Ashley

A Simple Story, but a Powerful One

Revisado: 05-09-14

If you could sum up Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in three words, what would they be?

Simple, moving, beautiful

Which character – as performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda – was your favorite?

Lin-Manuel Miranda did a wonderful job throughout the entire book, but Ari's father was especially good.

Any additional comments?

This isn't a story with a ton of action, but it really appealed to me. Watching the friendship between Ari and Dante evolve was slow, moving, and wonderful. Ari coming to terms with his family's history was also handled wonderfully. I just sat there listening and felt a lot of emotion for what really is a simple story. It was great.

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Cutting Edge Plus the Parent Trap

Revisado: 05-09-14

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'm not sure. I liked the story, in the end, but the performances weren't that dynamic.It was FINE, but I think I would have enjoyed reading the book more than listening.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The two narrators were very flat and sometimes that made it feel like the pacing of the actual book was dragging. Sloane Devin's narrator had a horrendous Southern accent for one of the characters.

Any additional comments?

First, the premise of this book is so unrealistic. These two girls who share an uncommon name decide to switch places. One goes to an elite figure skating school, the other to an advanced hockey camp. The way they pull off the various sports is kind of glossed over, probably because it is unbelievable. However, and this is a BIG however, by the end, I didn't care that this would never work. I was sucked in to the story and I just went with it. It won me over and I was charmed by the book and the two Sloanes.

That said, I still think I would have enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed listening to it.

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Not as good as her first book, but still fun.

Revisado: 04-19-14

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I thought the story was good. It had clever dialogue, charming interactions, and enough drama to give it some weight without feeling like problems were added just to get in the way of the story.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Leslie Bellair and Corey Bradberry ?

Leslie, who narrated from Luci's perspective, was really good. She did a good job with most of the voices, including when she had to do Owen's voice, and a series of characters in London and Edinborough.

Corey, who narrated from Owen's POV, was horrible. His pacing and timing was always off. He honestly sounded like an uncomfortable student actor reading from a script. His voices didn't really match up with what I thought the characters should sound like and his tone never seemed to coincide with where the story was. Even the way he announced the chapter titles was irritating.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book, with my major concern being the male narrator. It still wasn't as solid as Smith's first book (The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight), but I liked it better than her second (This is What Happy Looks Like). It was solid, but not amazing.

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Must Listen

Revisado: 04-06-13

If you could sum up Eleanor & Park in three words, what would they be?

Charming, Funny, and Heartbreaking

What does Rebecca Lowman and Sunil Malhotra bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Initially, I thought I wasn't going to like them. The story starts off subdued, but after an hour, I was in love with their narration. The dual narratives in this book are really great, as they let you get to know both Eleanor and Park, and the dual narrators really helped to emphasize the differences.

Sunil Malhotra makes Park's parents so much more vibrant (I contend they are the best YA parents I've ever read). I didn't LOVE his version of Eleanor's voice, but it worked.

Rebecca Lowman does an amazing Eleanor AND an amazing Park. I didn't LOVE her version of Park's mom, but again, it worked.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. And I have listened to it twice, since.

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