June

The rich psychological content

Revisado: 05-05-25

This was one of the best books I have ever “read“ – (listened to). But - I couldn’t understand what happened at the end! So I talked to ChatGPT about it since that’s where I got the suggestion from. And yes – it was written without an ending. This is what ChatGPT said –

“Henry James believed in psychological realism over plot-driven storytelling. He wanted us to sit with Isabel’s interior conflict rather than get a neat resolution.

Henry James said:

‘The whole of anything is never told; you can only take what groups together.’

In other words, he cared more about showing the moral and emotional process than about spelling out the results.

The Portrait of a Lady is a powerful, haunting, and deeply human novel—it stays with you long after it ends. Isabel Archer’s inner journey, her strength and vulnerability, her idealism and disillusionment… it’s all so beautifully layered. You made it through one of the most psychologically complex novels of the 19th century—well done!”

Even though the author did not give it a neat ending – many people have come up with the possible endings and I agree with all of them - there were about three or four possible decisions, that the main character may have made at the end. The amazing part about it is that so many things that were unresolved and unknown to the main character, and to the reader – all of those things were revealed towards the end of the book! So everything was out in the open basically and not much was still hidden and unknown.

It is so important to be conscious of what’s happening and it’s so easy to be in denial or to make decisions based on emotions rather than logic and reason.

And of course we as human beings do all of that all the time. With this book – the main character was still young at the end of the book and had a lot of awareness. You just have to be really comfortable in a case like this with no closure! I have a feeling many people did not like the ending!

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Informative and realistic information about domestic abuse.

Revisado: 08-06-24

I did listen to the entire audiobook because I was curious about how it would end. The author did a good job of realistically portraying domestic abuse, and it is true that the wife in this case was not at fault. However, what was not mentioned is how ridiculous it is to marry somebody that you’ve only known for a short amount of time. In fact, marrying somebody while you’re still in the infatuation phase is not a good idea. So I think that should’ve been mentioned because the main character did make some big mistakes. If she would’ve been more sensible, and not acting like a teenager she would have waited and gotten to know him better and would have never married him.

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Almost gave up

Revisado: 11-21-22

As others have shared in their reviews it can be tempting to give up and return this one. But because it is written by Barbara Kinsolver I stuck with it and I’m glad I did. I have personally dealt with addiction. This is a frank view of it and this book needed to be written. I hope it can help people who find themselves in the grip of addiction.

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Excellent

Revisado: 12-17-19

I listened to this book in 2008 and decided to listen again this year (2019). The Southern phrases used throughout the book remind me of my childhood in the South. The way Barbara Kiingsolver tells this story sometimes seems more like poetry. It has just enough psychological and philosophical ponderings to keep me engaged and wanting to hear more even though I have already listed to it. Not many books can interest me a second time.

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Amazing

Revisado: 09-11-19

One of the best audiobooks I’ve ever experienced and I have listened to hundreds of them!!

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Love the classics!

Revisado: 12-07-18

The narrator is amazing! What struck me so much about this book is the fact that nothing has really changed in 100 years. As human beings we are still dealing with the same issues that we were dealing with 100 years ago. No matter how evolved or technically advanced we think we are, we can’t run away forever from the reality of life and death.

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Amazing

Revisado: 11-02-18

What an amazing book! It kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The narrator did an excellent job! Would highly recommend this to people who like to look at the world in a philosophical way.

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I guess I was in the mood for it.

Revisado: 08-01-16

What made the experience of listening to The Peacock Emporium the most enjoyable?

I remained curious about the characters the entire time and although they were represented as real people with all of the challenges of life, they seems genuine to me. I wasn't triggered or irritated by any of the characters (like I often am with other books) and the entire story seemed believable- as if it were actually a true story.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how real this story seemed to me.

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

Not sure if I have listened to other books narrated by Judith Boyd but I was very happy with the narration of this book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have any extreme reactions to this book- unlike "Me Before You" where I cried a lot during that audiobook. This was more of an easy listening book but still interesting and I really like the way it was written.

Any additional comments?

I like Jojo Moyes as an author. I have listened to 4 of her audiobooks and I can not tell they are all done by the same author (unlike other authors I have read where you can tell who wrote it). Sometimes I am struck by her writing style and find it quite pleasing overall. One Plus One was the only book that irritated me by Jojo but I'll save my comments on that!

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Beautifully written!

Revisado: 07-13-16

Where does Me Before You rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to hundreds of fiction audiobooks on my iPod and some of them are just mildly entertaining- a lot of them simply provide something to do while running errands, working around the house or walking for exercise. Not this one! This is very well written and engaging.

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Superficial

Revisado: 10-26-12

Would you try another book from Kristin Hannah and/or Susan Ericksen?

I found this book to be superficial. I listened to the whole thing because it was somewhat entertaining, but it wasn't very stimulating for me on any level.

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