C. A. Morrison

Concept intriguing, execution far less than hoped

Revisado: 07-11-18

I really wanted to like this book. I enjoy time travel and this period of history is quite complex and intriguing, and I really like the narrator. However, I quickly found the idealization of the Americans to be saccharine. An entire town gets transplanted and there are no bad actors? People are people no matter where or when they are and a town of thousands is going to include all manner of people. I understand the author is dealing with a small subset, but the impression is that everyone is stand-up, sweet, and all are ready to do their part. Also the stereotypes got old very quickly.. Cheerleaders ra ra ing the Scotish mercs was over the top and nearly caused me to stop listening (just a few hours in). I was also NOT looking for a romance story which is most definitely a very strong component of this story including sex scenes. Finally, I'm having trouble with how quickly the people from 1632 are adapting to modern technology and not even blinking at TV, electricity, hot running water, computers etc. Obviously they would get used to it over time but almost immediately upon introduction? So overall it's okay but certainly not even close to what I had hoped for.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 28 personas

Despite errors and mispronunciation, a good read.

Revisado: 02-22-18

I wasn't expecting much from the book and it took awhile to get used to the narrator. I almost quit though when the author misnamed a the Olympic Peninsula as the Cascade Peninsula. A bit confusing as the author has spent time in the Pacific Northwest and knowing which mountain ranges are on the East and the West is something no one who lives here would not confuse. The narrator has also mispronounced a windy (as in winding, curvy) road as a windy (as in a gale is blowing) road and repeatedly mispronounces Scadians (Skadians ) as (S C Adians). Fortunately the story is strong enough to withstand these jarring moments. It is intriguing following the main character on her journey of self identification, exploring the shame and upbringing that is a part of who she is and is opposed to how she identifies. The protagonist seems more human and vulnerable and relatable, a welcome change from the misconception of heroes and women as heroes.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

It could have been so much more

Revisado: 02-17-17

The gratuitous sex and masturbation scenes proved to be a distraction from the plot line. It got better as it went along but the most engaging moments of this book were around the actual event and the exploration of parenting ideals and entitlements that can result, which unfortunately were brief and lost in explorations of minor characters that didn't advance the plot. The crudeness of language and the scenes were off putting, but with deft handling could have done a lot to advance the story rather than detracting from it. I didn't really like any of the characters, which maybe was the point. The reader was good and the accents were interesting and proved to be a draw for me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

One of the more interesting reads.

Revisado: 10-07-16

I have read a fair number of fantasy books and found myself getting bored with the genre because most stories have become predictable and slightly formulaic. In this wonderful debut novel, I found the characters to be complex and believable, and the plot to be a finely wrought web of fantasy, mythology, wonder, with a dash of Science Fiction. I was often surprised by the direction of the plot and found the overall experience to be quite satisfactory. I look forward to any future works by this author.

I did however, have a slight irritation with the narrator. The main character is supposed to be a linguist who can speak and understand all languages. At one point she says "I'm sorry" and "forgive me" in quite a few of them. One of the ones she spoke in was Czech. "Je mi lito" Unfortunately the narrator did not pronounce this correctly and used an English "j" sound rather than the "y' sound it should be, to sound like "ye mi lito". A small point but glaring if the speaker is supposed to be a very skilled linguist. Overall I found the performance quite enjoyable, other than this one small point.

I would recommend it, and the strength of the rest of the performance led to a five star review.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Somewhat entertaining but highly questionable fact

Revisado: 12-05-13

The author does a good job of conveying the utter strangeness and bleakness of the time, but I question the veracity of some of his examples/hypotheses. For instance the myth of the need for spices to disguise rotten meat. This has been debunked and the fact that the author includes it makes me suspicious of his research. It seems to be just a perpetuation of myths with out actually educating a reader about the real middle ages. There are no citations, or at least none given in the audible version, so I suspect that as far as an academically researched book it doesn't quite make it. The performance is a bit dry but that does deliver a deadpan feel that can be quite funny, so the boverall gets a bit of a higher score.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Derek Jacobi is a great narrator

Revisado: 10-22-13

Derek Jacobi has become one of my favorite narrators/readers after just 15 minutes of listening. The story seems to be going along well. This will be a fun ride.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great read

Revisado: 09-25-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Track of the Cat to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print yet so I couldn't say, but I quite enjoyed the audio edition.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Track of the Cat?

I don't want to say for fear of spoilers.

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

She is a good, solid performer and characters are distinct however, I have heard other books performed by Barbara Rosenblatt and that sameness in voice intruded a bit. I kept thinking that the same author was writing the other books as well and of course that isn't the case at all.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Sound quality is very poor

Revisado: 08-16-12

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The book and the information it contains is fairly good. Very good detail and interesting retelling of the events leading up to Hastings. But the sound quality is very poor. The sound keeps fading out. The narrator is okay but a bit monotone, making it hard to keep the details straight. Mostly though the fading sound is what has made this hard to listen to. Pronunciation is also a bit off. Bruges is not pronounced with an s.

Would you be willing to try another book from Harriet Harvey Wood? Why or why not?

Maybe, depends on the subject

What didn’t you like about Robin Rowan’s performance?

Mispronunciation of some words such as Bruges, a monotone and seeming boredom with the text. The sound quality was VERY poor. It keeps fading out and in.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Detail was good and I would probably by the print to try again

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

All right but not my cup of tea

Revisado: 08-12-11

The story was interesting enough. I am not familiar with the book of Kings so I found it interesting to hear about the characters. I am more attracted to complex characters and I felt these were a little flat and two-dimensional. I didn't like the lack of time between the ending of one chapter and the beginning of thye next. Same with scene changes. I was a little startled by the abruptness a couple of times.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña