Daniel Diffin

Beautiful writing and great characters

Revisado: 04-16-25

Elena Ferrante has become justly famous for her Neapolitan series. Evocative of a certain time and place, this novel is also a unique coming of age story that has universal lessons and insights. A feminist work that never declares its feminism, it is all the more successful for its subtlety and strength.

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Our greatest historian

Revisado: 04-07-25

Caro is a great writer, a great researcher, and could make the telephone book sound fascinating. With Lyndon Johnson he has a subject almost as great as Robert Moses. If you want to understand how politics works in America, read The Power Broker first, then begin his books on Lyndon Johnson.

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Living History

Revisado: 09-11-24

I bought this title because it was listed at #2 in the NYT Book Reviews’ survey of the best books of the 21st century. With that kind of reputation, I had to see what all the fuss was about, and the audiobook did not disappoint. The research is impressive and the writing is beautiful. Recounting the stories of three individuals involved in the great African-American migration from south to north in the 20th century, the long arc of black history in America is addressed with frankness and humor. Highly recommended.

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Ghost stories for the literate

Revisado: 08-25-24

A very unusual “novel”, more a series of stories told with humor, sensibility, and a minimum of gore, though there are more than a few murders and plenty of supernatural elements. Beautifully narrated and directed. Excellent writing.

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Better late than never

Revisado: 08-06-24

This book came out in the 90s, almost 30 years ago, but somehow I never got around to reading it. I’m glad that I finally did—it was excellent on every level. A murder mystery with both heart and smarts. A contemplation of war, prejudice, morality and mortality that is filled with vivid characters and fine writing. George Guidall does his usual excellent narration—although I found it more engaging when I increased the speed to 1.1. Highly recommended.

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Brilliant novel

Revisado: 06-24-24

I’ve read a lot of WWII history, but somehow never read much WWII fiction. This was Mailer’s first novel, and it’s hard to believe how polished it is, and how penetrating. It’s a hard look at war and the men who fight. No one comes out looking particularly good, though some characters are more sympathetic than others. There are vain, petty officers, and psychotic noncoms. There are more than a few war crimes. There’s a lot of compassion for the suffering of the soldiers.

The narrator is adequate, but not great. The writing is superb.

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Good story, great narration

Revisado: 06-11-24

Winslow & Harris. It doesn’t get much better than that. And for free? Perfect. There’s not much mystery here, but it’s a fine character study, told by a master.

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Very good story, very weak ending

Revisado: 05-03-24

Robert Harris always knows how to tell a gripping story. The characters are good. The situations are interesting and the story is thought-provoking. However, the ending of this particular novel is not quite up to his standards. It feels unresolved. Otherwise, I enjoyed the novel very much, the narrator is very good and it really held my interest. A shame about the ending.

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My favorite bedtime story

Revisado: 04-18-24

Thank you, Tony Shaloub, for a wonderful slide into sleep. And thank you to Audible for making this content available for free.

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Classic Tremblay

Revisado: 04-13-24

This may be premature, because I’m only halfway through, but so far the collection is everything I’ve come to expect from Paul Tremblay. Complex stories, believable characters, unexpected twists, and maximum tension with minimal gore. The title story will stay with me for a long time, long time. The intersection of madness and innocence and family dynamics is fertile ground for horror, and Tremblay tills that ground for all it’s worth.

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