Kristin

Binge-worthy

Revisado: 12-17-24

This was of my favorite audio books of the year. I completely binge-listened to this book in two days, which isn't common for me. The narrator was wonderful, although the sound editing was a bit off. Splices were evident from different recording sessions, but this was minor. I loved the main character, Phoebe. She is smart, witty, sad and wise. The "wedding people" are colorful and engaging and make this all an enjoyable listen. I'll be looking for more books by Alison Espach.

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Loved all the players

Revisado: 06-11-24

This is a great light listen with well developed characters and fantastic dialogue. Narration was spot-on, pacing was good and the ending was satisfying. Put this book on your wish list!

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I wanted to like this book

Revisado: 02-21-21

Jodi Picoult is a talented writer, and I've enjoyed many of her books. This was not one of them. It's obvious the author did an incredible amount of research on Egyptology (which in an epilogue she shares her son studied at Yale), and included 99% of it in her novel I typically enjoy learning through fiction, but this felt a lot like listening to a college lecture on ancient history. It was just too detailed and excessive in superfluous information to the plot. I just couldn't get engaged with the story and had to force myself to finish the book.

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Who knew Alec could write?

Revisado: 04-19-17

I saw Alec Baldwin on a morning talk show discussing his book. I'm not a huge fan, but I thought I would give it a try. I'm glad I did! Wow, I had no idea that Alec Baldwin had such a talent for writing. This is a beautifully written memoir. I was hooked from the first sentence and binge-listened through the weekend.

Baldwin's narration gives his story an intimate feel, like you're his new best friend who he's sharing his life story and secrets with. I also have some new respect for this actor, who I had categorized as an arrogant hot head based on tabloid reports. There's some real substance behind the sandy voice and wicked grin.

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Depressing portrayal of humankind

Revisado: 04-19-17

When I was considering buying this story, I was bit hesitant because of the polarizing reviews. Unfortunately, I landed on the negative side of the spectrum after forcing myself to slog through this audio book. The first half, told from the husband's POV, was excruciatingly slow and dull. I just couldn't engage in the story. I assume Groff is attempting to write a literary novel here. At times her writing style is wonderfully original and descriptive, and other times I found it choppy, vulgar and pretentious.

Will Damron's narration is an auditory depressant. The story was so dark and ominous and the characters so universally unlikeable, I found myself in a depressed and foul mood after I switched it off each time.

The story improves modestly when the narration switches to Julia Whelan and the wife's POV. There are a few twists at the end that made me regret less spending so many hours of my life listening to this ugly portrayal of a love story. Given a second chance, I'd pass.

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A Surprising Romance

Revisado: 09-22-16

Any additional comments?

While listening to the first two thirds of this book, I had written it off as a nice, but entirely predictable, romance with enjoyable characters. The conflict seemed too mild to be compelling. The main characters are from different worlds -- Emma is from an affluent family in England, Dominick a handsome working class guy from small town Connecticut. Emma's snobbish family questions whether they can make the relationship work. Dominick's ex-girlfriend emerges from the past. And so on.

Then the story took a complete turn I wasn't expecting that bumped this one up from a standard romance to a truly heartfelt story. I won't give any spoilers, but it's worth listening to the end.

Jane Green is a pleasant narrator. I could listen to her English accent all day and she handles an American accent pretty well too. If you like a love story, give Falling a listen.

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Lots of twists and turns

Revisado: 01-02-16

Any additional comments?

The Lake House is a beautifully written mystery that alternates between the early 20th century and present day (2003) England. I loved the historical aspects of this novel, the multi-generational viewpoints and plot. In the early chapters, however, I did get a little lost between all the different characters. The storylines are intertwined and complex, so I found if I wasn't concentrating on the audiobook, I'd miss important points that became key in the plot. At times, the story can move a little slowly with excess detail, but overall, a great listen. Wonderfully narrated!

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Snort-laugh Funny

Revisado: 06-22-15

Would you consider the audio edition of The Undomestic Goddess to be better than the print version?

I've only listened to the audio book, but my guess is the wonderful narration immersed me further in the story than if I had simply read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

At first the concept was so ridiculous (a successful lawyer becoming a housekeeper based on a misunderstanding), I wasn't sure I would even like the book. But Sophie Kinsella skillfully made it seem plausible. The humor is by far my favorite aspect. I was listening to this story on a flight and spontaneously burst out laughing.. I can't say many audio books make me do that--multiple times.

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has a wonderful voice and truly brought the main character to life. As an American listener, I also enjoy the authentic British accent.

Any additional comments?

While I enjoyed the book, the ending became too much of a farce to be believable, which is why I only gave four stars. This is a fun, easy listen.

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Predictable with poor narration

Revisado: 06-22-15

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Readers who like predictable, romance novels with the clichéd happy ending might like this book.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I enjoyed the personality of the main character. She seemed like someone I would like to go out and have a drink with. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters were either ridiculous and unbelievable (Aunt Dodie) or two dimensional. It was difficult to care about any of them. The story line also wasn't very compelling. The divorcee finding love with the perfect Scottish version of Adonis was just a bit too clichéd and predictable.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's natural speaking voice is quite pleasant. It's when she attempted to voice any one other than the main character that she quickly went off the rails. Quite frankly, I'm surprised the audio book was ever released with such rookie-quality narration. Aunt Dodie's voice was simply awful! High and screechy. I almost quit listening simply because of her character. I would recommend this narrator stick with non-fiction or works that don't require multiple voices.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The writer uses lots of wonderful similes, however, the frequency weakened her writing at times. The main character has some likeable sass to her. Her character voice (not the narrated one) was believable.

Any additional comments?

In this case, I think the audio version hurt the novel. Reading text only, I think I would like the book a bit better.

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My favorite summer listen

Revisado: 06-22-15

If you could sum up The Girl on the Train in three words, what would they be?

Twisty. Original. Compelling.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Megan. Like all three of the main female characters, she is broken. But she's not so damaged that I got frustrated by her actions like Rachel, who makes one humiliating drunken mistake after another. Megan's character is intriguing and developed slowly with some great twists and turns towards the end of the novel. Plus, the narrator for Megan was simply wonderful.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Having three distinct narrators for each character was such a plus for this novel. Because the novel is told from a first person perspective, it felt like the characters were truly sharing their story personally with me.

Any additional comments?

"Girl on the Train" is just a great overall story and even better audio book. I was hooked from the first chapter and remained engaged the entire novel as more juicy tidbits were strategically revealed about each main characters. Although many listeners have griped about the comparison to "Gone Girl" (there is a missing girl), this is a good novel on it's own merits.

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