Exalted

A Novel

By: Anna Dorn

Narrated by: Tara Marie Kirk

Emily Forrest runs Exalted, the hottest astrology account on Instagram, from her studio apartment in Los Angeles. Burned out on meme-making and listicles, Emily's passion for astrology is waning despite her gift for deciphering the signs, until she comes across a birth-chart that could potentially change her mind. Beau Rubidoux's planets are aligned, each paired with its optimum sign—his chart is exalted. She decides that Beau, a well-connected photographer in Echo Park, could potentially be the love of her life and help her fulfill her true destiny: to be a star.

Meanwhile in Riverside, Dawn Webster has been dumped once again. At forty-eight, she is forced to return to the same restaurant where she started waiting tables at eighteen. With no girlfriend, no career, and her only son gone to Hollywood, the once-vivacious Dawn is aimless and alone. She guzzles cheap champagne and checks Exalted to feel seen. She is a fiery Leo, and one day she will get her due.

Alternating between Emily and Dawn's points of view, Exalted is a deliciously dark novel that explores desire, the projection of our need for love, and what we're really searching for when we keep scrolling. Anna Dorn's signature wit and biting social commentary takes listeners across Southern California until Emily and Dawn's shocking connection is finally revealed.

©2022 Anna Dorn (P)2022 Tantor

Best read in print

The audio was really hard to listen to, some of the voices were just really cringe. The story itself was funny and weird in a good way.

Great book with plot twist

I loved this. I could not predict this plot twist. However, the narration of athe audio book was a hard listen. I’m not sure if it’s intentional, but the monotone voice through the whole book was almost unbearable.

I hate to say it but….

I really enjoyed the story until the end. I won’t spoil it but it wraps up too neatly, almost like an 80’s sitcom in the last 2 min. I’m sorry but normal people aren’t that easy going. I’m sorry to say this but the narrator was awful. Truly awful. It made me almost hate the entire book. I don’t know who was in the booth with the narrator while recording and thought it was good. The narrator’s voice completely changes an entire character as a result. Read the book don’t listen to the audio.

Terrible narration but great book

I really enjoyed this book but the narration was terrible. The voices for some of the characters were so ridiculous it made me want to stop listening.

Story suffers from unfortunate reader

I love Anna Dorn’s sharp wit and dark humor, so I was looking forward to this book. I cannot understand the series of decisions that resulted in the audiobook reader using a collection of clownish voices to narrate it. Why does it sound like a parody of bad acting? It’s like Vanessa Bayer using her “Jacob the bar mitzvah boy” character to read Patricia Highsmith… Maybe funny for about 20 seconds, but ultimately unlistenable. The narrator constantly upstages the book with overacting and tramples the subtleties of the text. It’s distracting, cringy, and ultimately tragic, since it’s unlikely that another audiobook version will be released anytime soon. If only the publisher would consider rereleasing a better version of this unfortunate recording. The writer and the book deserve so much more.