Andrea

Very Long!

Revisado: 03-24-25

As I listened to this I realized I liked the concept of Steinbeck as an author more than his actual writing. This book, in particular, is a little self-indulgent with a lot that doesn’t really add to the story but evokes Steinbeck’s memories of an era. He is also the crusher of hope, so his characters never catch a break.

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Uneven

Revisado: 03-24-25

Great story and the historical fiction aspects are brilliant, especially about the connections between Thoroughbred racing and early American art. The author’s handling of race is heavy-handed and awkward, and the romantic relationship writing gets a little cringy.

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Beautifully Crafted Writing

Revisado: 12-26-24

This was an immensely satisfying book, both for my husband (a finish carpenter and furniture maker) and me (not a woodworker by any means and not really allowed around power tools). It is beautifully, almost lyrically written with a decidedly organic and genuine style. The author is also a surprisingly good narrator, usually the kiss of death for me. My only negative comment is the production value of the audio recording. Twice the recording settings abruptly changed, enough for my husband and I to wonder if the producers had changed narrators. It would gradually even out to the original voice, but it was a little jarring in an otherwise wonderful book.

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Needs editing

Revisado: 12-19-24

The narrator is brilliant, and the writing is brilliant in places. However, the book desperately needs editing for length and continuity. I enjoyed the story in general, but I was disappointed by the ending. It felt like either a chapter was missing or had been replaced by a history lesson.

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Ridiculous

Revisado: 11-21-24

Let me preface this by saying that I am a fan of the series and especially enjoyed the last two books. This one is a disappointment, both in the plot and the narration. The new narrator has odd pauses between clauses and misses the subtleties of intonation that help develop a sense of the characters. The result is that the dry humor in the writing is often lost as well as the kindness and humanity of each individual. The characters, especially Gamache, come across as angry, petulant, and impetuous instead, which isn’t helped by the repetitive tropes and tics in the writing. I am usually such a fan of Louise Penny’s writing and turn of phrase, but this book needed some serious editing. The plot (albeit not the premise, which is very valid) is so ridiculous as to be a little boring. I missed the cast of characters from Three Pines too, one of the true joys of the series. I think I’ll be skipping the next one along this corruption in government theme or books read by this narrator.

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Twee

Revisado: 08-14-23

It was hard to tell if this was a genuine epitome of a British mystery or a satire of one. Either way, I found it eye-rolling tedious and twee. The narrator was excellent though. I would be more inclined to look for other books she narrates than to try another from this author. That said, my family have raved about the book and author and are embarking on a marathon read of all her books.

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Absolutely Wonderful

Revisado: 05-29-23

This book is brilliant! It was so wonderful to listen to that I was sad when it ended.

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Cheesy

Revisado: 05-06-23

If you like the writing for romance novels, you might like this book. I don’t, so I didn’t. The premise is interesting, but the author is a little heavy-handed in making her point and observations regarding true crime genres and media. The narration was uneven. Now that I see that there are two narrators, the differences in Spanish pronunciation make better sense.

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Needs some editing

Revisado: 02-26-23

Interesting and compelling listen. As an audio book, it gets a little tedious and repetitive. The author writes that he doesn’t tie the chapters together and “leaves it to the reader” to do so. If he had, he would have smoothed out the repetition and perhaps had more insights. The narrator was great.

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Wonderful listen

Revisado: 02-18-23

Loved this as much as the others - the story lives and characters remain fresh even three books in. My only complaint is that the narrator, while greatly nuanced, tended to be little breathy or whispery and that made it hard to hear while driving.

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