Darren F.

Great book

Revisado: 01-25-24

I've been searching for alternatives to Michael Connelly and John Grisham. This one really hits the mark. Valencia is a great character. All characters, large and small, get equal stage time in terms of their innermost thoughts, which makes for an engrossing peoplescape. I can't quite articulate why, but Hoffman's depictions of actions, events are spot-on, with just the right level of subtle detail. And it's a NYC story, with the city featuring as a vibrant character. Loved it. Delaine's narration feels a little flat and robotic, but I began to suspect that was a conscious choice in portraying this world where all color is drained by a ubiquitous amorality. And her differentiation of character voices is strong: By subtle changes in her inflection, you get to where you can tell two Russian brothers apart without attribution. Brilliant.

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Strains of romance fill the coal-scented breeze

Revisado: 07-31-23

This was not my favorite Grisham novel: I found its protagonist to be a bit spoiled for the first third of the book: Boo hoo, she has been laid off from her job in a major NYC law firm during the Great Recession, whatever will happen to her now? And then the contrast between her problems (losing her expensive Manhattan apartment) and those of er troubled clients at the legal clinic she migrates to is so stark as to be somewhat narratively clumsy. I found it difficult to listen to the hard luck stories of her more irresponsible clients. But I'm giving it 5 stars because the story does carry you along and, hey, like many great works of Grisham, you do learn a fair amount: In this case, about the tribulations of the natives of this beautiful part of the country, truly victimized by extractive industries over and over again. Spoiler alert, there is a love story herein, or at least a lust story. It's plausible, and Grisham doesn't dwell on it overly much, but it's a different flavor for him. I found the ending to be a bit of a stretch, but don't let that stop you from listening, if you're a Grisham fan. As he has so many times before, he transports you into a new/foreign landscape and does so pretty engagingly.

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Clever story, well told

Revisado: 07-31-23

Because John Grisham has only written a finite number of novels, I have been desperately searching for someone else to keep me from falling into a book hole once I've listened to all of Grisham's works. Although they're nothing alike, Connelly is as close as I have come. The stories are a good deal more aggressive in their tone and telling, but there is enough substance to challenge the ol' intellect a bit. The writing is good enough. The characters are engaging. Giles is a good reader. I will almost certainly listen to all of the books in the LL series. I liked this one better than the first installment, as the antagonist is a curious character.

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Fascinating book on a complicated man

Revisado: 07-31-23

The life of Carlos Ghosn is a fascinating one. This bio/exposé takes you back to his family origins (ever so briefly) to give you a flavor of how such a man is forged. His unprecedented career leads to unprecedented temptation and a fairly unprecedented attempt at justice on the part of the Japanese. The writing is superb and keeps you engaged throughout; there are no dead spots in this narrative, and yet you feel like you are getting plenty of detail.

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Pretty insightful stuff

Revisado: 01-03-23

I'm not sure I understand all of the hateful reviews this book/audiobook has received. That Bourdain was a tortured soul should surprise no one, and that a tortured soul would have recourse to every addictive behavior under the sun (including the most fatal of all: infatuation) should not be surprising. Because Bourdain confided so little about his innermost insecurities to so few people, the amount of speculative theorizing done herein seems like the only way to go. This is one man's interpretation of the evidence we have, including conversations with former friends and colleagues, but more especially a trove of unpublished writing and the contents of his texts and emails, apparently provided by his second wife. The result isn't pretty for either Bourdain or Argento as his final moments draw near, but it is unmistakably fascinating. "Tragic" is a word I would preserve for victims of war crimes, but it is definitely a sad, deeply unfortunate loss of a man with a luminescent literary mind, a wicked sense of humor, and an insatiable appetite for living.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Worthwhile behind the scenes view

Revisado: 01-03-23

Make no mistake: This is a book about Tom Vitale, not primarily about Bourdain. Vitale explicitly states that his relationship with Bourdain was boss/employee, albeit a relatively close. I had downloaded the book hoping to gain further insights into the soul of a man who would take his own life despite having one of the best jobs and lives imaginable. Vitale bares his own soul, but does not presume to explain the innermost thoughts of Bourdain. Aside from this, the performance (for a non-actor) is actually pretty good, and I did enjoy the travelogues around the making of various episodes. There is humor and adventure and the prose in universally good.

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