Woodman. VERDICT Highly recommended. ["This superior memoir, written in a witty and episodic style, is at times heartbreaking": LJ 6/1/15 starred review of the Viking hc.]--Nann Blaine Hilyard, formerly with Zion-Benton P.L., IL

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