D. Kirby

These negative reviews are overwrought

Revisado: 03-05-22

Don't skip this title based on the many negative reviews of the narration. Having suffered through some truly abysmally read audiobooks I can say that Ms. Schraf's reading is nowhere close to as bad as one might believe based on some of the reviews for this book, a few mispronounced words notwithstanding. I can't even justify knocking a star off. It would be a shame if a good title is missed by someone put off by the reviews which, in my opinion, focus on trivialities when the subject matter is so timely and compelling.

I have listened to most of the Audible titles dealing with public health and epidemiology. This one is a good overview of the arc of human progress and setbacks in the arena of infectious disease. It's a well told story with lots of information that gives one an appreciation for the many intelligent men and women who devote their lives and expertise to the greater good of battling infectious disease. When one finds out how this battle is actually fought, as opposed to how its is talked about in politics and popular media, it puts into sharp contrast the world of bloviating asshats, political hacks, and assorted attention seekers who unforturnately steer the opinion of the unthinking when a true existential crisis of disease appears. (At the time of this review 958000 deaths in America alone)

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Great survey. Great narration

Revisado: 08-17-21

First off, whatever audio problems previous reviewers noted have been fixed. There are no audio issues on this version.

This is a comprehensive general survey of the European Middle Ages. As one might expect from a book that has such wide readership, there are plenty of reviews available on the web written by many more qualified than myself.

Regarding the narrator,I have several titlles narrated by Mr. Davidson. My appreciation for his ability continues to grow. One of the best features of audiobooks is the ability to change the playback speed. For a second listen, to review, or simply to remedy a slow-paced narration, its very usefull to boost the speed. However, not all narrators hold up to an increase in tempo. Mr. Davidson does that easily. He is just as lucid and engaging at 1.15x as he is at 1x. Having him for a narrator is a plus for any title.

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lowbrow slog

Revisado: 10-31-18

Although the historical research provided some interesting insights, maybe a little less emphasis on violence and gore and more on character development might be good. I know that an account of medieval warfare isn't supposed to be chocolate cake and backrubs but all the eye-gouging and gut spilling gets old really fast. One could make a drinking game: every time one of the characters yells: 'Kill the g***d**mn bastards!' take a shot and be stinking drunk before finishing any chapter of the whole book.

Echoing another reviewer, the music was pointless and condescending. The reader did a good job with a repetitive text.
First it was snore, then a chuckle fest because it was so bad and predictable.

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Relentless, but repays diligence

Revisado: 02-03-18

What made the experience of listening to Gargantua and Pantagruel the most enjoyable?

by all means, google image Gustav Dore's illustrations to go with this title

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gargantua and Pantagruel?

the ode to drinking is worth the price of the whole audiobook, assuming you are a lover of the devils brew

What about Bill Homewood’s performance did you like?

Hard to imagine another audible reader doing justice to Rabelais

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esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Hugo would have kissed Mr. Homewood on both cheeks

Revisado: 02-03-18

What did you love best about The Hunchback of Notre Dame?

If all you know of this book is popular movies (gag: disney) then you get an object lesson on what popular culture dumbs down FROM.

Any additional comments?

Hard to praise this reading enough. A classic treated with class.

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poor audio a painful listen on headphones

Revisado: 01-22-17

no offence to the cast but audio levels could have benefited from the attentions of a competent engineer

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas