ALI IN WONDERLAND And Other Tall Tales

Ali Wentworth’s performance of her own memoir is at its best when she sounds spontaneous, down-to-earth, and endearing. Told as a series of loosely connected anecdotes that shuttle back and forth in sequence, Wentworth offers flashes of the honest, quirky confidante. One can’t help but like her as she jauntily shares scenes that range from the mundane to the fascinating. However, the listener can’t escape the fact that Wentworth’s life has been far from typical, what with her mother serving as a White House social secretary and the author’s own boarding school upbringing. Some scenes get stuck at the surface while others try too hard for laughs. Overall, though, the segments when Wentworth is enjoying herself make this a worthy listen. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]