mary

Plot was less engaging than previous

Revisado: 04-12-25

I had a hard time getting swept along by the plot than previous books in the series.

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Brilliant historical fiction

Revisado: 02-28-25

Goodman takes a brief true story from the 1540s and transforms it into a gripping narrative that feels true to the historical period, transcending the vast majority of historical fiction I have read. I could not stop listening!

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Too much family drama

Revisado: 01-29-25

This particular entry in the series irritated me. Kiera seems like a smug therapist steering the men towards relationship breakthroughs, not an interesting character in the story. Less cringey modern psychology, more mystery, please.

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So uneven, disappointing

Revisado: 12-30-24

This is a strange book, and I like strange books. But it didn’t convince me with its unexpected turn in the second half. It felt like an idea half executed. Excellent narration.

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Fantastic gold rush noir

Revisado: 09-11-24

Brilliant story, fantastic characters. Narrator is a bit of a yeller, but the book was too good to give up.

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Short but powerful

Revisado: 09-06-24

Excellent summary of core geopolitical threats to democracy. Applebaum is not a great narrator—I would have enjoyed a professional narrator much more, though I often enjoy other authors as readers of their own books.

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Charming but strung out

Revisado: 08-22-24

This was a quick easy fun read. I found the main female characters voice to be just a little too much. And the way the story just kept getting strung out further and further on the same conceit got a little too repetitive for my taste.

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Oddly uncompelling

Revisado: 06-16-24

A frustrating novel, filled with many ridiculous coincidences as the characters tracked down evidence of a 19th century female astronomer. I often couldn’t figure out why it was written in the way it was, historical artifacts discovered in ridiculously unbelievable moments. Deus ex machina, but to no satisfying effect. I also found many of the characters underwritten. Nathan—does he have any substance? Why is Maria from Romania? And why so many injuries to characters? I appreciated the book’s approach to loneliness and solitude. I got a glimpse of what the author was trying to accomplish, but I was frequently distracted by the odd qualities of the plot, and don’t feel it succeeded as the epic tale it hoped to be. Excellent narration.

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Compelling true story

Revisado: 06-03-24

The dual timeline got a bit clunky at the end of the novel. Beside that, a really interesting novel!

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A tour de force. Brilliant.

Revisado: 04-14-24

It’s hard to describe excellence of this book without giving away parts of the story. All I can say is that it raises questions of interest to anyone who cares about the ethics of cultural heritage work, the difficulties inherent in religious inquiry in an academic environment, and the power of institutions like Harvard. Despite its high level of detail at times, it is easy to follow the narrative on audiobook, which says a lot for the author’s control over the material and ability to make it comprehensible to a listening audience. Exciting and thought provoking—my dream audiobook.

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