SwissAmerican

Loved the stories, but not the music

Revisado: 03-17-25

These are wonderful, evocative, mystical stories, and the author read them very well. I was a bit mystified by the lengthy piano pieces in between the stories. Unclear whether that was an author‘s choice or the producers idea, but I found myself fast forwarding through it - not because the musical was bad as such, but that’s not what I want to hear when listening to an audiobook.

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A Unique Protagonist

Revisado: 08-13-24

Readers who enjoy a leisurely, character-driven story will appreciate this mystery set in Northern England. The narrator does a wonderful job with the various accents. I found the whole historical background interesting, but I imagine that people with short attention spans might not be similarly captivated.

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Alas, I couldn’t take one more description of a dress

Revisado: 06-22-24

There was a lot I liked about this. Good performance, interesting characters, story was well developed. But — and that’s me — I just couldn’t take the incessant, detailed descriptions of the fashionable or unfashionable dresses the character wore at each occasion. I know this is de rigeur for romance novels; I didn’t realize the trend has invaded cosy mysteries.
I realize most listeners won’t be bothered by this, but it simply got tiresome for me. Too bad.

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better than expected

Revisado: 05-14-22

I put off listening to this, as it seemed a bit silly; may be more suited for a juvenile audience. However, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. I know a lot about Virginia Woolf, and even though some of the dialogue and embellishments in the story are invented, they rang true. Virginia and Leonard Woolf’s lives were not easy ones. But the story vividly recounts the part of it that was peaceful, domestic, and shared with the animals they loved.

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Felt Like a Soap Opera

Revisado: 01-16-21

Maybe I expected more depth, more magic, more literate writing ... it's not that it's bad, it just felt a bit glib, predictable, everyone is oh-so beautiful as they are prancing through Central Park ... and then there are tears, inevitably, predictably. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more as a breezy speed-read. Audio performances tend to make good literature better and so-so books boring. The narrator is competent, and her voice pleasant enough to put me to sleep. I stuck with the book for quite a while, hoping for something that would surprise me, but that never happened. It felt like a formula romance novel, and fans of that genre will enjoy it.

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The Main Character Makes The Book

Revisado: 05-15-20

This book is told from the perspective of four different characters, all men. The main character, a crusty widower, is absolutely marvelous. It’s also where the narrator finds his strongest voice.
Interestingly enough, I felt that Ira, the gay man, what is the least interesting character in the book. This is a little odd, because Julia Glass previously created really compelling portraits of gay men.
I’ve enjoyed all of her novels so far, and this is no exception. Her storytelling, characters, and especially her evoking the landscape and culture of wealthy suburban Massachusetts are vivid and engaging. It’s the kind of intelligent look at other peoples lives that I enjoy.

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Intelligent, character-based drama

Revisado: 04-25-20

I hesitated to get this audiobook, as I’m not a big fan of spy novels and wasn’t familiar with the author. I ended up really enjoying it. It’s a an intelligent, well-crafted story, and the drama evolves from the psychology of the characters, rather than from car chases and body counts.

The narrator has a pleasant voice that works well for the actual narration and dominant female characters. However, she does not have the technical skills of a good voice actor, and she struggles to convey a credible male voice. Her French and German accents are passable, but an American male voice is beyond her capabilities, and the result sounds more than a bit odd.
Overall, this did not significantly impact my enjoyment, but she would not be my first choice as a narrator for another book.

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Authors are not always the best readers

Revisado: 02-21-20

I can see why this book in its time and place made a splash, but from the present perspective I can't agree that Edna O'Brien is/was the "Faulkner" of female Irish writers. Still, it is an interesting slice of life in a small Irish village in the fifties from the viewpoint of a naive young girl.
I would have enjoyed it more had it been read by a good voice actor. Authors are not always the best readers of their work (in fact, rarely), and Ms. O'Brien lacks the training that would have made this more enjoyable. She has a pleasant voice, but she doesn't have her breathing under control, and her constant wheezing/gulping for air is more than a little distracting.

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Good writing, poor narration

Revisado: 12-14-19

This was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the writing -- story, descriptions and characters are well above average. Having said that, I'm not a WWII buff, and some of the battle scenes are rather gruesome, so I skipped a lot.
Then narrator has a pleasant voice, but she's an amateur, not a pro. She can read but not act, can't do different voices, especially male ones -- the main character's voice sounds excactly what it is, a woman trying inexpertly to sound like a man. Worst of all, the narrator apparently didn't bother to learn how to pronounce French place names (of which there are many throughout the book.)
With audio books, a good or at least competent narrator is everything. Too bad for the author who deserved better than this.

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A Celebration of Great Storytelling

Revisado: 05-22-19

This is a book of interwoven stories and characters, beautifully crafted, all centering around the river Thames in Victorian times. It starts slow, but goes deep, and I was in awe of how the author wove together the different strands and kept both an air of mystery while keeping the characters firmly grounded in reality, in the earthiness of a rural England that still keeps pace with the natural seasons. This is a story for those who love fully-drawn characters, poetic language, and a plot that lets the reader choose between the "rational" explanation and the fairytale. It all works wonderfully, and I found it a most satisfying and enjoyable experience. And of course, Juliet Stevenson is a masterful voice actor and adds her storytelling talents to this winding tale. Highly recommended.

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