The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters
A True Story of Family Fiction
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $20.40
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Julie Klam
-
Written by:
-
Julie Klam
About this listen
A Washington Post best nonfiction book pick of 2021
“It is biography as an expression of love.” (The New York Times)
New York Times best-selling author Julie Klam’s funny and moving story of the Morris sisters, distant relations with mysterious pasts.
Ever since she was young, Julie Klam has been fascinated by the Morris sisters, cousins of her grandmother. According to family lore, early in the 20th century the sisters’ parents decided to move the family from Eastern Europe to Los Angeles so their father could become a movie director. On the way, their pregnant mother went into labor in St. Louis, where the baby was born and where their mother died. The father left the children in an orphanage and promised to send for them when he settled in California - a promise he never kept. One of the Morris sisters later became a successful Wall Street trader and advised Franklin Roosevelt. The sisters lived together in New York City, none of them married or had children, and one even had an affair with J. P. Morgan.
The stories of these independent women intrigued Klam, but as she delved into them to learn more, she realized that the tales were almost completely untrue.
The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the revealing account of what Klam discovered about her family - and herself - as she dug into the past. The deeper she went into the lives of the Morris sisters, the slipperier their stories became. And the more questions she had about what actually happened to them, the more her opinion of them evolved.
Part memoir and part confessional, and told with the wit and honesty that are hallmarks of Klam’s books, The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters is the fascinating and funny true story of one writer’s journey into her family’s past, the truths she brings to light, and what she learns about herself along the way.
©2021 Julie Klam (P)2021 Penguin AudioWhat the critics say
“Lovely…. As the rumors and myths are pruned and the gaps filled in, the Morris sisters emerge and differentiate themselves, and Klam, movingly, is there to meet them…. What elevates it beyond a glorified fact-checking assignment is Klam’s palpable yearning - she wants to know who these women were, what they went through, how it shaped them. It is biography as an expression of love.” (The New York Times)
“A divertingly chatty yet thought-provoking exploration of how the family stories we don’t know can define us just as much as the ones we think we do…. With genealogical quests all the rage, Klam’s book serves as a cautionary tale about the obsessional nature of such a search and the bracing truths that may lie buried beneath the family lore.” (The Washington Post)
“Such an enjoyable read…an engrossing search for truth and how learning that truth might affect identity.... Some truly astonishing discoveries about the sisters await the reader.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
What listeners say about The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nicki S
- 2021-08-19
I had high hopes for an engaging personal history.
So disappointing. I feel the author spends a lot of time reading emails or letters rather than creating an engaging story. Her voice is monotone and the occasional bit of humour or self reflection can’t make up for a dreary performance. There is nothing legendary about the characters, but more importantly nothing legendary about the writing. I’m not interested enough to finish the book, and that is a rarity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-09-16
The author was the perfect person to narrate this book.
Her dry sense of humour and her ability to communicate the love that grew toward these 4 women made this book a real joy to listen to. Her descriptions of the different family members and the extended family were wonderful. I could see them all in my minds eye. This is a wonderful book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!