Frank De Felitta (1921–2016)

"Audrey Rose" is not only a great book, of a family torn apart, by what they don't even believe in, but it also presents a good representation of reincarnation.
When Hoover's own daughter died, he was heart broken, but then he heard from a respected psychic that his daughter was still alive. He made the decision to find her, but how would you feel and how much you would you believe, from a man who is certain you have his daughter, reincarnated in your own child? What happens when you start to show more believe it? show less

My original Audrey Rose audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Audrey Rose is a serious and well written story about a small child who died in a fiery crash and has come back reincarnated as Ivy Templeton. Audrey father, Elliot Hoover has spent years learning about reincarnation and Hinduism and more to find peace and determine if a psychic’s words that Audrey is alive and well, living in New York is true.

Hoover becomes a weird stalker type trying to convince show more the Templeton’s that he needs to be in Ivy’s life as she is his Audrey Rose. As good parents, the Templeton’s try to stop Hoover but ultimately during the court case, psychiatrists are called in and there discover the truth – the horrifying truth.

As a parent whose son was born within minutes of the Space Shuttle exploding in 1986 (I was grateful he was born first!), I understand the fears that parents can experience. Frank De Felitta plays on those fears and many more. Detailed descriptions of the painful and terrifying death of Audrey and the melting ceremony at the boarding school with Ivy – I know my heart came near to stopping several times!

Although written in 1975, Felitta knows the fears of parents well and plays those fears and emotions to perfection. The narrator, Matt Godfrey performed the story well. His "Hoover" voice was adequately creepy and his "Mr. Templeton’s" voice was perfect as the father.

I enjoyed the book – Ok, enjoy is not quite the word; I was terrified, creeped out and sitting on pins and needles until the end – so, ... yes … I enjoyed the book! The fears of parents don't really change over time so although written in 1975 the fears of parents are very similar then and now. This is a timeless book!

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator. show less

Back in the late 70's I guess, maybe the early 80's, I read this book and I loved it. I was very excited when I saw that Valancourt Books was bringing it back into print, but had trouble working it into my reading schedule. When I was offered a chance to review the audiobook, I jumped at it and I'm glad I did.

It turns out that I had forgotten a lot of this story. Not only that-I think a lot of its social commentary went over my head because I was only a young teen at the time and didn't know show more half the things I thought I did.

Janice and Bill Templeton have a young daughter, Ivy, who has bouts of severe nightmares. Asleep, she runs about in a panic, yelling for her parents and screaming "Hot, hot, hot." The first time the nightmares occurred, a psychiatrist seemed to help the situation. This time around nothing seems to help.

Meanwhile, a strange man is spotted recently hanging around Ivy's school and standing nearby the beautiful apartment building where the Templetons live. How is this man related to Ivy and her nightmares? You'll have to read this to find out!

This story takes place in the 70's with all that that entails. Scientology and other cults are becoming popular. Hypnotism and psychology fascinate the general public. Casual sex, (before AIDS), is becoming a thing and the social fabric of life in the US is changing. Bill and Janice Templeton seem to want to change with the times, (they get sex manuals and try to keep things fresh, for instance), but in other respects, Bill especially is set in his ways. His world view is not flexible and anything that challenges it cannot be tolerated. If only for a slightly more adaptable point of view, much of what happened later might have been prevented.

Audrey Rose held up for me, after all these years. There was much I didn't remember so it seemed almost like an entirely new story. Some of it is dated, of course, (remember looking for a working payphone?), but its observations of human behavior are still spot on and sharp. This isn't a perfect story and perhaps the courtroom drama could have been trimmed a bit, but I never lost interest.

The narration by Matt Godfrey was also spot on and helped to cement some scenes clearly in my mind. "Mommy, daddy, hot, hot, hot..." gave me a serious case of the creeps every time I heard it.

I'm glad this story from the golden time of horror held up and maybe even exceeded my vague memory of it. This tale supports the idea that you should always appreciate fully what you have, but you should also keep an open mind. Don't be so stubborn that you allow no room for the unexplained. You may avoid a lot of heartache and tragedy if you can do that-just ask Bill Templeton.

Highly recommended, especially for fans of 70's and 80's horror!

You can buy your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Audrey-Rose/dp/B074VDZYV9/chashorcor-20

*I received a free review copy of this audio in exchange for my honest review. This is it.* show less

The classic story of reincarnation. I’m unsure what genre I would place this in. It’s not scary and, for me, goes on too long, though it’s a perfectly excellent telling of a series of logical events including a court room enactment. Though some may say farfetched and it likely wouldn’t happen today, I particularly like how those in authority, including the judge, all put their own careers above the possible mental or physical safety of a child. Something rings true about the media show more circus and ‘trial of the decade’ debacle to this day. show less