Bocaboy

Not worth the effort

Revisado: 02-12-18

This ridiculous novel has more characters than a Russian novel, and absolutely no clear protagonist. I am a long time fan of Stephen King, but this book was actually a chore to listen to, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I don't know how much of this book was written my Owen King, but he needs to rein in the dialog and bring some shape and form to this rambling story.

The biggest problem is that there is no central character to lead us through the story, i.e., no protagonist. Every chapter introduces another one or two characters, and for no apparent reason. In addition, Marin Irelands reading makes many characters sound the same, which just adds to the confusion.

Skip this book, even if like me, you're a Stephen King fan. It's just not worth the effort.

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esto le resultó útil a 27 personas

Great story, terrible recording

Revisado: 01-09-12

I've been a member of Audible for years, and have never heard a recording whose quality was so poor as this one. It sounded as if it was recorded over the phone. I double-checked to make sure that there wasn't another version I had overlooked, but apparently this is a very old recording, and it sounds it. That problem, along with a not-very-good narration, really detract from this wonderful Singer story.

This may be one book you need to read and not listen to. It's too bad because there is very little of Singer available as an audiobook, and I was really looking forward to listening to this. The recording is from Blackstone Audio, who usually do a very good job. This reading was not their finest hour.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas

A compelling book to listen to

Revisado: 12-16-11

Short and sweet: Alan Cumming gives a spectacular performance, taking the familiar story of Macbeth and transforming it. This version focuses on the characters and their motivations rather than just the events of the play. There is a sprinkling of some of the more famous lines from Shakespeare, but the goal here is to dive into the characters and what makes them tick, and Cumming makes this version jump off the page.

A great listen!

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I really didn't get it

Revisado: 10-17-11

Dull as dishwater. I couldn't find anything compelling in this story, and did something I very rarely do: stopped halfway through.

I've done a bit of research about this series, and I realize this is considered high literature, and that the characters are based on people that Powell knew or who were notable at the time this was written. Maybe it was interesting to those people who were in the know about these characters, but for me, this book was a bust. I just didn't care a whit about any of them.

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Well written, but not very cohesive

Revisado: 01-08-11

I enjoyed the book, but didn't love it. David Mitchell is a great writer, but like Salman Rushdie, he sometimes writes prose that just wanders, and with no particular relation to the story or the character. I loved Mitchell's recent book, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, but for me, this one misses the mark.

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Wonderful, whimsical story

Revisado: 01-08-11

I thought this was a wonderful book. While the book is about a lab mix, not the yellow lab on the cover, it reminded me of my late dog, Louise, and how she "spoke" to us. She was, indeed, an integral part of our family, and that spirit is captured wonderfully in this short but heartfelt book.

So why only 4 stars and not 5? Because the producer of this book couldn't help herself and added the cheesiest, corniest, crappiest music ever placed on an audiobook. I'm not a fan of music on audiobooks to begin with, especially ones as well read as Christopher Welch reads this one, but clearly something motivated this producer to license the worst possible music and then make it as obtrusive as possible.Would someone please tell this woman that these are audio BOOKS and not television shows.

So, sorry for the rant, but this particular recording is one of the worst abuses of music I've heard in many an audio book, and this book is simply too good to ruin. My suggestion? Remix it and remove the music altogether!!

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BOR-ing!!

Revisado: 06-04-10

I was a big fan of the audio version of Shalimar the Clown by Rushdie and decided to give The Ground Beneath Her Feet a try. Don't bother.

There is so much irrelevant backstory that is in this book that it just sinks under it's own weight. If I heard one more reference to Orfeo and Euridice in just the first part of this book I was going to scream! I love delving into characters, one of the reasons I thought The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany were so wonderful, but the narrative in this book is simply irrelevant to the story. Perhaps Rushdie got paid by the page?

The storyteller is supposed to be a paparazzi who is both friend and lover to a pop diva. If you've ever met a photographer who talks and acts like this character, then you've occupied a different planet than I have.

I know there are people who enjoyed this book, but I am definitely not one of them!

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Boorrr-ing

Revisado: 04-20-10

In defense of this book, I didn't realize it was of the "Judy Blume" ilk. I found the characters shallow, the narration pedantic, the characters stereotypical, and the story unbearable. If you're a teenager, this might be your cup of tea. For me, I stopped listening after the third chapter.

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Sensational reading

Revisado: 04-12-10

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Joe Barrett's reading of this work is excellent, and I loved the voices he's applied to the characters. I can't recommend this book enough. A wonderful story with unforgettable characters.

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Caro deliver's again

Revisado: 10-23-09

Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" was one of my favorite books. In spite of that, I was always hesitant to read Master of the Senate because of its sheer volume. "And who cares that much about Lyndon Johnson", I thought. Well, it was my loss. This is a spectacular book with a truly insightful reading by Grover Gardner. This is not just the story of Lyndon Johnson, it is the story of the Senate, and some gems of history, like the story of Leland Olds and Lyndon Johnson, that are as gripping as a novel. There were times during this book when I wanted to reach into the page and strangle Lyndon Johnson, and times when I thought he was the best thing the Senate has ever seen. This may be a long listen, but you won't be bored for a moment. One of the best books I've ever listened to. Having read this, I'm now disappointed that the first collection, "The Rise To Power" and the last one, "The Presidential Years", are not on tape.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas