USE WHAT YOU'VE GOT

It's hard not to share in Corcoran's delight as the New York City real estate giant tells her uplifting—and particularly American—success story. A product of Small Town, USA, Corcoran brings not only her smarts, but all those years of watching Mom manage a family of 10 kids, when she moves to the big city. Although young Corcoran suffers some set backs—after the stock market crash of 1987, she was forced to sell her home and move into an illegal walk-up with "the biggest cockroach in New York City"—the former D student manages to build her own empire, the Corcoran group, and find her prince as well. Corcoran reads at a leisurely pace, relishing every detail of each reminiscence. Her narrative cuts back and forth between her progress in the Big Apple and her memories of Mom and the kitchen. The intimacy of her telling will have listeners holding their breath through the scary parts and celebrating along with Corcoran as she overcomes each difficulty. Occasionally, the wealth of details and Corcoran's play-acting of the various characters grows tedious, but on the whole, her reading is as generous as her advice. Based on the Portfolio hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 2, 2002). (June)