K. R. Elrod

Can’t wait for the movie

Revisado: 05-23-24

A wonderful, unique story that could only emerge from North America. It’s brilliantly composed, and clearly ready for a screenplay without being dumbed down or schmaltzy. I loved it.

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Manic and disjointed

Revisado: 11-02-23

I wish her well, but this performance was intolerable. I give credit to the editors and audio engineers who had to weave these streams of consciousness into a navigable line. I love a good comedy memoir, but I couldn’t get more than an hour into this one. Tedium and torture.

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Distractingly bad French and German

Revisado: 03-21-23

Gyllenhaal should have been coached in French and German pronunciation, of which this book is full. As it was, the passages containing French - and oh god, the German! - were halting, improperly emphasized, and generally distracting. Bob Homewood is an example of a marvelous narrator of novels containing foreign languages. I wish he had read this one.
Also, for some reason Gyllenhaal struggled with the pronunciation of lots of common English words, like ‘comely’ and ‘adroitly.’ It took me out of the story and left me grimacing.
Still, this is a classic story for a reason. Less about Anna than it is about Kostia Levin, it’s a thorough exploration of the human experience from many angles.

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Fantastic!

Revisado: 07-10-22

This was a top-three listen. I can’t wait to read her other titles. Narrator’s voice and delivery are enchanting (pun intended!)

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Tedious! Listened for the narrator.

Revisado: 07-04-22

What a tedious listen. I enjoyed the history lesson on French Bourgeoisie of the 19th century, but the short life and death of Julian is pretty uninteresting through the modern lens. This style of writing favors the portrayal of ladies fainting away with the power of emotion, and overuse of tropes like turning red, then white, then purple (changing color) and the word “astonished!” Kind of funny if you can get through the boredom of the story. I listened because I fell in love with Bill Homewood’s gorgeous narration of The Count of Monte Cristo, but alas this story was kind of a stinker.

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Bill Homewood is a master

Revisado: 03-07-22

Bill Homewood’s reading was absolutely perfect, not just in the masterful portrayal of each character, but in his evident respect for the florid and dramatic writing of Dumas. This is a must-read classic epic that feels at times like a telanovella, but Homewood’s reading gets us through. I’ll search for his readings from now on.

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Count language among Billy Porter’s many talents

Revisado: 12-30-21

Billy Porter, I had no idea! I saw him in Pose, but didn’t know he was such an extraordinary talent. He sings, he dances, he acts, and apparently, he writes! He’s eloquent, emotionally expressive in an evolved way, and his delivery is fantastic. I enjoyed this book a lot.

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Just wonderful!

Revisado: 12-18-21

Such a nice epic, following an ancient book through the ages from a falling Istanbul to an experimental “space ship” centuries from now. The way the author weaves the threads together is expert and captivating.

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Gag!

Revisado: 01-30-21

I cringed through six hours of this awful book waiting for it to start. Instead, it’s a faux novel with terrible characters in unbelievable scenarios. I told some friends it was like it was originally written in Chinese and translated into English my a Portuguese speaker. For what it’s worth, I laughed a lot.
An excerpt from this ridiculous book:
"”Do not die! You'll never become a titan of your industry and an icon who makes history if you're dead!" Both the entrepreneur and the artist grinned as the billionaire began to clap vigorously, apparently as happy as a family of squirrels playing in a forest at hearing his own words.”
...what the hell?

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Well written, but often misses the point.

Revisado: 12-31-20

There are some very good points here, but others annoy me with their petulant tone. For example, she argues that doctors’ requirement of severely overweight patients to lose weight before major surgery is discriminatory. She lauds science, but then forgets doctors might have a scientific and statistics reason for wanting to perform operations on people closer to their target weight: they’re less likely to die on the table. The author seems to sometimes forget that although she is healthy, many very fat people aren’t.

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