Steve

Boring w no point

Revisado: 08-16-23

Narrator is skilled.
Dialog is skillfully written.
No plot. At all.
Glad it was super short.
Why is this such a highly rated book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Michener bullfights Hemingway

Revisado: 03-05-23

To me this book is more of a metaphor of Michener as Gomez and Hemingway as Victoriano and who writes bullfighting better. Amazing book but not like Hawaii or Alaska. I really believe the story of Mexico was just a backdrop for him to write about bullfighting. My observation is not unique, after listening to the book I found this blurb, “Michener the storyteller at his finest . . . There are splendid and authentic scenes in the plaza de toros that are as dramatic as any written by Ernest Hemingway or Barnaby Conrad.”—The New York Times Book Review

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Boring without a story

Revisado: 12-08-22

Hard to listen to faster than 1x
Academic and assumes the listener has a 300 level course understanding of South Pacific history. How this ever made the WSJ list of best books in 2021 is beyond me. I returned it and got my money back.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Frank Layden impression

Revisado: 08-01-19

The best part was John’s impersonation of Frank Layden. Great to hear John himself read the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Do you like the Hallmark channel?

Revisado: 04-11-15

A few words that come to mind "concocted" "emotionally manipulative" "patronizing" "not believable" "sappy". Narrator is easy to listen to on 2x speed.

Admittedly I parroted that idea about the Hallmark channel from another review but it's pretty much the best way to determine whether you will like this book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Great motivation while doing some long runs!

Revisado: 03-12-15

I'm so glad i listened to this book while I was running. I can't imagine experiencing it while sitting on my couch. This book was made for runners who like Audible. I definitely picked up my pace and had a smile on my face while I listened to it. It's all been said before, but this is a classic, fun listen. I was the last of my running friends to read it and I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to it.

Great narrator who was super easy to listen to on 1.5X speed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Historical and Even Handed

Revisado: 03-12-15

If you could sum up Ivory's Ghosts in three words, what would they be?

What other book might you compare Ivory's Ghosts to and why?

I was surprised at how many similarities the Ivory trade has to the illicit drug trade.

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

The narrator was efficient.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed the stories of some of the old tuskers and even old-time hunters.

Any additional comments?

This book seemed to be an interesting blend of the history of the ivory trade and an analysis of the pro and con of different ways of addressing elephant conservation. Early on I found it a bit tedious to slog through all the details of the ivory trading statistics, but later when he got into a discussion about the pro and con of different management strategies, I thought the book really picked up steam. I felt the author was not faction driven as is so often the case when it comes to the management of elephants. He genuinely seemed like a scholar intent or educating people about the issues and history. Overall, it was a worthwhile listen.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Review from a regular Mormon

Revisado: 10-02-14

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

I'm a Mormon and I read Mormon history more than the average member, but I'm by no means a big Church history buff. I'm aware/open to both sides of different historical issues, and I usually give Mormon apologists and critics an opportunity to weigh in when there is a debate. When I purchased this book I was not expecting faith promoting propaganda about Brigham Young and I wasn't expecting an anti Mormon treatment either. To me the author succeeded in presenting a historical biography of Young and I learned new things. It also caused me to go out and do a little more research on my own. About half way through, I got online and read a few reviews. I wanted to know what Mormon and non Mormon critics thought about the book. There was one by Craig Foster published in the Mormon Interpreter called New Light & Old Shadows, that I thought was quite helpful. Craig wondered whether Turner "actually liked Brigham Young." He then quoted British poet Carol Rumens, “The ideal biographer must admire his subject but remain clear-eyed.”. I must concur, that I wasn't sure Turner had much admiration for Young. The book itself reads a bit like a historical laundry list at times, but it does expose the reader to a large amount of all things Young. Overall, I'd recommend the book to readers who are already or who would like to be more mature about Mormon history and who are willing to incorporate additional study into the profile painted of Brigham Young. The narrator was very good. He reminded me a bit of Bruce Lindsey.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 19 personas

Persuasive, Fascinating, Shocking, and Hopeless

Revisado: 12-09-12

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The trunk of the author's argument about gene selection is as godless and "anti-agency of man" as anything I've ever read. It's persuasive, fascinating, shocking, educational and hopeless all at the same time. He doesn't present his ideas as theory, he promotes them as doctrine. On its face, it helped me understand gene selection. More broadly it also lends perspective to whole segments of liberal academia and society--especially those who despise religion (like the author). Other reviews have mentioned how it rocked their faith. For me it made me appreciate mine more.

Would you be willing to try another one of Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward ’s performances?

As interesting as the content is, the recorded performance is almost unlistenable. They chose a narrator with an erudite British accent. It's pretty much straight out of the BBC and infers a sense of academic superiority. When it is combined with the author’s pretentious way of expressing himself, it's almost unlistenable. In this 30th anniversary edition, the author himself reads his own footnotes, which interrupt the main narrator's flow. It's like watching a movie you've never seen and it has the soundtrack for the directors commentary turned on. Just about the time you are following the idea in the chapter he chimes in with a footnote that more often than not amounts to him taking a victory lap for how great his book has been after 30 years--that and he spends a lot of time tisk tisking his academic rivals (who the lay person has never heard of). The author is obviously brilliant but if he were at a party you wouldn't be able to stand being around him.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Like a Middle of the Road James Bond Movie

Revisado: 12-05-12

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Entertaining and I don't regret listening to it. I'd liken it to the new Skyfall James Bond movie compared to Daniel Craig's first film. In my opinion, the first one was many times better that the other. For me this book didn't have the intensity of The Firm but it was pretty good. If you miss listening/reading to this it's not a huge loss.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña