Jeff Parent

Too much~

Revisado: 01-05-20

I was really expecting great things from this book based on all the reviews. It is well read, but I finally got so disheartened with just a couple hours left, that I quit reading. I couldn't stand all the (SPOILER ALERT) tragic twists that befall the protagonist.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great if you majored in math or have a computer science background.

Revisado: 01-16-17

I enjoyed this book a lot, but I also majored in math and know what a Riemann Zeta function is. A background in computer science and a knowledge of cryptography helps as well. I'm sure you can enjoy this book without knowing this stuff, there are just a lot of references with these you'll miss and you might find some of the content tedious. My mom gave up on the book.

The book takes place in two time periods: WWII and the 1999s. It gives the reader an enjoyable history lesson laced with humor and sarcasm, for example: "Patton had the bad taste to capture Messina before Montgomery, who had been planning to be there first". .

The book is not a casual read and ion the end I went back and reread much of it to really appreciate and grasp what was going on.

The book was performed well. The reader did a great job with a huge variety of characters and accents. Overall, I was happy I made the effort to go through the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Great if you majored in math or have a computer science background.

Revisado: 01-16-17

I enjoyed this book a lot, but I also majored in math and know what a Riemann Zeta function is. A background in computer science and a knowledge of cryptography helps as well. I'm sure you can enjoy this book without knowing this stuff, there are just a lot of references with these you'll miss and you might find some of the content tedious. My mom gave up on the book.

The book takes place in two time periods: WWII and the 1999s. It gives the reader an enjoyable history lesson laced with humor and sarcasm, for example: "Patton had the bad taste to capture Messina before Montgomery, who had been planning to be there first". .

The book is not a casual read and ion the end I went back and reread much of it to really appreciate and grasp what was going on.

The book was performed well. The reader did a great job with a huge variety of characters and accents. Overall, I was happy I made the effort to go through the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Much Ado About Nothing

Revisado: 10-29-05

This phrase constantly ran through my mind as I forced myself to finish, "The Memory of Running". Based on the glowing reviews this book received, I felt I surely had to be missing something! Alas, something was missing and that was characters that you could care about and a plot that had a purpose. After investing hours listening to this book, I was left with the distinct feeling that this was a classic case of "The Emperor's New Clothes." With the first reviewer quoting Stephen King's review, it would appear that others felt compelled to agree and expound further on the nonexistent virtues of this novel. Definitely wished I could get a refund on this one!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Prepare yourself for 3 books.

Revisado: 08-22-05

This book was an enjoyable, up to date version of the Frankenstein tale. The modern Frankenstein monster was an enigmatic, yet very intelligent creature. There were some interesting twist on the old tale that bring it into the 21st century.

I was disappointed that the end of the book wasn't the end of the story. Further, from reading the comments on the second book, it seems as though if you're going to start this, then you better be prepared for at least a 3rd novel and you'll need the patience of enduring a 2nd novel that has fair amount of repetition and not a lot of closure. Read the reviews of book 2 before diving into this series.

The book is, in itself, a good book, but I'm frustrated that this is going to drag on for at least 3 novels.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Pendergast Returns.

Revisado: 08-29-04

This was a long awaited return of Agent Pendergast, the quintessential, mysterious, detective who has all the right facts and skills at just the right time. What makes these novels so fun is that in the beginning the crime seems to have a supernatural explanation. Slowly through the novel Pendergast reveals the crime to be from natural world.

Perhaps I was cursed with a flash of insight, I figured out the supernatural aspect of the story right away and it diminished the fun I had reading it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the character of Pendergast and the return of Vincent D'Agosta and Laura Hayward. You do learn some more about Pendergast (which is always fun), but there are some loose ends left when your done, not the least of which is at the ending. It really seemed as if the book was laying the foundations for future adventures as opposed to being a nice self-contained novel like in his previous adventures.

Since I cannot give a 3.5, I'll give it a 4 on the theory that you'll enjoy it a lot if you don't figure it out early.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Bright Star

Revisado: 07-31-04

I really enjoyed this book. It?s a story of espionage set in pre -WII Europe. Although its a work of fiction, the story is filled with accurate and detailed historical facts. In this sense, it reminded me of a good James Michner novel.

If I could have, I would have given the story a 4.5 star rating. There are a lot of details in it and it is NOT a book you can casually listen to. What makes it more challenging is the abundance of Polish, German, and Russian names and places? I had to listen to parts of the book a couple times to make sure I of my facts.

At times, the book may seem to lack direction, but things are tied together nicely near the end. The narrator is excellent and I?ll look for more by both the author and the narrator.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 30 personas

To get the most out of this book...

Revisado: 01-14-04

To get the most of this book, you need to have a good map of Ancient Greece and the territory surrounding the Aegean Sea. Keep it handy. Also, it will be helpful to understand what the Isthmus and Acropolis are, look them up before hand.

The narrator was the same as in the book "Hannibal, One Man Against Rome" and he was so good I followed him to this book. I was NOT disappointed. The book started out slow and it wasn't until chapter 5 that I really took interest. It was amazing that, despite all the wars that were fought between their city-states like Athens and Sparta, Greece gave rise to experiments in democracy and serious philosophical and scientific inquiry.

The level of detail in this book can make it hard on the history novice. Despite that, someone new to Greek history can gain a lot by reading this book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 22 personas

Great book, but....

Revisado: 11-15-03

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me better understand many of the great advances in physics, astronomy, and cosmology of the 20th century. The narration was great and included a couple jokes and personal notes about/from the author that lent a human touch to the subject.

As good as the book is, I think it would be a real struggle for those who don?t already have a familiarity with some of the topics. Further, because of the books age some of the ideas are out of date (e.g. the latest evidence is that the universe is not only expanding, but doing so at an ever increasing rate). Nonetheless, the book is worth reading and re-reading (as I?ll do).

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 69 personas

Great book, but....

Revisado: 11-15-03

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me better understand many of the great advances in physics, astronomy, and cosmology of the 20th century. The narration was great and included a couple jokes and personal notes about/from the author that lent a human touch to the subject.

As good as the book is, I think it would be a real struggle for those who don?t already have a familiarity with some of the topics. Further, because of the books age some of the ideas are out of date (e.g. the latest evidence is that the universe is not only expanding, but doing so at an ever increasing rate). Nonetheless, the book is worth reading and re-reading (as I?ll do).

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 69 personas