framed

I really tried

Revisado: 01-08-24

I've listened to hundreds of books but written very few reviews; I write them only on the rare occasions when I have to have something to say that hasn't already been said. Surprisingly, this evening I've skimmed several reviews of this book without seeing anyone comment on Jim Butcher's relentless sexualization of every, single female character Harry Dresden encounters, including the recurring ones. So, here I am making another appearance.

Many male authors make the mistake of writing unrealistic female characters, seemingly being unable to get beyond the "perfect" girlfriend, the "tough" (according to a male definition of toughness) or plucky (ugh) woman, the pathetic damsel in distress, and the fantasy femme fatale. Butcher is guilty of all these things, but goes one step further: there are no physically average women in Butcher's Chicago. Whatever category they fall into, all are desirable...unless they are in monster form. Indeed, evil is more tolerable than hideousness - at least one can be evil and still have perfect breasts.

Thus far in the series, Murphy is the only standout female character and, frankly, she's a bully. Other reviewers have mentioned the silliness of Dresden's "friendship" with Murphy, and I have to agree. Her potential is wasted, as she is given little to do besides yell, refuse to listen, and arrest/batter him. This is a friendship??

Don't get me wrong, these books aren't all bad - there's a reason I've kept giving them chances. Butcher can put together a good plot and is imaginative. I could live with one dimensional characters and shrug off Dresden's humble-bragging martyrdom, because I like the world Butcher has built.

However, I draw the line at having to listen to yet another description of the physical attributes of some (often scantily dressed or naked) female. This is not remotely character development - not even sufficiently to be on par with the roughly-sketched males in these books. I get that the author is going for a noir feel but this isn't the 1950s. You can do better by your female characters, Mr. Butcher, and I hope in later books you have.

I will never know, because after three tries with the first few books I'm giving up on this series. In my opinion, it is written for adolescent boys. For me, Butchers depictions of women pass annoying without stopping and go straight to insulting. What a shame, though.

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Good old fashioned sexism

Revisado: 01-25-17

Liked the book, over all. I tried to take the sexism in stride, keeping in mind the context/era, but I think I'm just too raw at this time to be a good sport. it became a distraction. Otherwise, a good read.

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Thank you, thank you, Julian Rhind-Tutt!

Revisado: 11-10-15

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A relieved "Yes!" I have recommended the written version again and again over the years, and am happy to say I can now recommend this audio version, as well.

What other book might you compare The Master and Margarita to and why?

It's possible that comparable elements might be found in other books, but there is no one book out there that is quite like The Master and Margarita. Ask anyone who's ever read it and s/he will likely say the same.

What about Julian Rhind-Tutt’s performance did you like?

I discovered this book in my early twenties and have read it maybe seven or eight times over the years - every time there's been a new English translation, and once or twice just to visit an old friend. I am 50 now, and this treasure of a novel just keeps giving.

As a person who tends to have a hard time choosing any one "favorite" thing, I don't use the term lightly. My fellow book lovers will understand, then, the depth of my gratitude to Julian Rhind-Tutt for not ruining my favorite book of all time.

He did more than not ruin it - in fact, he nailed it, with great energy and precision. So much so, that I began to think he must love this book as much as I, and so many others, do.

His character voices were excellent (thankfully, the hilariously depraved Behemoth is rendered flawlessly, as is his comrade-in-irreverence, Koroviev.) It seemed to me a good choice to use a variety of British/UK and other western European accents, as opposed to Russian ones; It made the humor, in particular, just that little bit more accessible to the English-speaking listener. Having said that, Mr. Rhind-Tutt seemed to have no trouble with Russian nomenclature. I don't speak Russian so I'm no expert, but his pronunciation was at the very least smooth and consistent.

Turns out Julian Rhind-Tutt is a fine actor. My biggest concern was that he'd miss some of the moods of this complex novel, but he caught them all - the snark, the slapstick, the darkness, the restlessness, the passion, and the poignancy - and all with the same deftness. I was already somewhat familiar with his work in movies and various BBC series, so I know him to be an engaging performer. However, as fans of audio books know, listening to a good actor narrate a good book is a peculiarly intimate experience. I now have new respect for Mr. Rhind-Tutt. In particular, he captures - surprise! - Margarita beautifully.

When I purchased this audio edition over a year ago, I found myself avoiding listening to it because I feared it might be a disappointing experience. I'm glad that last weekend I finally decided to give it a chance. Everyone knows there is no harsher critic than a disappointed fan; Mr. Rhind-Tutt may consider himself officially Worthy. Other TMAM fans rejoice! A thousand thanks to the producers & director(s), and, most especially, to Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It needs to be savored.

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meh

Revisado: 02-10-15

I like cozies if they're a cut above, but this one was all formula. A better narrator might have at least held my attention; as it was, I half-listened my way through.

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Great story marred by gratuitousness

Revisado: 02-08-15

I am definitely enjoying this series with one large caveat: I find the gory descriptions on the gratuitous side. I'm a seasoned reader of mysteries and police procedurals in all their gory detail, and I also recognize the importance of historical accuracy, however ugly. Still, in my opinion, the author seems almost to revel in prolonged and unnecessary gruesomeness.

Furthermore, while I acknowledge that I'm a wimp when it comes to descriptions of animal cruelty, it seems to me that even a more hardened reader might find the salacious (and relatively frequent) depictions of such incidents in these books a bit over the top. Kasasian makes his point early on, no need to belabor it.

It's a shame, because it mars for me what is, in all other ways, a terrific new series.

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Agree Completely

Revisado: 07-12-12

I have nothing to add to the other disgruntled reviews of this book; those folks all said it as well as, or better than, I could. I had all the same complaints and noted the same positives.

In fairness, my frustration is partly due to personal taste - I strongly dislike role-playing romance. However, I can stomach it if it's well-written and the story has some depth or doesn't take itself too seriously (i.e. Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters.)

That said, it's rare that I can't finish a book. I got more than half way through this one but I was so completely annoyed by the formulaic romance and stereotypes that I had to walk away. I wish romances had their own Audible category so I could better avoid them!

There is potential here for the author, though, and the narrator was fine.

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Brilliant Narration

Revisado: 03-29-12

I was so very impressed with the narrator of this book that I am moved to write only my second review in four years of membership. The story, itself, was above average and suprisingly witty. However, in my opinion the near-perfect narration raised this listening experience to a higher level than it might have been otherwise. I say "near-perfect" only because perfection is impossible - for me, the few flaws in the reading were not worthy of critique. I was amazed at Mr. Berman's range of voices and his understanding of the author's intentions and humor. Bravo!

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Audible, please no more from Books in Motion!!

Revisado: 09-09-10

I was extremely sorry to have wasted my money on this audio book. Not only is the plot predictable and the characters one-dimensional, but the author seemed to make no effort whatsoever to hide her own personal prejudices (fat people, ugly people, people with bad habits, etc.,) or values (e.g., one character, when accused of anti-semitism, denies the accusation and snipes that, rather, he would have assumed his accuser to be an atheist. There is no later character development to explain this bias.) This would have been sufficient distraction in a less silly book, but combined with the melodramatic, TV movie plot and characters, it was all the more offensive. I felt like a reluctant listener in a catty gossip session.
Furthermore, the narrator was amateurish and seemed to join with the author's sneering. I found this unbearably tiresome and finished the book only because I had spent the money and intended to write this review. In my experience, Books in Motion productions nearly all have this same amateurish quality and I try to avoid them - alas, this time I didn't notice the producer until after I'd made my purchase.
One more complaint: the role of the dog in this book was, frankly, bewildering. I don't understand why the author bothered inserting this 'genius dog' character only to have his human companions constantly scolding him - even after they'd given due credit for his repeated amazing (and improbable) acts of helpful intelligence. Had I cared more about the book and its characters I might have felt exasperated.
Honestly, I disliked listening to this book so much it actually soured my mood for a couple of days. One star feels generous, and I give it only because there were no horribly glaring grammatical goofs (though there were plenty of minor ones) or plot holes.

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