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Almost Perfect Love Story

Revisado: 12-06-24

There is so much to commend this plot, but I will not reveal those factors. There was a segment over halfway through when I suddenly wanted to shake Ella by the shoulders, but I got over it. Warm, touching plot.

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A circle of humans with neither empathy nor values

Revisado: 12-02-24

A few people on a book club website recommended this title. I will never understand why. 100% villains.

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Not one I would recommend to a friend

Revisado: 07-13-23

After reading several non fiction pieces recently, I opted for a change of pace with a thriller. The narration was annoying. Women all sounded 85 yrs old and the enunciation was exaggerated. The plot didn’t captivate me, but I stuck it out to the end. Winter is fading from my view.

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Is it a recording issue, or the real ending?

Revisado: 02-19-23

I’m a Perri O’Shaughnessy fan from way back. I read the series in print soon after each volume was available. I decided lately to revisit them, this time through Audible. The narration is good. Characters are distinguishable through the narrator’s vocal repertoire. I’ve just finished Motion to Suppress, and suddenly I wish I had a print version in hand. Yes, authors sometimes use incomplete sentences at the conclusion to lead the reader to write her own ending. In this case, however, the narrator’s voice ended abruptly, immediately following with a publisher’s plug for other books. Did O’Shaughnessy leave a cliff hanging sentence, or did the splice to the publisher’s voice overlap and cut off the final sentence? Sure wish I had a hard copy about now.

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Fascinating and Amusing

Revisado: 06-26-22

After seeing many videos on social media of dogs communicating with speech buttons, it was intriguing to learn how this trend began with a speech pathologist. Techniques learned for assisting young children with speech delays to “voice” their thoughts and feelings triggered Ms. Hunger to consider how these concepts might be transferable to a pup she had recently adopted. The results came so rapidly and convincingly that she continued to pursue the method with ever-expanding vocabulary. Stella impressed the world as the story was told and retold through multiple broadcast and print media. The narrator adds to the quality of the production.

I will enjoy listening to this title again, particularly when I adopt a new dog.

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Achingly beautiful

Revisado: 03-11-22

I have about 700 books in my Audible library. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is among the top 25 novels I have read on Audible. Guterson writes of the injustices to Japanese Americans during and after WWII in the complexities of human relationships. Guterson’s characters are deeply, richly developed. Having George Guidall as a narrator is always an asset. In fact, I selected this book because of Guidall’s gifted performances for other authors; David Guterson was as yet unknown to me. Now I will choose with confidence anything written by Guterson or read by Guidall.

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Quality narration and content. Sound quality fails in last 1/3

Revisado: 09-13-21

Having listened to about 800 Audible offerings, I’ve grown accustomed to the flawless recordings. Something went wrong in this recording. At one point, I heard, “this is the end of disc 12.” 😳 Later, there was a distinct change in the sound quality.

Otherwise, John McDonough and Jan Karon deliver with perfection as always. Sometimes I almost am convinced that John McDonough IS Father Timothy Kavanaugh.

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Not suspenseful to me

Revisado: 06-13-20

Reviews I read before purchase compared The Substitution Order to John Grisham’s early work. It is about a beleaguered attorney. That is where the similarity ends, in my opinion. I found it hard to connect with the characters and overall it simply fell flat. The conclusion was a surprise, but I would not call it suspenseful. The narrator has a pleasant voice, but not one that added to my experience of the novel. I considered giving up early on, but finished the novel as I did mundane chores. I can recognize that the author had done some good research and knows the legal system, but this is not a novel that makes me want to seek out more of Clark’s work.

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Harder to follow than most Kate Morton

Revisado: 10-27-18

I think this one might be better in print. Morton always uses flashbacks in her books, but this one had so many time periods involved that it was difficult to track without seeing the names in print. The narration was well done, yet character voices were not so strongly differentiated so that the voices could help with character identification.

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Phenomenal romp through the 20th Century

Revisado: 04-20-18

First, John Lee’s narration is peerless. To achieve so many different accents, back and forth, often in the same scene, male and female, is remarkable. I enjoyed his work throughout the series.

Ken Follett has become a favorite author for his intricate detail, interweaving historical characters with fictional ones in mostly plausible ways. Of the trilogy, this volume was the least enjoyable for this American listener. Were all of the portrayals of American historical figures credible, or was there some charicature? Those lines were blurred for me, and it was unpleasant to imagine the depths of depravity Follett portrayed.

Nevertheless, as a series, this one grabbed me and held me for weeks. I loved many of the characters, regardless of their politics: Gregori Peshkoff, Ethel Williams, Maude Fitzherbert, Lloyd Williams, George Jakes.

Mr. Follett, I am no prude, but I became weary of the deflowering of virgins. I realize too that sexuality can be a driving force in humanity, but allusions can be every bit as powerful in literature as description. The vocabulary was repetitive as a listener.

Nevertheless, I loved this series!

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