Series ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
An Independent Woman: Lavette Family Saga
Howard Fast · 2026
🎙 Narrated by Sandra Burr
72/100
👍 Worth It
Howard Fast closes out his Lavette family saga with real weight -- Barbara Lavette's activism, a late-life romance, and a cancer diagnosis all land with genuine stakes. It's a thoughtful, satisfying finish to a decades-long series, though it rewards readers who know the earlier books. Sandra Burr's narration didn't raise any flags either way, so go in expecting a solid, unfussy listen.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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🎙 Narration: unknown Single-narrator (Sandra Burr) with no independent reception detail on the narration itself.
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Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety70
Substance / usefulness75
Craft & writing78
Originality70
Evidence & accuracy70
Hype vs delivers70
Age-fit65
Human-eye read72
Penny’s verdict72
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