- Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman; read by the author
- Abridged Audiobook (7 CDs, approximately 8 hours)
- Publisher: Hachette Audio Group (3/24/09)
- ISBN: 9781600244483
Back-of-the-box blurb: In 1986, Susie and her friend Claire, fresh-faced graduates from Brown University, were inspired by a placemat entitled “Pancakes of Many Nations” to depart on an epic trip around the world, starting with Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China, then only recently opened to the rest of the world. As the two ventured into what turned out to be a strange and alien land, they encountered places far different from anything they had ever experienced, from the horrors of an open-ditch toilet in the back of a weird hybrid tenement hotel, to a magical boat ride through a fantastic landscape of wind-carved mountains. At every turn, they stumbled upon unforgettable people, including an earnest local who called himself Johnny and loved everything American from hamburgers to Stevie Wonder, a heroic German exchange student named Eckehardt Grimm, and a young waitress named Lisa in an unlikely restaurant in the middle of rural China that specialized in food for weary travelers, such as pancakes and pizza, “just like their mama make.”
Armed only with Nietzsche’s greatest works and a copy of Linda Goodman’s Love Signs, Susie and Claire were utterly unprepared for their expedition, and their experience alternated between culture shock and exotic adventure, until a near-tragedy turned the trip into a true-life international thriller.
She is Too Fond of Books‘ thoughts: I’m going to turn this review upside down and start with the bottom line – I loved this audiobook! You may know that I reserve my audiobook listening for the treadmill; a good audiobook is my incentive to stick to my exercise regime, my reward for an hour or so each day. I walked more often, and for longer periods, when I listened to Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven.
The audio combines personal memoir (one of my favorite genres) with the perfect balance of light and darker moments while telling a tale that was certainly life-changing. Susan Jane Gilman, the author, reads the audio, and is able to inject more of herself in the reading – self-deprecating humor, the awe at some of the sights she and Claire saw, and the raw emotions of the climax of their experience. It sounds cliched, but, she really made the characters come alive!
Gilman has the habit of repeating herself within a scene; she says the same thing in a variety of ways; the author will describe a setting or action, then go on to re-tell it with a different vocabulary; some readers/listeners may feel she used a thesauraus, dictionary, or synonym finder to increase the word count. I think she was simply emphasizing parts that really impacted her, and wanted to make sure that the reader/listener “got it”; the audiobook format lent itself to this almost conversational reiteration; I wasn’t bothered by it; I tend to go on and on (and on and on); my internal editor is often on vacation. 
I don’t know if she used semi-colons in the prose … that’s how I imagined it as I listened.
I was expecting a fun-filled travelogue of their romp around the world, complete with wild parties and adventures of recent graduates bursting with curiosity and holding little responsibility. The adventures are there; Susie also shows a maturity and resourcefulness I wasn’t expecting. I listened to the abridged audio, and I’m curious to pick up the book, to fill in the scenes that were deleted.
About the author: Susan Jane Gilman bills herself as a “writer, journalist, inadvertent humorist.” She has published two other non-fiction books, Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, and Kiss My Tiara. More information, including a reader’s guide to Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven can be found on the author’s website. Did I mention that she’s afraid of clowns and puppets?
FTC disclosure: review copy provided by the publisher.
Anything that you make you extend your time on the treadmill must be good! I’ll have to see if I can get it. And as to your other point, who ISNT afraid of clowns and puppets?!!!
I read this book and loved it and then passed it on to my mom and she loved it too!
This sounds like a great conversational audio book…probably makes the telling more immediate to envelop the listener. Great review!
I haven’t listened to a huge number of memoirs on audio, but I loved The Glass Castle and The Sum of Our Years (Isabel Allende). I’ll have to look this one up! I remember reading a review maybe six months ago, and it didn’t blow me out of the water. Maybe the audio is the difference!
I don’t listen to audio, but I love travelogues and this one sounds great! Thanks
I’ve been wanting to read this for a while. I’m sure I’ll get to it sometime around 2012 or 2013!
I received this audiobook through a giveaway by Rebecca at Lost in Books. It took me a little while to grow accustomed to Gilman’s voice, but once I did, I really enjoyed listening to her story. I could really picture each place.
I’m so glad to hear you loved this audio as I have it on audio as well. I haven’t had a chance to listen yet but now I’m looking forward to it.
I don’t do abridged audio, but I look to see if there is an UNabridged version. I’m glad to know that the author did a good job with the narration, authors usually make for poor narrators (in my experience).
This is the second comment I left, the first one disappeared.
rhapsody – lol! I used to tease my sister mercilessly about her clown-aphobia (yeah, I know there’s probably a real world for it… hold on … googling … “Coulrophobia” is fear of clowns!)
Kathy – I’m sharing the audio with a friend!
Serena – the author’s change in attitude and her (forced) growth during the journey really struck me.
Sandy – The challenge they faced is what really grabbed me; I wouldn’t have cared for a straight “all about our around the world trip” as much.
Lenore – Communist China 1986 … that will get you to pick it up.
Priscilla – “so many books, so little time ….”
charley – I liked her voices for the dialogue – consistent.
Darlene – I’ll look for your review; when do you listen? in the car? around the house? It was a huge incentive for treadmill time for me.
Beth F – the only two author-narrated books I’ve enjoyed are this one and OUTLIERS. I’ve listened to a few fiction author-narrated and thought, “hmm, stick to the writing!” (yes, I’m the pot calling the kettle black – I hate hearing my recorded voice. No worries, I’ll have a pro read my book Ha ha!)
Well, I guess anything that works to keep you exercising longer is worth a try. It sounds like a good book … and I’m intrigued by the near tragedy aspect too.
Out of all the novels you read lately, this one appeals to me. I’ve put it on my list to get the audio from the library as soon as we are at our son’s. (I have a library card there.) It sounds like good entertainment.
Sounds fun! I’ve been listening to music while I exercise (which is, ahem, rarely) but I want to get some books in there, too. My thighs would probably thank me!
This looks like a great audio book and one that I would like to listen to. I have recently started to listen to audio books while exercising as well. I am trying to utilize more of my time reading, so it works out well for me. I am really glad that you loved the book!
I may need to dig this one out. I’d won it on somebody’s blog a while back, but had seen mixed reviews and just hadn’t gotten to it yet. Now you have me looking forward to it.
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