Annabelle

Great story - awful narration

Revisado: 05-22-18

I persisted with the story and enjoyed it but the experience was marred for me by the sloppy, ill-prepared narration. Shaun Grindell has a lovely timbre to his voice, but I doubt that he did much research & preparation before recording. Time and again the Australian place names were mis-pronounced - so much so that at times I had to stop and wind back to try and work out where he was actually talking about. Also, some commonplace words were pronounced in a most peculiar way - I hesitate to say wrongly because I accept there can be variations. Once again I had to re-listen to figure a couple of them out. But even worse was the appalling accent he gave to quite a few of the characters, especially Hirsch, the main character. He sounded like an overly young twerp with a New Zealand accent.

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A lovely, long, lingering listen

Revisado: 08-08-14

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

Yes - to listen to anyway. It is totally engaging most of the time and deals with such a variety of topics within the story-telling. The story itself is interesting but also the 'big ideas' raised especially regarding the theory of evolution were thought provoking and stimulating.

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't but I will look for some now.

Who was the most memorable character of The Signature of All Things and why?

Apart from Alma, the main character Ambrose probably - but not necessarily for his good points.

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Very glad I bought it

Revisado: 02-09-14

Any additional comments?

A western would normally be the last type of book I would choose but I was looking for a long listen and had heard people speak positively of the TV series which I have not seen. It is a treasure. The characters are wonderful and so well-drawn and McMurtry's descriptions were at times stunning.The story loped along like a comfortable old horse and I loved every minute.

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Time passed like water

Revisado: 11-19-13

Would you listen to We Are Water again? Why?

Yes, later. I'm sure that I will get more from it when I do. The character development was excellent and the 23+ listening hours that I hoped would last me a month were devoured in less than a fortnight.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Though told from the viewpoint of several characters, Orion was the storyteller. A flawed character like all of them (and us) his narrative was the strongest, his growth the most believable and his emotional responses the ones that spoke to me most successfully.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I was dubious about multiple narrators, expecting it to be a bit 'forced' but truly it was quite the opposite. They all did an excellent job and the variety of spoken voices enhanced the multi-viewpoints of the story.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended.

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Loved every minute of it!

Revisado: 02-05-13

Would you consider the audio edition of The Happiness Hypothesis to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version so cannot compare. To be able to mark places to go back to would have been an advantage of the print book, however, I know that I would have had more trouble finding the time to finish reading the book and may have lost the thread. The audio version goes with me throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be listening to it again. It helped me clarify my views about several aspects of life - I'd like to be able to discuss them with others who have read it - so will try to persuade friends to read it!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The elephant - made me realise how big he is!

Which scene was your favorite?

NA

What insight do you think you’ll apply from The Happiness Hypothesis?

That requires more pondering.

Any additional comments?

I liked the narration. George K Wilson has a rich speaking voice with a fairly neutral accent and is able to vary his voice when quoting other writers, without hamming it up.

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A delight to listen to

Revisado: 04-10-12

Garrison Keillor's narration style is initially disconcerting, but soon become so much part of the whole experience that it's hard to imagine the story being narrated by anyone else. Pontoon is full of wonderfully fanciful characters becoming involved in increasingly bizarre situations. Yet there is so much truth in the characters and the vignettes Keillor relates that he must go about every day with a pen and notebook, recording his observations of real people. A lovely, warm, gentle listen that I will revisit in the future.

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A delightful journey

Revisado: 09-06-11

Thoroughly engaging story full of well-portrayed, fascinating characters and lots of gentle humour. Sean Mangan's narration suited this story perfectly. I enjoyed every minute of it.

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As pleasing to the ear as a Madeleine to the mouth

Revisado: 03-31-11

A wonderful book that I will listen to again. Full of insightful observations and philosophical questons to consider. And the narrators were both delightful, their voices enhancing the characters they portrayed.

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Engaging book - reading a bit patchy.

Revisado: 09-24-10

I was impressed by this book. Tsiolkas' showed great insight into the prejudices and insecurities underlying the lives of 'everyday' people. The expanding and unexpected consequences of one spontaneous act upon the lives of many was well portrayed and the characters for the most part were well developed. There was a liberal use of crude language which may have been a bit overdone (because I noticed it) but overall it didn't spoil it for me (and I'm in my 60's). My one complaint was Dimitriades reading. He read it too fast! It took a while to tune in to his style and pace. While his 'Greek' voice suited the novel well, the fast pace sometimes led to lack of clarity when adjectives and other descriptors were elided and garbled. I felt like that he needed a bit more practice. If it had not been for that I would have awarded this 4 out of 5.

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An Engaging Yarn

Revisado: 07-09-10

Castaway in a life boat with a Bengal Tiger! While I don't usually go in for tall tales and magical thinking, I thoroughly enjoyed this yarn. During the course of the story, each situation Pi found himself in and each problem he overcame had a wonderful and, at the time, believable logic.
The narrator, with his gentle Indian accent and intonation could not have been better. A great story to listen to.

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