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Wow

Revisado: 06-17-23

I haven’t felt this excited about a series since reading Mistborn. I’m loving it even more than Wheel of Time.
The narration and performance is KILLER, the storyline twists and turns in so many unexpected ways, the character development is stellar. This is the sort of series that grips you fiercely and won’t let you put it down. Totally obsessed and loving every minute.

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Gripping, spectacular, but Kate Reading ruins it

Revisado: 04-20-22

I've never been jarred more out of a story by a narrator. Kate Reading I am sure is a very nice person, and I hate being this negative, but her cadence and narration in this is just awful.

When I first started listening, I was glad there was a female narrator integrated into the story. But her narration honestly feels like a librarian reading a childrens story to a bunch of kindergartners - over-pronouncing words, a weird lilt at the end of each sentence, absurd male voice impersonations (at a certain point, if it's going to be that bad just read the voice close to normal).
I feel like I'm sitting criss-cross on the floor in front of a lady with a picture book, who is pointing out each thing on the page in order to teach us which animal is called what.

I suppose I'm not the only one, a lot of other reviews mention this.
That being said, the male narration is great. Feels like a breath of fresh air each time he comes back around - like I've clawed my way from my imprisonment at the kids table and am having a beer with an old, albeit serious, friend.

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Gorgeous, heart-wrenching, life affirming

Revisado: 01-23-20

I am not religious in the way that Greg Boyle is. I am not a christian, nor will I ever be. But if there is such a thing as saints in this world, he is the highest exemplar.

This book redefines the word "compassion" in the most fundamental way, taking it from a loftier perch, and grounding it with the resolution to truly see those who are so frequently unseen and dismissed. The term "common humanity" is given a new fullness and weight.

The best book I've listened to this year, without question.

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An elongated list of Da Vinci's triumphs

Revisado: 12-12-19

I loved Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" biography, and was looking forward to this one as a result. I found it to be more hit/miss, though I don't regret working through it.

The good:
Isaacson does a great job of highlighting Da Vinci's personality, and helps you to get a good idea of the sort of person he was. There are glimmering moments throughout the book where you stop and marvel at his relentless curiosity. Further, the book does an excellent job of cataloguing the ideas Da Vinci developed - everything from engineering, to physics, to geology, to medicine etc - and puts these ideas in a context in which the average layman can understand their magnitude. The number of things Da Vinci conceived is mind-boggling, and this book successfully attempts to tackle the breadth of his intellectual achievements. Unfortunately though, this is what brings us to -

The bad:
The majority of the book is a catalogue of his triumphs and genius, with very little dedicated to the story of the man himself, compared to other biographies. While this might be a result of writing about someone who - compared to a more contemporary figure - there is less information available on, nonetheless the balance in the book is off. Isaacson spins off onto many tangents about the groundbreaking genius of Da Vinci's ideas, offset with very little information on the minutiae of his life, friends, conversations, how he spoke and what he enjoyed, etc.
Isaacson clearly didn't feel comfortable taking on the challenge of giving us the sense of who Da Vinci "the man" was - other than consistently highlighting his curiosity. Which is a pity, because I feel the book would have been a much more rich experience with this included.
Lastly, at times Isaacson spins into musings on Da Vinci's paintings with amateur perspectives on the work, which is a frustrating behavior due to the misinformation presented. He does best when he is quoting Kenneth Clark, does worst when he is spouting off his own opinions. I do wish he had had more humility at certain times talking about his own thoughts on the work - the average layman is likely to regard what he says as factual, when in reality Isaacson is a layman himself in terms of art analysis. A lot of professionals in the field would regard some of the things he claimed about the "good" versus "bad" in Da Vinci's paintings as less than perfect or accurate.

As a result of the focus on Da Vinci's accomplishments peppered with Isaacson's own personal opinion here and there, my husband (who is not in the art world), asked me if I'd recommend it. For the average layman who enjoys more dry biographies, definitely. It's great if you have the patience to work through it.
But for him, who tends to prefer McCullough, I regretfully told him to look elsewhere.

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Astonishing

Revisado: 10-22-19

Farrow’s account of his attempts to break the Weinstein story is gripping and well worth your time.

I left this book determined to boycott NBC until Oppenheim and Lack are ousted. Most people know and assume there is a protective boys-club at many of the highest echelons in industry, but the extent and depravity exposed in this book was shocking.

Farrows voices are entertaining as well.

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Uplifting, true, and performed beautifully

Revisado: 10-08-19

As a visual artist, I was surprised to find how uplifting and relevant this was for myself and my practice. Anne Lamott sees straight to the heart of things, speaks truths that are liberating, and makes you laugh out loud with relief and kinship. This a must not only for writers, but for any creative individual.

I also should say, the performance of this book is one of the best I’ve ever heard on audible. The narrator perfectly nailed the different moods of hilarity, ruefulness, and deep reverence throughout the book. It made the experience that much more enjoyable.

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Pseudo-science headache

Revisado: 10-07-19

This book actually upset me. I couldn’t make an inch of headway in it, because the amount of garbage pseudo-science being thrown around was actually offensive.

Here is the problem: sensitive people are often accused of being wishy-washy, thin-skinned, and illogical. Well - listening to this book provides ample ammo to those who accuse us of these traits.

A sampling of the proposed ways people are empaths: “plant empaths”, or, people who can “uniquely sense the needs of plants”. “Food empaths”, or people who can “uniquely sense the essence of food”. Further making forays into this mess are methods like crystal therapy, discussion of “auras”, “chakras”, and other woo. My favorite was a reference to people who can talk to animals.
No, I’m not kidding.

If you’re a fan of, ya know, that concept we call “science”, this book is not your cup of tea.

I can’t say whether her other ideas on “empaths” and so-called coping strategies have merit; Orloff has so thoroughly managed to discredit herself with this parade of fantasy nonsense that it’s unclear what is made-up, versus what holds a grain of truth.

I gave this book a chance when I had encountered the orchid/dandelion theory in sociology and child rearing, and I’m left dumbfounded as to how this got published. The more cynical part of myself spent the afternoon daydreaming about how I could probably write a book about “auras” that promises to solve everyone’s problems, while vaguely quoting the upanishads and referring to “the revolution”. Sounds like an easy way to make a ton of money.

I don’t think Orloff is evil, but I do think she’s doing more harm than good by promoting pseudo-science to people who need help.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Gripping, educational, honest, and funny

Revisado: 10-03-19

I didn’t expect to like this. I’m not typically drawn to books written by celebrities, but I’m glad I listened to someone’s recommendation and gave it a chance.

I didn’t know a lot about apartheid before deciding to listen, and not only did this book provide historical context and lay a base for understanding, it also provided fascinating first-person experience as to what it was like. Adding to that, Noah is just straight up hilarious at times. I found my jaw dropping frequently while listening, sometimes out of sadness, other times outrage, and most frequently out of hilarity.

I never realized the depth of challenges he had to overcome to get to where he is today, and have walked away with newfound respect for him. If you don’t know him and aren’t interested in his work, I still recommend this book, because it stands on its own as worthwhile outside of Noah’s celebrity. It’s a fantastic memoir in its own right, and well worth the time for anyone interested in South African history and culture.

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A joy

Revisado: 08-20-19

When I originally went to buy this book, I read an acerbic review claiming the main character was so narcissistic as to be unreadable. I am so glad I didn’t listen to that review.

This book was a joy, through and through. As a woman who also came of age in New York City (albeit during a very different era), I found City of Girls to be a delight. The book is written so cleverly, Gilbert’s prose is so whipsmart and funny, I found myself laughing so hard I had to pause the book several times.
I’m glad I gave Gilbert’s fiction writing a chance. This book actually lived up to the hype.

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Life-changing

Revisado: 08-01-19

The effect that this book has had on my life has been significant. I listened to it once, and decided I needed to buy the hardcover copy to fully gain everything I could from it - then proceeded to listen to it in my car while daily revisiting the hard copy to ensure I understood his approaches thoroughly. Then, I began implementing close to 70% of the strategies the author suggests, and embarked on a month of change, hoping to create new, solid habits. I’ve never been so productive in my entire life, and I’ve never felt such a sense of calm in my everyday.

Previously, I only had a peripheral understanding of the science on the negative affects of screen time and social media. I had heard bits here and there, but not enough to motivate me to make lasting change in my life. After reading this book, I became convinced that I needed to dial back significantly.

This book presents actionable strategies that are reasonable and makes sense, and worked wonderfully for me. I can’t believe I’ve spent so many years wasting time on these internet addictions (and that I hadn’t seen them as actual addictions until reading this book), and I’m grateful to Newport for creating a framework to break them.
The amount of time that has been freed as a result is staggering, and the amount of effort I can funnel into more fruitful pursuits has already started to show results in my daily life. My professional life is more organized and controlled, I have time for hobbies, I have energy to deepen my social connections.
I owe a lifelong debt to the author.

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