Alex

Awful

Revisado: 09-06-24

Written by stupid people for stupid people. This book Will make you dumber. Time been warned!

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Death by Narrator

Revisado: 03-15-23

Some narrators, and Bronson Pinchot is one of them, believe a writer's work needs a little extra punch. I don't mean spirited narration or clever voice characterization. Sentences must be spiked with an occasional flourish that GOES LIKE THIS!!!

"Martha gets out of a Buick THAT IS PAINTED RED!!!, but nevertheless blends with the sullen winter background."

"All around the bed were more bookcase crates filled with old paperbacks but MOST OF THE CRATES WERE RADIOS!!!, clunky 1960's radios, obviously made from kits..."

This tone-deaf verbal tick constantly takes you out of the story, happening as it does every third or fourth sentence. It's a fingernail down a chalkboard that only gets more irritating as the reading progresses. Making matters worse, there is never a rhyme or reason for these weird eruptions. Perhaps Pinchot has a word counter, or a timer or something.

I'm a big fan of Dan Simmons. His work doesn't need these random narrative pustules even if there were some value in it. I'm returning this one.

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An entertaining screed

Revisado: 01-15-22

Don’t be put off by the narrator’s initial children’s-book voice which might make you think it’s aimed below your age group. It’s not. The writing is witty and mature and I was quickly hooked by the premise and the story.

But if you’re someone who thinks there’s more than two kinds of people in the world you may be put off by Cargill’s comic book worldview. All the evil in his Manichean world can be laid at the feet of benighted “red hats” (spoiler, subtlety is not his strong suit) upon whom he dumps all his childlike frustrations. Spectacularly un-self aware, the author leaves no straw man standing in what is apparently the true theme of his work, calling out the uneducated and unwashed bitter clingers of our society, you know, for things they don’t actually do.

If you have a similar view of your fellow man or if you like your opinions predigested and force fed to you by the willfully ignorant, you may enjoy this book. Personally I think it’s an impoverished view of humanity and I pity people who are this ignorant, on either side of the aisle. Thankfully there’s much more intelligent reading out there. I’m trading this in for one of those.

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A standout from a top-notch writer

Revisado: 06-29-17

I've been churning through Perry's work since my first listen, 'The Old Man'. I liked it so much I went back to the beginning with 'The Butcher's Boy'. That didn't disappoint, or any of the six others that followed, with the possible exception of 'Vanishing Act', and only because of so-so narration.

Perry is the triple threat- great story, great character development and crisp, powerful writing. 'Strip' showcases all these but does more yet. In this novel he takes unexpected perspectives on characters that left me thinking about them long after the story ended. How often does that happen in the genre?

If that sounds like code for a novelist who wants to finally start writing serious fiction, don't worry. Perry doesn't spoil the fun. There's a tight, well-integrated plot that carries on with purpose. Also, Michael Kramer's narration is spot on. No over-acting, no changing the tone of the underlying writing. Happy listening.

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Add Kerr to your list. Do it now.

Revisado: 03-15-17

Kerr meters out the suspense, keeping things on the boil all the time, none of it spoiled by formula and none of it predictable. He is a deft hand at dialog and the plot is tight and plausible. No heroic papering over holes at the end. Well, much less than I'm used to, and much more artfully done.

After adding Kerr, add Nigel Carrington. He really brings this book to life, and given the abundance of dialog of this book, good narration is particularly important. Are all Kerr's books like this? Don't know, this is my first. But I'm eager to jump into March Violets to find out.

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Awful

Revisado: 12-06-15

If you listen to the sample you'll see that Moss starts out with a bang. Unfortunately, that's soon over and the tedium begins in ernest. My major criticisms in my short listen- the writing is incredibly flabby, passive in nature and shot through with adjectives. Want to learn how to write? This book is a textbook example of, "show, don't tell".

I didn't get through the second scene, where the narrater describes the start of a long, boring meeting. Alas, surely not as boring as the description of the meeting, but useful for predicting what's to come writing-wise.

Maybe it gets better. But it would have to get a LOT better to get to readable, let alone entertaining. Give this one a pass.

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No Count of Monte Cristo

Revisado: 03-30-15

And Buckingham is no Alexander Dumas. Maybe that's the problem- when you try to reimagine one of the great classics from one of history's greatest storytellers, you're asking for trouble.

Maybe other Buckingham stories fare better, but my advice is, give this one a miss and download the original, real thing instead. In comparison, this one is very, very small beer indeed.

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A rare find

Revisado: 01-16-15

I took a flier on this book based on another reviewer (the indefatigable Charles Atkinson), and am glad I did. Penny's writing style reminds me of P.D. James, about as high a compliment I can pay. The characters are well-crafted, interesting and varied, making actual people seem like cardboard cutouts. It almost doesn't matter if nothing happens.

But stuff does happen. The plot is just as well crafted, and I never get the sense that things run to formula. I love a good mystery, so it's a real treat when I'm both carried along with the story and surprised by each new scene.

If I have one criticism it's that, like James, Penny creates great suspense and anticipation and then lets the air out of the climax a little bit rather than giving the reader the full payoff of the reveal. I guess I'm a sucker for the the drawing room revelation. And in fairness, she isn't quite the party-pooper James is in that regard.

In short, I'll probably binge on every word Penny's ever scrawled until I've plowed through the entire lot. It's that good.

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Serious characters meet comic book villains

Revisado: 01-16-15

Big Grisham fan. Why? A great storyteller, whose clear, uncluttered writing style stays out of the way of the story. Looks easy, but ain't.

Two things bugged me about this book. The lesser of the two is the knee-jerk anti-capitalist stance reliably (and uncritically) adopted by the author. His research consisted in contacting a local activist to get the dirt on the coal industry, and well, results do not surprise.

Annoying, but the price of admission for Grisham. What was unforgivable was the story, which was dull, and an end which had all the satisfaction of an out-gassing, pinched balloon.

Listen if you must, but adjust expectations accordingly

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Not "Tales", but historical fiction

Revisado: 01-16-15

The problem with historical fiction is you're no longer an artist as much as a documentarian- weaving events together and filling in gaps while tossing in a generous helping of speculation and what-if. It can be done well but much depends on your material and how much you're obliged to hew to actual events. And I'm guessing Hearn is probably pretty faithful to the material.

And there's the problem. Like real life, Blossoms and Shadows doesn't follow a story line as much as a timeline and as such doesn't engage like a well crafted story. At the risk of being a Philistine, I want a plot- a beginning, a middle and an end. This story, such as it is, has none of these. Which is too bad. The characters and history are interesting and the writing is very good. But the engagement isn't there, and one is left wanting much more.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas