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    Night, Mother
    Night, Mother
    Night, Mother
    Audiobook1 hour

    Night, Mother

    Written by Marsha Norman

    Narrated by Sharon Gless and Katherine Helmond

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This Pulitzer Prize winner tells the powerful story of an epileptic woman in her early 40’s systematically preparing her own death - and the frantic and touching efforts of her mother to stop her. This searing drama is guaranteed to keep any listener on the edge of their seat.

    An L.A. Theatre Works performance featuring Sharon Gless and Katherine Helmond.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherL.A. Theatre Works
    Release dateJul 1, 2003
    ISBN9781580814867
    Night, Mother
    Author

    Marsha Norman

    Marsha Norman is the winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize, Blackburn Prize, Hull-Warriner, and Drama Desk Awards for her play "Night Mother." In 1992 she won a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for the Broadway musical, "The Secret Garden." She also wrote the book for the Broadway musicla, "The Color Purples," for which she also received a Tony nomination. She wonn a Peabody Award for her writing on the HBO television ." She most recently received the William Inge Distinguished Lifetime Achievement in Theatre Award.

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    Reviews for Night, Mother

    4/5

    163 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      In my youth, I had a strange list of comfort films that I would turn to both when I was happy or feeling blue. My mom never understood why I gravitated to A Trip to Bountiful, Mrs. Brown, Remains of the Day, and my special favorite ‘night, Mother. I’m sure a part of me likes “sad” things, but I think that even as a youngster, I’ve always been attracted to simplistic beauty that is both deep and meaningful. It’s hard to marry these elements, especially in literature and film, but when I come across them, I have to snatch them up!I am currently reading a literary thriller wherein the victim was murdered in such a way as to call in to question whether it was self-administered. When perusing the victim’s bedroom, the uncanny order of the closets lead one of the detectives to question whether the victim had “arranged” things in preparation for death, as is common with many people contemplating suicide. I couldn’t help but remember ‘night, Mother, which I had no idea was play—further yet, that it garnered the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A one-act play spanning a few hours, this quite simply is the story of a woman, Jessie, preparing for her death, and her candid, endearing conversation with her mother, who desperately tries to both understand and dissuade her daughter from taking her life. It is such a beautifully written play, and though it’s heavy in scope, I never felt overwhelmed. You find yourself playing the devil’s advocate for both sides, as you’re forced to see how life and its disappointments can snub the life force out of some people who are too “good” for all of the bad out there. I think the line that just made me lose it was the following, and even reading it now, it just gets to my core! “…I didn't know! I was here with you all the time. How could I know you were so alone?”
    • 5/5
      it hurts and it's brutal & yet it's extraordinarily comforting to read because something about it is so mundane when it's anything but
    • 3/5
      Interesting play. I thought Norman's portrayal of a woman who decides to kill herself was realistic and genuine. She did not step into the realm of melodrama nor did she tie everything up in a neat package. The film adaptation with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft is pretty crappy, though. Stick to the play.