MJ Ryan

NARRATION IS A DETRACTION

Revisado: 07-15-22

I enjoy Gail Bowen's Joanne Kilbourn series, to the point that I have read all her titles, some a couple of times, and I thought I would enjoy listening to them in the evening. Unfortunately, the producer of the audio version and the narrator do their jobs so poorly that I totally dislike listening to the stories.

The producer has added "he said" or "she said" to an excess. I just rifled through my copy of the book and confirmed that the audio version has those two phrases added where they do not exist in the written version. I think the narrator is so poor that the producer must have felt the need to identify who was speaking since the narrator provides little variation among the characters.

If you have only listened to Gail Bowen's series, I urge you to purchase one of her Joanne Kilbourn books and read it for yourself. The experience will be superior to the audio version.

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GHASTLY

Revisado: 05-19-20

I have enjoyed all the other books I've heard in the Mrs. Pollifax series, primarily because the narration by Barbara Rosenblat was marvelous. It is no wonder that the narration in this book is "uncredited". It is so incredibly dismal and off-putting that I, too, would not want my name associated with it. It is SO poor and distracting that I am unable to continue listening. I actually feel myself getting angry the minute one of the narrators opens his mouth.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 06-01-19

I have enjoyed other books by Rhys Bowen but this one was such a disappointment. It is amateurish, weak, predictable, annoying.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 09-02-16

Would you try another book from Marisa de los Santos and/or Abby Craden and Arielle DeLisle ?

I will read her next book because I so enjoyed her first two.

If you’ve listened to books by Marisa de los Santos before, how does this one compare?

I thought the story was quite shallow, and I could not appreciate the characters as I did those in Belong to Me and Love Walked In.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's voice was so nasal, so whiny, so very unpleasant that it distracted from any pleasure I could derive from the author's work.

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Disturbing narration

Revisado: 09-01-15

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Certainly--I would not have hired Bathurst as narrator. He is dreadful. I wonder if he's ever read one of Louise Penny's terrific novels, if he knows anything about her characters. I knew the person unfortunate enough to follow Ralph Coshom would have an uphill battle, but Bathurst is so ghastly that I find I am angered just trying to listen to his narration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Nature of the Beast?

I first read the book, and then, as is my custom with Louise Penny's books, I started to listen to it. Reading the book was a roller coaster, I was so very tense through so many scenes, so anxious to discover what would ensue. It was marvelous. And then I tried to listen to it. Kaput. There were some disturbing aspects to the book, but none more disturbing than the narration.

How could the performance have been better?

He talks too fast; I get tense as a consequence of feeling so rushed. Coshom's pacing was so very right; Bathurst is anxious, pushy, so very wrong. I am appalled at his interpretation of some of the characters, in particular Ruth and Gabri. Good grief! He gives Ruth a deeper, heartier voice than any of the men, and she is an elderly woman. So wrong. So inadequate to the beauty and intelligence and thrill of the writing.

Did The Nature of the Beast inspire you to do anything?

Yes, write this review. I eagerly await Louise's next book, and will devote considerable energy to envisioning the power's that be realizing their error and deciding upon a more skilled and perceptive narrator than Bathurst for her next gem.

Any additional comments?

I suspect it's redundant, but I am very disappointed in the narration, but more than satisfied with the story.

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