Claire H Denham

Story could use some serious editing

Revisado: 05-11-23

I enjoyed Wil Wheaton & Ron Perlman's performances, but that was about it. I would like to echo whoever said they didn't understand all of the positive reviews -- I didn't see much humor, dark or otherwise, in watching Jack devolve from a down-on-his-luck endearing idiot into someone who consistently makes rubbish life choices.

The pacing isn't great, and the obvious plot holes re: technology drove me nuts. Jack had no business getting away with any of his crimes, let alone for as long as the story drags on. Are we supposed to believe that the lady from Fox wouldn't have reported him to the police, who could have gotten his identity from Postmates? Really? And absolutely none of the rich people in the greater LA area have security cameras? I'd ask if this was written in the nineties and dusted off for publication, but the mentions of Postmates and audiobook apps ruins that theory.

There's a seed of an interesting idea in this story, but it needs a good editor or beta reader to help it grow. What it got was a whole lot of manure.

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Interesting Story, Questionable Execution

Revisado: 03-27-23

The story of the angel makers of Nagyrév is an interesting one. This particular telling of it doesn't really do it justice. The author focuses on a lot of extraneous details -- the murderous midwife is constantly described by her weight, to the point where it becomes a bit farcical. Not quite sure if the author was deliberately trying to draw a line between fat = bad, or if she was just so in love with the concept of the village midwife being this venal, fat, bloated tick of a woman feeding off the community she was supposed to serve that she was unable to move beyond the metaphor. The depiction is almost cartoonish -- the evil witch in a fairy tale.

This particular telling focuses on Aunty Suzy and her inner circle -- mostly family members -- and their unique take on problem solving. Their motivation is primarily greed.

I think that it would have been interesting to learn more about the women who were motivated by desperation. McCracken references two women in particular who rid themselves of abusive family members, but they seem like narrative outliers to be pitied rather than women with stories of their own.

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The Audio Version of a Saltine

Revisado: 03-19-20

I hesitated before selecting this as one of my monthly Audible originals, since the author/narrator freely admits in the first minute of the sample audio that he had doubts about whether or not this project was worth finishing, or if anyone would be interested in listening to/reading it. I'm still not sure if he ever changed his mind on that.

The science and history of caffeine is fascinating, but this particular presentation of it is not. I can't tell if Pollan is trying to present the facts in an unbiased fashion -- which would be an odd narrative choice, given how much navel-gazing he seems to do on his own experiences abstaining from caffeine -- or if he just isn't particularly interested in the subject matter.

Listening to this felt like the audio version of eating a saltine cracker: bland, dry, and ultimately not what I wanted. Saltines are undeniably useful, though. I think this might make a good sleep aid the next time I've got insomnia.

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