Jeff Gillman

An interesting story, well written, poorly read

Revisado: 04-14-20

Shaun Grindel is very good at voicing the characters, but sadly tone-deaf at the narrative. There is a lot of narrative, and little dialogue. Consequently, you don't get to know or care about the characters, and the story falls flat. Show, don't tell!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Brilliant; dazzling; brilliantly performed by Robert Whitfield

Revisado: 11-14-17

Beautifully written. Set against the French revolution. Filled with color and brilliantly detailed evocation of the.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Second Rate

Revisado: 08-08-17

What would have made Julian Fellowes's Belgravia better?

If Julian Fellowes had been John Galsworthy

Has Julian Fellowes's Belgravia turned you off from other books in this genre?

The genre is OK. I liked "Snobs" and "Past Imperfect," also "Gosford Park," but in "Downton Abby" and "Belgravia" Fellowes seems to have latched on to an extremely successful formula and worked it hard. "Belgravia" is shallow, cliche ridden and loaded with embarrassing anachronisms. Not a single memorable character.

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Juliet Stevenson's performance is uncanny. She is one of the great readers.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Brilliant novel in the glorious narration!

Revisado: 11-10-16

Brilliant, complex, fully rounded characters. Thls splendid book takes you moment by momentthrough the great turning point in the history of the 20th century. Harriet Walter's uncanny narration realizes fully each rich character.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not much that's new

Revisado: 04-16-15

Would you try another book from Peter Ackroyd and/or Clive Chafer?

yes

Would you recommend Rebellion to your friends? Why or why not?

no

Which character – as performed by Clive Chafer – was your favorite?

I'd listen to Clive Chafer read the phone book.

Could you see Rebellion being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

no

Any additional comments?

This is a story that's been told before. It's a great turning point in the history of the West and as such deserves to be told again and again, and, as Mr Ackroyd tells it, in some detail. Still I'd like to know more of what was happening in the coffee houses, in the streets, in the law courts, at sea, etc. I'd like to know more about Cromwell, I'd love to know about his welcoming the Jews back into England, a detail that Mr Ackroyd skipped or overlooked.I felt that Milton was given short shrift. As a player in the political and religious and cultural events of that momentous time, the whole story, or much more of it, might have been told from his point of view. I'd like to know more about the Cromwellian Commonwealth. The vile Stuarts and their appalling court scene is pretty much what happened for a thousand years of European dynastic government. Not much new there, but the great revolution that was the Commonwealth, that's something to write about and to read about. Ah well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

boring characters, uninspired performance

Revisado: 02-02-15

What would have made The Two Hotel Francforts better?

Mr. Bel Davies to my mind over-interpreted the dialogue; he forced a characterization that was at odds with my own. Didn't like it

How could the performance have been better?

Less irony, a straighter less inflected interpretation.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I admire David Leavitt and have enjoyed his earlier novels and share his interest in the period.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A delightful story, beautifully read

Revisado: 12-19-14

What made the experience of listening to The Swimming Pool Library the most enjoyable?

Samuel West is an artist, delight to listen to. I loved having been consistently and artfully placed in the London locations I know well and love. In that respect it reminded me of the Forsyte Saga.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters, the eras, especially the beautifully rendered dialogue

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

An excelent book disasterously read

Revisado: 12-19-14

What did you like best about Rimbaud? What did you like least?

A fascinating story about a great figure and era. The editor should be publicly slapped for choosing a reader who is incapable of correctly pronouncing a single French name or term. Painful to listen to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Arthur Rimbaud is a fascinating historical character.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

A disaster; incapable of correctly the many French names and terms. Painful to listen to.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A stinker; a boring compendium of chiches

Revisado: 11-12-14

Would you try another book from Francine Prose and/or the narrators?

Never

Has Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 turned you off from other books in this genre?

What genre would that be? Cliches?

How could the performance have been better?

Find a better book to read.

What character would you cut from Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932?

All of them.

Any additional comments?

A waste of time and money.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña