Arewa

GOING TO NEED AN ANTIDOTE FOR THIS PARTICULAR CURE

Revisado: 06-24-19

I have always been dubious when it comes to audiobooks. How can anyone "read" a book without the actual, visceral aspects of reading: the intensity of the black on white of the words, the smell of the paper, turning the pages. Anything other than physically holding the work of art that is a book feels like cheating, but with an hour-long commute, I had to give audiobooks a try.

This was NOT the one to start with, however.

I'm an avid reader, and always have been. I like pretty much anything, though lean towards stories with female main characters, no matter how their journey unfolds. I'm not averse to historical or post-apocalyptic, and I don't shy away from anything with intense emotions, be they sadness or joy. I'm not at all sure where The Water Cure falls within all of this, and I don't think anyone could part/parcel it out to fit any particular category.

STORY: Seems like it was meant to be deep and powerful; was instead bland, drawn-out, confusing, and left me feeling frustratingly unsatisfied. I literally forced myself to get through this book; it was free and I still felt taken.

NARRATION: Could not tell the difference between the narrators or their stories. I've heard one narrator voice five different characters and was nowhere near as I was confused as three different narrators voicing four different people.

Since The Water Cure I have listened to more than 10 other audiobooks, and this remains the most disappointing by far. It was also the shortest read by at least an hour from my others, and yet still felt longer than a 10-day root canal.

RECOMMEND TO A FRIEND? Yeah, depends on what they've done to me and how badly I want to return the favor.

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My Lovely Read ...

Revisado: 06-24-19

Story: Best part of this read, as it should be with audiobooks! The plot was thought-provoking, and if you're an avid reader you might predict a couple hapless details, but in the end, a bloody good story. I hate when reviews give too many details, so I'll keep it brief: Husband and wife share a dark secret (see the illustration, it's not too difficult to guess), one starts to unravel under the weight of it all, and the fall-out affects the entire family. As someone who watches a lot of true-crime documentaries, this was a trippy look into the minds of reluctant and not-so reluctant killers.

Narration: I won't lie, I have a preference for stories with female leads and female narrators. For my first book with a male lead and narrator, I was rather pleased. David Pittu, though without the vocal complexity or narrative-acuity of my fave audio narrator, Rachel Atkins, is promising. His attempt to give voice to the murderous wife seemed a bit strained, but in the end, the monotonous measure of his female intonations worked out very well for this particular character... said simply: it was creepy and off, but worked.

At just over 10 hours, this read is perfect for someone with long commutes or travel, you'll want and need to listen at longer intervals.

Interesting fact: This is the first audiobook I've listened to wherein the narrator didn't have an English accent (and I've listened to >10 books). Good show, Yankees, good show :)

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BEST PERFORMANCE THUS FAR!

Revisado: 06-24-19

The story was above average, but the performance was STELLAR. Rachel Atkins deserves as much, if not more praise than Lucy Dawson for giving this book all that pizzazz. Let me say unashamedly that I've listened to this book about 3 times since I first purchased, don't anyone @me. I liked the book so much that I purchased a few other reads from Lucy Dawson, only to realize that the narration is what made this find so fantastic.

Story: From what I can tell, Dawson has a very specific style of writing. She likes "now/then" and multiple narrator stories. The problem with this is that it can get pretty confusing, but bc with this read specifically Rachel Atkins did such an amazing job distinguishing the characters, I was never confused about who was speaking or the time period. This is the only book in my Audible library for which I didn't predict the ending halfway through. I wouldn't so much call it "a gripping psychological thriller," it's more of a cheekily hilarious tale with a serious undertone and some refreshing twists near the end.

Narration: Have I not said enough? LOVE LOVE LOVE! How Atkins managed to capture the narcissistic essence of a wealthy, attractive 17-year old male right down to the apathetic-edge in his voice, I'll never know. She also captured a wronged working wife, her hapless husband, a dubious colleague, and the 17-year old's equally bubble-headed girlfriend, and each story felt genuine and distinct. BRAVO. (Note: the story is 75% narrated by two people, the rest is split b/w the peripheral characters) I'd probably listen to this woman narrate a phone book if it came down to it, esp if she was going to do so as Jonathan Day.

I know you're thinking I must live a pretty banal life to listen to a 9-hour audiobook more than once, but between my two-hour daily commute, my overly-stressful job as a physician, and my need to just unwind into the drama of other people's lives: White Lies is just what the doctor ordered.

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