Catherine Lane

Strictly for superfans

Revisado: 12-21-23

I adore Alan Rickman. That being said, this diary is better read than heard. It's mostly Alan's appointments and schedule, mixed in with brief thoughts. To know what's going on, I suggest watching a documentary on him first, then following his career on Wikipedia as you go along. Many times, I was lost on who the people he was referring to were or what was going on. His wife Rima gives a lovely Afterward and the narrator does a good job capturing Alan's tone. The editor didn't do a great job of interjecting explanations-sometimes it was too little,.too late and other times it wasn't enough. For an Alan Rickman completeist, this is a must. For someone going in cold to Alan's life, this book isn't the best starting point. For theater fans,it is a great insight into the British Theater world of the late 90s into the 2000's.

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Poorly acted and misdirected

Revisado: 07-22-23

The leads are miscast and the director misses the deeper meanings of the play. I found this production hard to listen to at times because of the bad Southern accents and performances not based in reality. The acting was so overwrought by Audra McDonald, especially. Being an award-winner doesn't mean you can't be miscast. Gugino made a sensuous Stella, but struggled to find connection with the McDonald's Blanche. The actor playing Stanley didn't sound like a Polish lout from New Orleans. Blanche's genteel Southern belle roots were not evident here and elements of earthy vulgarity were brought forward by the director instead, which didn't work for her character. Because Blanche comes from a very specific background of race privilege, color-blind casting doesn't work here. If you're going to cast color blind, the roles of this play still need to be played as caucasion people and they weren't here. The voices conveyed an Afro-centric background that connotes an entirely different socio-economic milieu for the time period in which the play is set and therefore changes the original intent of time, place and character. The production could have used music and sound to better ends to convey the action. So many scenes contained forced laughter and inauthentic relationships to the material, that it was jarring. Even prestigious theaters do bad productions and this is one of them.

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Long on charm, short on details

Revisado: 09-20-22

Loved Jonesie's Cockney wit and accent. He's a fun raconteur, but because of the drugs, he doesn't have the recall that you'd want for an in-depth look at his life and times. He never falls in love, never has any longterm relationships, yet includes several photos of important women in his life in the attached photo album. He started therapy late in life, so self-reflection is new to him, but I think a ghostwriter could have helped him fill in the blanks. Or he could have done what Nikki Sixx did for his book, ask friends to write short essays on those moments that he couldn't remember well. If you liked 'Pistol', you'll like this source material, but his podcast is better.

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A better story in print than performed

Revisado: 08-23-22

I'm a big fan of the original story, which I read years ago and it always stayed with me. But something was lost in hearing it, especially in short form. That being said, they conveyed the heart of the tale and all the voice actors did an admirable job. Worth a listen.

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A groundbreaking book, but a fumnel-view of M.A.

Revisado: 08-15-22

This book is highly regarded and for the time it was published, very groundbreaking in busting the myths around Marie Antoinette. I found the first few chapters difficult for audiobook, since they mostly cover Royal family lineage and there are a bazillion names and ranks to remember. Midway, it picks up as MA becomes a Queen and ends strong with her demise. However, if you're looking for a larger view of what the Revolution was about or anything outside of palace doors, you'll be disappointed. I was as mystified as MA at deciphering the politics surrounding her. The reader is expected to have a basic knowledge of the main players of the French Revolution. Key leaders are given no backstory and even Louis XV's part in the cause of the Revolution is given short shrift. The main focus is on the daily life of MA, her relationship with her family and how she dealt with 'haters.' I feel like i know who she was as a woman now, but I'll have to read a separate book on the Revolution itself. The movie actually added more detail that wasn't in the book. Overall, I'd say read it for a foundation on MA, but go elsewhere for the bigger picture.

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A whale of a tale!

Revisado: 07-28-22

Sorry, couldn't resist. This is a thoroughly researched and fascinating account of the sinking of the Essex, which was common knowledge among Americans until the turn of the 20th C. It's a tale of man vs. beast, man vs. man and man vs. environment; it's about the rise, fall and resurrection of Nantucket and an indictment of those towns that favor the establishment over the bumptious upstarts. It's the true story of Moby Dick, which is far more intense and action-packed than anything Melville wrote. The movie version is pretty good at showing the whale attack, but it doesn't show more than a fraction of the more than 3 months those men spent at sea, fighting for their survival. Well-worth a Summer read!

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Modern take on an old potboiler

Revisado: 08-30-19

Very frustrating book. Lots of psychological mystery and horror with little payoff st the end. The main problem I had was with the lead, Katrina. She's little more than a cypher, an innocent who's afraid of no one, a virgin (maybe?) who seems to not flinch at the basest revelations. The performance is knowing and overly headstrong with no dialogue explaining why she's the way she is. When she solves the mystery of her father's there's absolutely no self-reflection and the narrative shifts to an absurd modern feminist POV that makes no sense in Victorian London. Read some Wilkie Collins or Poe instead.

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An extraordinary portrait of a U.S. legend.

Revisado: 04-11-19

A riveting must-read for any Western History buff. Well-researched, thorough and a fresh new take on Wild Bill's extraordinary life.

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Great Western Story!!

Revisado: 03-29-19

Eric H. Heisner does it again! I absolutely loved this one. Very gritty and completely absorbing.

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Revisado: 03-15-19

Great classic western! Vivid storytelling really brought it to life. Action packed and with emotional depth. Great read! Eric H. Heisner can sure spin a good yarn.

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