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  • The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Arcturus Classics)
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The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Arcturus Classics) Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Gertrude Stein (Author), Alexa Morden (Narrator), Arcturus Digital (Publisher)
4.3 out of 5 stars 939 ratings

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A witty and beautifully written account of the lives of Gertrude Stein and her wife Alice B. Toklas and a fascinating look into early 20th century Paris and the development of modernist culture.

Written in the voice of her life partner, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas is a remarkable literary achievement. By turns experimental, insightful and bitingly satirical, Stein's great biography is both deeply personal and wide-ranging in its ambition.

As she recounts her life from the fin de siecle up to the 1930s, she tells the story of the Parisian art scene, including modernist masters like Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso, the impact of World War I on contemporary France, and her encounters with brilliant literary figures like Ernest Hemingway and Sherwood Anderson.

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  1. Part of a series
    Women Writers of the World
  2. Listening Length
    9 hours and 17 minutes
  3. Author
    Gertrude Stein
  4. Narrator
    Alexa Morden
  5. Audible release date
    May 22 2024
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Arcturus Digital
  8. ASIN
    B0D4X1SF8B
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
Next slide of product details

Product details

Part of a series Women Writers of the World
Listening Length 9 hours and 17 minutes
Author Gertrude Stein
Narrator Alexa Morden
Audible.ca Release Date May 22 2024
Publisher Arcturus Digital
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0D4X1SF8B
鶹 Rank

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4.3 out of 5 stars
939 global ratings

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Top reviews from Canada

  • Moony Simpkins Rides Again
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on December 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    great!
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  • "blissengine"
    5.0 out of 5 stars Language as liquid
    Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2001
    Gertrude Stein's playful and witty story of her life with Alice Toklas (told via the life story of Alice) chronicles nearly thirty years, up to 1932. Crackling with energy and zest, the story unfolds like conversation at a party where Picasso, Hemingway, Matisse, and others are in attendance, and the reader is introduced to them all in succession. Documenting not only their exciting life together, the book also takes us through the dangers of World War 1, as well as detailing Stein's writing activities. Ultimately, it is Gertrude Stein herself who shines throughout the book, through the lens of Toklas, and it is this portrait crisp and alive that makes this the most well-known of her works.
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  • bixodoido
    4.0 out of 5 stars A genius? Hmmm..
    Reviewed in Canada on February 6, 2004
    This book is an interesting look at the art and literary scene of Paris at the turn of the century. This book is actually more of an autobiography of Gertrude Stein, but supposedly is written through the eyes of her longtime companion Alice Toklas. Many who knew Toklas said that Stein imitated her voice and style perfectly, and perhaps that is why it is considered such a great work of literature. For my part I enjoyed the narrative, thought I was not particularly fond of the way it was written. I realize this is a style unique to Stein, but it just didn't work for me.

    The most fascinating part of this work is seeing such great figures as Picasso and Hemingway through the eyes of Stein/Toklas. Even TS Eliot makes a brief appearance. The narrative is very interesting for this reason--with all these great figures around, how could it not be amusing? And, of course, Stein does not hesitate to use the medium of Toklas to proclaim that she is one of the three actual 'geniuses' that Toklas has ever met (incidentally, this short list excludes both Hemingway and Eliot). In fact there is an awful lot of egotism apparent throughout this book, and it is very irritating at times. Still, this is a very interesting look at Paris before, during, and after the first World War, and provides fascinating insight into a circle of painters, musicians, and literary figures that I'm sure many people would gladly give a limb to have belonged to.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Shawna Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very important book.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 20, 2002
    First of all, this is one of Gertrude's most accessible books. The Autobiography showcases her most elegant and beautiful prose. Furthermore, the reader is offered a glimpse into her fabulous and fascinating life. Plus you get to meet some of her good friends like a young painter named Picasso and a young writer name Fitzgerald. So the Autobiography is an exquisitely well-written book full of enormously important and interesting history. For god's sake, read this book!
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  • anon
    2.0 out of 5 stars Stein is not a genius
    Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2002
    Despite what all of the other reviews say, Stein is not a genius. The previous reviewers were simply regurgitating what their professors insisted upon in college. This book is Stein's most accessible--do read it, just so you can know what kind of sense the book does NOT make. The best part of this novel is the format (autobiography, but written by someone else), which is unique; however, the stolen style, nonsensical delineations, stale dialogues, and immobile plot definitively strip away any claims that this rich, disturbed woman was a genius.
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  • 鶹 Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars An unconventional look at an unconventional writer.
    Reviewed in Canada on November 22, 1999
    In using her lover Alice as the narrator of something called an autobiography, Stein reveals that we can expect something unusual with this book. Of course, she delivers, turning ordinary events and words into a sometimes difficult but always fascinating prose narrative. One can easily see why so many artists and writers sought her company.
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  • Sheila
    1.0 out of 5 stars This reprint of a very famous book was very poorly done.
    Reviewed in Canada on October 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I had been looking forward to reading this very famous book, but was taken aback when I received an 鶹-printed version, apparently printed in Bolton, Ontario. I did not read the book until after the Return Window date, with which I was not familiar never having returned an 鶹 order before.

    It is very amateurishly printed with a large font and poorly spaced copy. It is also, as I was to find out, full of typographical errors, example: p. 276, “Hemingway although a sportsman wasily tired” - should read “was easily tired”. Same page, “...worn out walking fromis house to ours”. Should read “from his house to ours.” Page 277, “Gertrude Stein, who hadeen much impressed” should read “ Gertrude Stein, who had been much impressed...”. Same page, “Taste has nothing to do with sentences, conteded Gertrude Stein.” Should read, “...contended Gertrude Stein.” Same page, “Gertrude Stein had been much impressed by This Side c Paradise.“ Should read “This Side of Paradise”.

    And this Is just two pages! This ruined my reading of the book. I had ordered this version because it was cheaper, but it is useless to me.

    Would it be possible for you to make an exception in this case and return my cost if I send you back the book? It definitely should not go out to any of your customers because it does not enhance your reputation.

    Regards, Sheila Carson.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Vi
    5.0 out of 5 stars So sollen Bücher sein!
    Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Sehr coole Anekdoten zu allerlei Berühmtheiten des frühen 20.Jahrhunderts, schöne Illustrationen, ein Buch für's Leben! Aber klar, Literatur und Malerei sollten einen schon interessieren. 😉
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  • Carlo Ungaro
    4.0 out of 5 stars Gertrude Stein - The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
    Reviewed in Italy on October 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I had always known about this book but had never read it. It can sometimes be irritating (Gertrude Stein referring to herself in the third person) but it is a fascinating picture of an era and also very witty
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  • Antoine
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating life.
    Reviewed in Australia on July 30, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I was particularly interested in how she started her art collection.
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  • Luiz Carlos Santi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Arte Pura
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 3, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    O livro em si é uma obra de arte em todos os sentidos: para ler e admirar.
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  • D. F. Whipple
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Memoir
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This is a lively read. It's also an interesting artifact from an artist who, from her perch atop the turmoil of World War I Paris, managed to craft a work that was modern in style, yet classically human in expression. Here she stood on the cusp of 19th and 20th century literature: T. S. Eliot's The Wasteland this is not, nor is it Hemingway's musings on the Lost Generation or Fitzgerald's cold, vacuous and material world. It's not cubist or surrealist, either, despite the influences evident elsewhere in her work. Instead, this is Gertrude Stein unplugged: witty, hip, self-deprecating, self-aggrandizing, opinionated and sharp, and we love her for it. It's a book about hanging out with friends in Paris, and that's about it, thank you. It has a whimsical style reminiscent of Seinfeld, but with the real-life characters of Picasso, Hemingway, doughboys and lovers wandering through the set, it also carries literary weight and impact.

    In a sense, this is a book about nothing, but it's delivered with such intelligence and energy, one might swear Gertrude Stein is leading the reader through her teeming streets of early 20th century Paris on the way to catching a new art sensation. Stein has a remarkable feel for these streets, too: their intimate moods and pulses.

    The autobiography, actually not an autobiography at all (but we get the joke), is also a parody of her partner Alice B. Toklas, who bears the brunt of affectionate barbs when not showering the author with zingers and unflattering observations of her own. This technique of imitation is uncommon in American literature--it's more common in Russian and Spanish classics, for example--but Stein carries it off with requisite naturalness and wit.

    Despite her playfulness, Stein refrains from the avant-garde in this book. There's little "Steinese" experimentation or inventiveness here. The words flow from her pen and typewriter like conversation, unflappably so, and this choice of language is shrewd, as the work gives a you-were-there quality; like a photo album, this book is a testament to her visual and "painted" frame of reference. Those who want to see her more edgy experiments in syntax and diction should check out Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein, an edition that includes this autobiography and an interesting, if oddly unflattering at times, essay by F. W. Dupee and helpful notes from editor Carl van Vechten.

    At times, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas feels shallow, I must say. While far from cold and plenty humorous, the writing conveys the aura of a modern city on the go, where relationships are casual, the stakes are low and people move in and out of other peoples' lives with little impact. Some of this entails love "French style," while at other times a character might drop dead with no more than a mention. Even French soldiers, fighting one of the most savage wars in human history, emote their greatest dramas only when responding to mistakes in Stein's thoughtful, but occasionally absent-minded, letters. The overall effect is comedy, then, and while at times the author reminds us of the Battle of the Marne or the bitter setbacks of artists and couples, the turmoil around and within her characters never overwhelms the characters' insatiable urges to live and laugh. Against a backdrop of world war, the end result is diminished, if not unresolved. To wit, Stein writes of Toklas, "as Gertrude Stein's elder brother once said of me, if I were a general I would never lose a battle, I would only mislay it."

    Gertrude Stein was a warm and charitable person. More than eager to help France manage the war--even to the point of driving an ambulance for the A.F.F.W.--she had a Ford motor car shipped to Paris from the States, then shuttled wounded allies in her makeshift ambulance while constantly negotiating with military officers for fuel. She also hosted wayfarers and other visitors at her rue de Fleurus home, where she generously cooked dinner, served wine and critiqued artists' work in-between sleepless nights of work. All this is adorably depicted in the book.

    One such artist was Hemingway. Depicting him as a callow, earnest newspaper boy with grand ambition, Stein displayed mixed opinions about him and other writing contemporaries while remaining ebullient when such editors and writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, recognized her work. When pointing out the strengths and foibles of her fellow artists she also, along the way, made shrewd observations about art; these commentaries are well worth a look. Both the insider who cavorted with Picasso and the outsider whose work was a target of mockery, Stein maintained a self-image that mirrored the contradictory inspirations around her. Altogether forgetful, telling us through Alice "she has a bad memory for names," a genius-by-association, and a genius personified, she constantly picked herself up, pulled herself together, then embarked on new adventures.

    Gertrude Stein is all about adventure and challenge, and since she succeeds in both with a shrug and a laugh, she's also an eminent character. As she conveys through this literary conversation with herself and Alice B. Toklas, Stein might not know why, either; but the answer to why, for this writer, is subordinate to the question. In this work, as observation-upon-observation unfolds, enveloping "the real," "the truth" and "the whole" in both criss-crossing patterns and repetitive sounds, Gertrude Stein searches for deeper, more indefinable truths about her friends and acquaintances--not in terms of form, but in terms of the unconscious. She would vigorously contradict this point, but her work with Radcliff's psychologist William James is evident when she so probes the essences of her characters without killing her patients.

    A fine effort by an engaging writer.

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