A Very Easy Death: Une Morte Tres Douce

Review "Hillary Huber offers a respectful narration of the intimate story...[Her] matter-of-fact performance retains a nuance of sensitivity in exactly the right measure."-- "AudioFile""Shows the power of compassion when it is allied with acute intelligence. This is a fine book."-- "Sunday Telegraph (London)"Huber's portrayal of a vital, intelligent woman in her prime and a frail one at the end of her life is a sensitive masterpiece that subtly captures de Beauvoir's inner conflicts and her mother's pain, spirit and dignity.-- "Kliatt"Simone de Beauvoir's dusty answer is depressingly effective. -- "Kirkus Reviews" Product Description When her mother was in the hospital with terminal cancer, Simone had time to reminisce about her mother's early life, as Simone and her sister, Poupette, prepared to face the decision of whether to prolong a life when it is full of suffering. Like most people, they believed that it would be better to die than to continue to suffer, but their mother had a very different view of the matter. Françoise de Beauvoir had finally found happiness in her life, and she truly believed she could find happiness in her own suffering.Considered by many to be the master work by Simone de Beauvoir, A Very Easy Death focuses on death and the other limitations in one's life and with what attitude one approaches them. Through her mother's beauty, her smile, and her pride in her life and in herself, Simone learned that to be human and to have individual choice are the most important aspects of existence. About the Author Simon de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a French writer and intellectual whose works played an important role in the feminist movement. The main idea underlying all of her writing was the idea of freedom, not only for women but also for each individual, which for her necessarily entailed the idea of responsibility.Hillary Huber is one of the most successful voice talents in Los Angeles. Recent books read for Blackstone Audio include Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read, and A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart.Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000), a translator and author of biographies, was best known as the author of the highly acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of historical novels. Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, this twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician and spy Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. He wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. He also translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture's biographies of Charles de Gaulle. From AudioFile De Beauvoir's memoir recounts the death of her mother from a cancer of which she is never informed. The author and her sister maintain a vigil at their mother's side throughout the short ordeal, reflecting on how the older woman has approached the trials and joys of her life. Hillary Huber offers a respectful narration of the intimate story, resisting the subject matter's invitation to sentimentality. She portrays Simone de Beauvoir in unaccented standard American English, while giving her mother a sweet French flavor and an aged creakiness of voice. Throughout, Huber's matter-of-fact performance retains a nuance of sensitivity in exactly the right measure. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine