D's Mom

Good book, performance downgrades

Revisado: 07-22-17

Nice entertaining story that was great in length, depth and descriptions. Unfortunately the phrasing and breathing of the narrator substantially deteriorated the experience. He regularly breaks up phrases when there is no reason to do so. Either he did not read ahead so he could adjust the phrasing or didn't care. I had to keep rewinding to get the meaning of phrases he had broken up for no reason. A pity - it is a good story.

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Disappointed/sound effects distracting

Revisado: 05-29-09

I generally love Balducci's books, but this was a real disappointment. Unlike his other books which I find move along and are hard to put down, this was tedious with a plot that was disappointing and hard to believe. The sound effects behind some scenes (gun fire, swelling music, etc.) were very distracting - to the point that I almost wanted to fast forward through those sections. As others have mentioned, it almost felt as if someone was trying to stretch out the book. I hope his next book is more like his others.

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Disappointing and dangerously incorrect

Revisado: 08-01-06

Like several other readers, I was disappointed and concerned about the incorrect information about dogs conveyed in this book. Although the author contends that she made a careful and thorough study of dogs by doing 100000 hours of observation of her own pack of dogs, the book is primarily the author's own anthropomorphizing of her dog's behavior, with her making dramatic interpretations of what the dogs "must" be feeling. At best, it is treacle. At worst, it is dangerous. In several places she reports behavior by the dogs, only to add an interpretation which is astounding. She misinterprets dominance behavior as simply "greeting", assumes her dogs are getting along with another dog only to have to later rescue the third dog from being killed by her dogs, and so on. The danger in this book is that readers will believe her interpretations to the detriment of their relationship with their own dog, or, more concerning, believe her interpretations of dog behavior are real, not merely her opinions, and therefore fail to protect or properly control their own dogs, and suffer the consequences. Examples would include her failure to recognize the signs of and proactively deal with the above mentioned aggression by her dogs towards another dog, a heartwrenching story she blithely tells about having 2 dogs with litters at the same time and having one mother dog kill the puppies of the other (which she interprets as merely the way of the wild accepted by both mother dogs); and so on. Readers looking for information on how to work with and relate to their dogs should, in my opinion, look elsewhere. Or at least read several other books, make your own assessments and take this book for what it really is -- the author's own thoughts about what her dog's behavior means and nothing more.

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Book great, narration destroys

Revisado: 07-12-06

This is a wonderful book of Muir's trip to Alaska in the late 1800's, full of delightful detail about geography, views, native culture and great stories ab out both Alaska and his travels.

However, the narration is appalling and destroys the beauty of the book. The narrator speaks VERY quickly, in a sing-song sort of style with no regard for the text and no attempt to interpret what he is reading as most of the good narrators do. The same style, inflection and speed apply even when he is reading stories iwth different characters or describing Muir's first view of Glacier Bay and Muir's corresponding awe. The style is frustrating at best and I found it infuriating after a very short while. As a result, the book is very difficult to listen to (and I am a native Eastener used to fast speech). I had to resort to running the book on a slower rate on my I-Pod to get anything which allowed me to enjoy even a little of the beauty of the book - however this creates an echo. The echo, though, is better than the breakneck narration as taped.

What a pity. This is a book that deserves a wonderful narrator with some acting ability to interpret the text. Think how great it could be, for instance, with a James Earl Jones sort of voice. As it is, a wonderful book is destroyed.

Listen to the book for the text which is a wonderful narrative of Alaska. Just be prepared to have to deal with a very poor narration.

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Compelling true story

Revisado: 03-03-06

Facinating true account of the Nome serum dog run. The author makes history come alive, particularly the history of the sled dogs and their mushers. The information on the breeding and training of these working dogs was detailed and very interesting, as was the information on the politics and people behind the serum drive. Great compelling listen

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Absolutely entertaining!

Revisado: 08-30-05

A wonderfully entertaining look at the life of a restaurant critic at the NY Times and the lengths she goes to to avoid being recognized. Really makes a wonderful point that restaurant dining should be a theatrical experience for anyone, regardless of status or fame, and that all patrons deserve to be treated alike. An education on food and cooking as well. I appreciate that her recipes were included in the reading!

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Well written and creative story!

Revisado: 07-10-05

Facinating concept -- what would happen if you married a person who was genetically set up to time travel without any warning to you or him? How would your lives interact if you met numerous times, each of you at different ages? Very well written and facinating. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

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Great story until a bland ending

Revisado: 07-10-05

Interesting first person fictional look at both the Japanese internment of WWII and the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Unfortunately, at the end, the book becomes a bland and pattern love story ending. Great until the last few chapters.

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Facinating look into animal psychology/behavior

Revisado: 07-10-05

Absolutely facinating delving into the animal mind. Although hard to prove her hypotheses, the author offers intriguing theories about why animals behave the way they do, based on her experiences in the meat packing industry and her own autism. The kind of book that gets you thinking. If you have animals, you will likely be intrigued.

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Intriguing look into venture capital

Revisado: 07-10-05

Although a bit dated (from the pre-tech crash era), a thoroughly engrossing view of how venture capital works. Lots about the development of EBay.

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