Room 888

Well written, gripping, emotional story, but...

Revisado: 08-30-23

I really enjoyed this story; I really identified with Kemi and her struggles, and as a woman of African descent who has worked as a hotel cleaner, I also saw a lot of myself in Muna. The perspective of being black in Sweden is one you don't encounter often, so I was thrilled to get a peek at life as a person of colour in one of the world's most homogenous societies.

Unfortunately, what could have been a 5 star listen was marred by less-than-stellar narration. This book would have been much more enjoyable with better readers; Bahni Turpin and Robin Miles would've made this outstanding. I'm an AA Southern girl and Brittany's accent was iffy-super nasal and country in one chapter but totally gone the next...and the young lady who read Muna's part was so expressionless that passages that were supposed to be emotionally charged just fell flat.
This makes me sad because her story was the most interesting of the three.

I can't speak to the authenticity of the African accents because I'm not a native, but I had to deduct a star for the other performances.

I hate writing bad reviews-if the narrators read this, hopefully they won't take it personally and will see this as a chance to improve in future recordings.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

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This story hit home.

Revisado: 04-27-22

As a Black person who loves classical music and had considered a career in the orchestra in my youth, this story really opened my eyes to the realities of what I would have faced had I pursued my passion. Although I have been fortunate not to have experienced the extreme amounts of discrimination the author has encountered, I did get a taste of it when I attended a symphony concert in Nashville. I was subjected to numerous stares by other patrons, their eyes saying, "what's SHE doing here?!!"

Incidentally, there happened to be a Black man playing violin in the orchestra...and when he was introduced, I cheered loudly for the brother :) I wonder if his experiences mirrored those of Ray and the author.

I honestly don't think I could have survived - Ray, with all the oppression, greed and hatred surrounding him, was still able to push through and be successful, when a lesser person would have caved. I just wanted to give Ray a big hug and tell him to be strong and stay true to himself.

I fell in love with his adorable Grandma Nora-her boundless love and support made me tear up often, and I hope the author is lucky enough to have a grandma like her in real life.

The story draws you in and won't let you go until the very end-I listened to this book two nights straight at work, and it was totally engrossing.

The narrator was superb, going from German, North Carolina and Russian accents with ease. Grandma Nora's voice was so sweet :)

The only negative was the ending - it was a little confusing, so I am going to revisit it when I have time to listen more carefully. Overall, I really enjoyed the richness and depth of the story, the music, and the interactions between the characters.

I hope Mr. Slocumb writes another book, and I wish him all the success in the world 🎻

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Nope...

Revisado: 12-23-20

I've listened to some of Bentley Little's other novels and really enjoyed them (The Resort in particular), but this one was a real disappointment. Not particularly scary, too wordy and it often meanders into political discussion that adds nothing to the story. Also, the gratuitous sex was confusing. When you read a Bentley Little novel you can be sure there's going to be a lot of sex in it-I expected that and don't mind the raunchiness, but in this story it's completely random and feels tacked on.
The characters are dull, and there is literally no description of what they look like. Sorry, Bentley, I'm deleting this one and listening to The Resort again.

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Skipped a chapter due to graphic animal cruelty

Revisado: 11-13-20

This book kept me on the edge of my seat-top notch narration, descriptive writing and an engrossing plot with lots of dark twists and turns, unfortunately, I had to deduct a star due to graphic content in regards to animal cruelty. I had to skip nearly a whole chapter and part of the next. There is also reference to child sexual abuse and a few f-bombs. If you are sensitive this is a heads up. Adults only.

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Not suitable for emetophobes

Revisado: 09-05-19

I enjoy spicy food (especially Indian) and I was interested in learning more about chillies and people who enjoy insane amounts of heat... unfortunately, when I heard the first sound of someone having a bad reaction to a pepper they'd eaten, I knew I was in trouble.
I forced myself to listen through the first incident, but when it happened again, I had to pull my earbuds out. Really gross gagging and barfing sounds- not suitable for people with emetophobia or weak stomachs. Too bad- I liked the narrator and the story was interesting, but all the retching noises put me off.

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A gripping, emotional story, poor narration

Revisado: 03-30-19

This is a gripping, heart-rending story that is well written and packs a heavy emotional punch. Even though I'm not a parent, I found myself tearing up several times.

I particularly enjoyed the first part of the book- being a "weather weenie" I liked the meteorological insight into storm formation and the in-depth profile of James Spann.

Unfortunately, the narration of the story was not that great, as the reader mispronounced several words frequently (asphalt, Cantore, and most troubling of all, Bama!). I'm a Southerner and wasn't offended by the accent (I'm from Tennessee), but mispronouncing Bama in a book about Alabama is unforgivable.

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