The Autobiography of Corrine Bernard, Kathleen Novak
The Autobiography of Corrine Bernard, Kathleen Novak
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
Club: $8.47

The Autobiography of Corrine Bernard
A Novel

Author: Kathleen Novak

Narrator: Suzanne Toren

Unabridged: 7 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/31/2018


Synopsis

The elusive lover of Do Not Find Me returns to tell her side of the story in The Autobiography of Corrine Bernard. From her hapless childhood under Nazi occupation to her life as a woman of letters in present-day New York City, Corrine remains scrappy and wise. As a schoolgirl in Paris, she goes her own way, disinterested in most friendships, intensely drawn to the heroines she finds in literature and daring in the favors she is willing to trade with boys. When she is seventeen, she travels to America to visit her godmother and meets Charles Bernard, whose wealth and ruthlessness will alter the entire course of her life.In a bold and mesmerizing voice, Corrine details her intense pull toward Charles, her lifelong attraction to the blue-eyed Italian named Gigi Paulo, and her observations of Paris, New York, St. John’s, and London as she roams in exile for decades of her life. Dear Reader, she begins, I have my tales to tell. And so she does in this dark and compelling novel.Corrine will surprise you, confide in you, and ultimately win you, despite her ferocious and singular ways. The severed heart beats wildly beneath the floor boards. Do you hear it, she asks. By the end of her story, you will, dear reader, you will.

About Kathleen Novak

Kathleen Novak is a poet and writer who grew up on the iron-mining range of northern Minnesota, the granddaughter of Italian and Croatian immigrants. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she is the author of the highly praised novel Do Not Find Me, released in 2016. Her poems have been published in small literary magazines nationally and have won recognition in contests as diverse as the AAUW and New York Public Radio. Her writing is fueled by her colorful family history, her love of art, old tunes and cooking. Ms. Novak lives in Minneapolis.

About Suzanne Toren

Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind’s Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sheila on May 25, 2018

Born in Paris during the Second World War, Corrine is the wise-child god-daughter of a rich Parisian who emigrates to the States. At seventeen Corrine takes her first flight to see her godmother and never returns. It’s time for invisibility to step into the limelight, a place Corrine believes is nat......more

Goodreads review by Vivienne on October 12, 2019

A good read but I just could not generate any sort of empathy for Corrine.......more

Goodreads review by Tom on October 31, 2018

In the characterization, first person narrative, we’re treated to the biography of the title character, as we read her journey and adventures as she tells them to us in a voice always her own. And she keeps the reader mesmerized as those tales play out. Although not me regular reading fare, the prosp......more

Goodreads review by Keith on July 09, 2018

Lovers of fiction should remember this name: Corrine Bernard - she is a force of nature I will never forget. Kathleen Novak paints compelling portraits. Being inside the pages of her newest novel is deeply satisfying, that's how real and beautiful her characters become. I found myself talking to Cor......more


Quotes

“Tender and intricately written, this well-crafted novel is poetic, evocative, and beautiful.” Kirkus Reviews on Do Not Find Me