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Between You and Me: Confessions of Comma Queen Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Mary Norris (Author, Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,376 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction

Mary Norris has spent more than three decades in The New Yorker's copy department, maintaining its celebrated high standards. Now she brings her vast experience, good cheer, and finely sharpened pencils to help the rest of us in a boisterous language audiobook as full of life as it is of practical advice. Between You & Me features Norris' laugh-out-loud descriptions of some of the most common and vexing problems in spelling, punctuation, and usage - comma faults, danglers, "who" versus "whom", "that" versus "which", compound words, gender-neutral language - and her clear explanations of how to handle them. Down-to-earth and always open minded, she draws on examples from Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, Henry James, and the Lord's Prayer as well as from The Honeymooners, The Simpsons, David Foster Wallace, and Gillian Flynn. She takes us to see a copy of Noah Webster's groundbreaking Blue-Back Speller, on a quest to find out who put the hyphen in Moby-Dick, on a pilgrimage to the world's only pencil-sharpener museum, and inside the hallowed halls of The New Yorker and her work with such celebrated writers as Pauline Kael, Philip Roth, and George Saunders.

Listeners - and writers - will find in Norris neither a scold nor a softie but a wise and witty new friend in love with language and alive to the glories of its use in America, even in the age of autocorrect and spell-check. As Norris writes, "The dictionary is a wonderful thing, but you can't let it push you around."

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 10 minutes
  2. Author
    Mary Norris
  3. Narrator
    Mary Norris
  4. Audible release date
    April 6, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B00U9SFSQO
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 10 minutes
Author Mary Norris
Narrator Mary Norris
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 06, 2015
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00U9SFSQO
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,376 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining with lessons in grammar delivered in a humorous manner. They appreciate its readability, with one customer noting it's a must-have for readers and writers, and another highlighting its valuable information for writers. The book is full of great anecdotes and has a breezy style. While some customers describe it as a stylistic gem, others find it dull, and while some consider it an engrossing memoir, others say it gets bogged down in pedantic diatribes.

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HumorReadabilityGrammarEducational valueStory qualityPacingStyleNarrative style
184 customers mention "Humor"181 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humorous approach to grammar, finding it laugh-out-loud funny and great fun for word nerds.

"...I loved Between You and Me. It’s charming and witty, and I learned a lot along the way." Read more

"...Great fun for word nerds, grammar geeks, fans of The New Yorker (the book could have done with a great deal more of NYer lore but ...) and lovers of..." Read more

"...Really, the book serves as both. And it is often laugh-out-loud funny...." Read more

"...Although the writer is funny and has a knack for writing, there is little in this world that can get me interested in grammar at this stage in my..." Read more

164 customers mention "Readability"162 positive2 negative

Customers find the book to be a great read and a must-have for readers and writers, with one customer describing it as a delightful nerdy book.

"Mary Noris, copy editor for the New Yorker, has written a wonderfully informative book, Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen...." Read more

"I can't understand the tepid reviews of this wonderful book. Perhaps those reviewers were expecting a style guide...." Read more

"...The book has high points, but in some areas it was like reading a textbook...." Read more

"...This is a must-have book for readers and writers...." Read more

162 customers mention "Grammar"140 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the book's approach to grammar and punctuation, finding it honest and interesting to read, with one customer noting how well it explains language mechanics.

"...Use common sense. The book covers almost any question of punctuation imaginable: the comma, dash, semicolon, colon, exclamation point..." Read more

"...Great fun for word nerds, grammar geeks, fans of The New Yorker (the book could have done with a great deal more of NYer lore but ...) and lovers of..." Read more

"...It isn't one, although it has its fair share of grammatical discussion...." Read more

"...Although the writer is funny and has a knack for writing, there is little in this world that can get me interested in grammar at this stage in my..." Read more

131 customers mention "Educational value"128 positive3 negative

Customers find the book instructive and insightful, providing a collection of lessons in grammar, with one customer noting that each chapter holds a wealth of memorable tips.

"...The author makes grammar fun, yet each chapter holds a wealth of memorable tips...." Read more

"...The author is going to coach you on subjunctives, spoken versus written language, word breaks, compounds, pronoun gender, and other scary elements...." Read more

"...-- the one about swear words was my favorite -- but Norris's extensive knowledge, quirky anecdotes, and down-to-earth voice make this book worthy of..." Read more

"...The result is a fascinating and unputdownable little book that is part memoir, part stylebook, and always amusing...." Read more

31 customers mention "Story quality"31 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's stories, which are full of great anecdotes and part memoir, with one customer particularly appreciating the tales of working inside a magazine.

"...The book's part memoir of girlhood in Cleveland, part memoir of work at The New Yorker, part grammar and punctuation screed, all with a very big..." Read more

"...swear words was my favorite -- but Norris's extensive knowledge, quirky anecdotes, and down-to-earth voice make this book worthy of a read for..." Read more

"...The result is a fascinating and unputdownable little book that is part memoir, part stylebook, and always amusing...." Read more

"...Norris not only explains, she describes, and well. In one chapter you are in the kitchen with Dee and her new clothes...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"14 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, finding it real and engaging, with one customer highlighting its inside descriptions of the New Yorker magazine.

"...Instead, she tells stoy, after story about grammar rules and funny situations in which she found herself...." Read more

"...I feel a somewhat changed, closer relationship to the New Yorker and I am much more aware of punctuation as I use it and read it." Read more

"...Norris has managed to turn the soberness of correct grammar into a breezy and humorous read...." Read more

"...This book provided an interesting peek into her job and it was refreshing to read about grammar in a humorous way." Read more

34 customers mention "Style"17 positive17 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's style, with some finding it a stylistic gem and charming, while others describe it as pretty dull and disappointing.

"...I loved Between You and Me. It’s charming and witty, and I learned a lot along the way." Read more

"...There are other examples. This isn't to say the book isn't worth reading! It is. But I do feel it is unnecessarily ponderous." Read more

"...a fascinating and unputdownable little book that is part memoir, part stylebook, and always amusing...." Read more

"...It reveals nothing about The New Yorker style that can't be inferred from reading the magazine and the essays on grammatical issues, while..." Read more

28 customers mention "Narrative style"14 positive14 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the narrative style of the book, with some finding it an engrossing memoir while others say it gets bogged down in pedantic diatribes and is too anecdotal.

"...of a Comma Queen" is a humorous, fact-filled, and subtly inspirational book that will appeal to people with an existing interest in its primary..." Read more

"...It is. But I do feel it is unnecessarily ponderous." Read more

"...Mary Norris is a copy editor at The New Yorker, and in this sparkling memoir she explains the rationales for hyphens, dashes, commas, apostrophes,..." Read more

"...lover and really enjoy some of the points she makes, but it's hard to stay interested between the good points. Sorry to say...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Mary E. Trimble
    5.0 out of 5 stars It’s charming and witty, and I learned a lot along the way.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Mary Noris, copy editor for the New Yorker, has written a wonderfully informative book, Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen. The author makes grammar fun, yet each chapter holds a wealth of memorable tips.

    Noris talks about her early days at the New Yorker and the painful lessons she’s learned through her years at America’s premier literary magazine. She has mastered the art of fixing something without draining the sentence of its character.

    Chapter by chapter Noris talks about the difference between this and that, which and that, dangling participles, often giving hints about how to figure out the correct word. She goes into some detail about the predicament of having no common-sex singular for he, she, or it. She suggests that we might adopt s/he, he/she or even heesh. She suggests that when wondering which pronouns to use when saying something like between you and me, reverse the pronouns. Between I and you just wouldn’t sound right. Then there’s that pesky who and whom. She covers it all.

    I laughed right out loud when the author discusses the serial comma, the comma before “and” in a series. She believes in retaining the comma for fear a sentence will come out as it did in this example: “And there was the country-and-western singer who ‘was joined by his two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.’”

    Many of Noris’ comments are based on the “New Yorker style.” The magazine, of course, has many dictionaries and reference books. But, as the author says, “The dictionary is a wonderful thing, but you can’t let it push you around.” Use common sense.

    The book covers almost any question of punctuation imaginable: the comma, dash, semicolon, colon, exclamation point (which she calls a screamer), and the en and em dashes (which have no spaces before and after).

    Between You and Me is a rather short book, with the last thirty percent of it taken with Acknowledgments, Notes (from each chapter), Appendix and Index.

    I loved Between You and Me. It’s charming and witty, and I learned a lot along the way.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Dean Quarrell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, fun to read, and endearing
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have to say I didn't spot a rollick anywhere, nor did I find it jaw-dropping, gob-smacking hilarious, or otherwise over the top in any category - except whatever quality it takes to make one glad to have read it, grateful to Ms Norris for having written it, and envious of anyone who has had the good fortune to spend time with her in the flesh (so to speak). The book's part memoir of girlhood in Cleveland, part memoir of work at The New Yorker, part grammar and punctuation screed, all with a very big helping of good humor and often questionable taste (in the bowdlerian sense). I challenge anyone not to smile all the way through the section about profanity, and was delighted to see Carlin's seven dirty words in print, even though not in the same order that I remember them, but why quibble. Ms. Norris no doubt researched them and my recollection is awry.

    My sole caveat is that I nearly skipped over some of the bits about commas. It would take a face-to-face conversation for her to make those interesting to me. Great fun for word nerds, grammar geeks, fans of The New Yorker (the book could have done with a great deal more of NYer lore but ...) and lovers of good writing. Highly recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Boom Shakalaka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, hilarious read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I can't understand the tepid reviews of this wonderful book. Perhaps those reviewers were expecting a style guide. It isn't one, although it has its fair share of grammatical discussion. But the book is to be read cover to cover, not consulted as if it were the Chicago Manual of Style. Is it a memoir of the author's time as an editor at the New Yorker magazine? Yes, to some extent, though again not primarily. Really, the book serves as both. And it is often laugh-out-loud funny. If you are interested in language and have some appreciation for it (many don't), and if you have a sense of humor (many don't), this book is for you.
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  • Frederick S. Goethel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not At All What I was Expecting
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2015
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Knowing at the time that I ordered this book that the author was a copy editor at the New Yorker magazine, I expected her to spend some time on grammar, while she told stories about working at the magazine. And, while there are a few stories about life working as a copy editor, the vast majority of the book is a long grammar lesson. She does mix in history of the punctuation marks, which makes it more enjoyable, but it is still grammar.

    Although the writer is funny and has a knack for writing, there is little in this world that can get me interested in grammar at this stage in my life. I learned about pronouns, and adverbs and all those wonderful parts of speech in elementary school and haven't dredged them up since. In my humble opinion, once you learn the write, parsing sentences is of little use for the ordinary writer (unless they are accomplished writers that have copy editors bothering them).

    The book has high points, but in some areas it was like reading a textbook. I would recommend this highly if you have a burning passion to learn about grammar, but if you are more interested in the life of an employee at the New Yorker magazine, you will not enjoy this book.
    21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • 書斎
    5.0 out of 5 stars 英語、特にアメリカ英語のスペリング、文法、語法、文体などを論じたエッセイ
    Reviewed in Japan on April 29, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    英語、特にアメリカ英語のスペリング、文法、語法、文体などを縦横に論じたエッセイである。評者にはNoah Webster に関する話題を論じた第一章 "Spelling is for the Weirdos” が特に面白かった。第2版をWebster II, 第3版をWebster 3 と記すのはなぜか。Blue-Backed Speller と呼ばれて一世を風靡した綴り字教本(the Speller) はA Grammatical Institute of the English Language (英語の文法的原理)といういかめしい書名の3部作の1部だった（本書では触れられてないが、The First Part of The Grammatical Institute of the English Languageとも呼ばれた）。どうしてこんないかめしい書名で出発したのか。諸々の疑問に答えてくれる。英語では複数の-sとアポストロフィエス ’sがこんがらかって使われるという指摘など語法に関する情報も豊富である。英語の語法や辞書に関心にある方に一読をお勧めする。
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Australia on May 21, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great for anyone who loves language. A fun, good read and you will learn a lot. Great gift for a reader
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  • Ann M. Collett
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love it
    Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2017
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is a snappy personal history that also explains a host of punctuation issues. I love it.
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  • Stefano dL
    5.0 out of 5 stars Regina della virgola
    Reviewed in Italy on May 27, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    La signora Norris lavora da oltre trent'anni all'ufficio revisioni del «New Yorker», forse la più prestigiosa rivista di cultura, di certo la più venduta al mondo (oltre 1 milione di copie a settimana in tutto il mondo). Rivede e corregge gli articoli (veri e propri saggi di fiction e nonfiction) di grandi scrittori, non tutti noti dalle nostre parti, ma di sicuro valore letterario. Con questi scrittori condivide una grande passione per la scrittura e per la pulizia formale del testo. E «Between You and Me» parla proprio di questa lotta corpo a corpo con il testo scritto. Si legge d'un fiato e s'imparano tante cose su un mestiere che (purtroppo) sta scomparendo.
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  • GOPINATH KHUTIA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Its good
    Reviewed in India on June 23, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Affordable good quality
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