Dear Aunt Catherine


Fiction - Audiobook
344 Pages
Reviewed on 05/18/2022
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Miche Arendse for Readers' Favorite

Dear Aunt Catherine by Laurie Ann Pokin follows the long journey of an orphan girl in her teens who flees from Ireland to America. Throughout her journey, from leaving home to arriving in Liverpool and finally crossing the Atlantic to America, she recounts the tales of her adventure to her aunt. Dear Aunt Catherine is a masterfully written book that envelops the reader's senses and draws them into the world described. I could so easily envision the time and place in this book due to the vivid descriptions.

Laurie Ann Pokin was able to bring to life the story of this young girl in such a way that you could feel what she felt and see what she saw; when she was hurt it was as if you yourself had been injured. The story itself is full of twists and turns which lead you along the beaten track of a hard life. From the start, the main character is met with so many difficulties, and you as the reader are right there with her, experiencing it all. It was so well done and I would highly recommend this book to all readers.

The narration of Dear Aunt Catherine which was done by Rachel Music was well articulated with just the right amount of emotion that helped bring the story to life. The audio quality was clear and the narrator’s voice could be heard perfectly throughout. Her ability to animatedly voice different characters throughout the story really added another level of depth to the story and the entire audiobook experience.

John

Laurie Ann is a talented writer and story teller. I listened to the audiobook at night before bed, Each night I look forward to turning in and getting to the next chapter. Can’t wait for the next one !!!

Joyce Sanvi

I read this book in one sitting and was left at the end wanting more. Not only is Laurie Ann Pokin a gifted story teller but she also has a riveting command of description and thought through her flowing use of metaphors, vivid imagery, active verbs, and colorful adjectives/adverbs. Even the most mundane observations made by the novel's nameless main character make the reader want to slowly savor them. I think this book is only the beginning of many more good books to come.

R. Smith

I eagerly await the movie!
This is the most impressive exemplar of historical fiction I've ever read! Dear Aunt Catherine was a gift from someone who had read it -- that's the best kind of recommendation!

As I began exploring the chronicle of this tough heroine's life, I didn't know what to expect. The first thing I noticed, was the author is a skilled writer who clearly performed copious research to create such historically accurate and interesting depictions.

Her characters are well defined, each with a voice and agenda of his/her own. Whether wicked or innocuous, their fastidious description fills the page and the readers imagination with their image.

Ms. Pokin has demonstrated she can both wield words like the cutting edge of a weapon, as well as express her heroine's softer, sympathetic side with utter deftness.

Laurie Ann Pokin is a master storyteller and Dear Aunt Catherine is a great novel in which both men and women will find resonance.

I wouldn't be surprised if this first time effort is picked up by a studio and made into a full length feature film. It would be a blockbuster -- and I'll be first in line to see it!