James Greff

Breathtakingly well written

Revisado: 09-07-23

You could open this book to any page at random, plant your finger anywhere, and it would land on a quotable line.

The author presents a believable apocalyptic vision with authentic characters that drew me in from page one and left me wanting more when it ended.

And the voice acting and production are spot on.

I look forward to listening to it again and again and know that each time I do I will find something new to appreciate.

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Requires that you be a believer…

Revisado: 09-07-23

…to fully appreciate its satire.

Probably not worth your time if you aren’t unless you simply want to study it’s excellent character development and method of storytelling.

Voice performance is a little eccentric. Well, more than a little. The narrator is difficult to follow at times.

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I wish I had bought the book…

Revisado: 09-07-23

…to get some value out of it by using its pages as toilet paper.

Credit where it’s due: It’s written well enough that it left me wanting to slap the stupid out of the main character. And it was probably ground breaking in 1965.

It simply has no place in anyone’s current collection because, thankfully, that style of storytelling is now considered amateurish and shallow.

Because it is.

That said, the acting and production are top shelf.

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A true classic, however…

Revisado: 08-08-23

…like most classics, it’s not for everyone. The best literature rarely is.

You don’t need a masters degree in creative writing to thoroughly enjoy it. In fact, because the author breaks so many of the rules of their craft, an MFA is more likely to cause you confusion or doubt as to its divine inspiration and nearly perfect composition. And if you lack a creative streak or are not possessed of an appreciation for writing that obliterates the confines of the mundane then you should probably stick to other classics. Like Dickens or Dostoyevsky.

The rest of us love it.

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Insightful

Revisado: 07-18-23

A personal view into the process of writing through the experiences of a master storyteller.

A little self-serving in places and I could have done without the bonus promotional material but he’s easy to listen to and entertaining and I learned a thing or two so it’s worth both my time and money. Can’t ask for much more than that.

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A masterpiece!

Revisado: 06-16-23

Mr Vonnegut, a true master of his craft, is unparalleled in his ability to convey difficult abstract ideas in deceptively light and simple stories. I have read and reread Cats Cradle many times. Listening to it narrated by someone with equal mastery of their craft, Tony Roberts, made it new again. I suspect this audio version, along with the wonderful unexpected interview at the end, is something I will listen to at least as many times as I have read this amazing book.

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Worth your time.

Revisado: 05-22-23

The writing is inconsistent, the characters poorly developed, and some of the views, while hopeful, are pure fantasy. That said, it’s an important piece of literature that addresses the very real consequences of climate change and the voice acting is, for the most part, superb.

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Egocentric

Revisado: 04-26-23

Loaded with flaws, misunderstandings, and misdirects with a never-ending stream of “look how smart I am” proclamations and pointless technobabble.

Which is too bad because it also contains some profound truths and presents unexplored avenues of discovery.

If you choose to ignore my review I strongly suggest you keep a jar of salt close by so you don’t choke on the barrage of “my theory is the only one that explains this” statements and the authors narrow view of consciousness.

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A loss of impact

Revisado: 06-10-22

This important piece, a voice of it’s time, feels now a poor facsimile of current mood and yet retains importance of only by presenting a better, a much better, understanding of our past.

Mailer is a fantastic writer. Hedonistic. Bigoted. Egocentric. But beautiful.

The narrator of this historic piece does his job extremely well.

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