D. Nash

Great story

Revisado: 04-16-24

The reader has all the accents and languages but his voice is so muted that it could put you to sleep! Other than that the performance was excellent.

The story was wonderful but I really wanted the doctor to PAY for what he did. But that was part of the point I suppose….its a white man’s world.

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So wordy

Revisado: 05-11-22

I love description. Truly love a story well told. This book felt as if the story was thin and was fleshed out through a lot of over the top description. I was waiting for every stitch in the shroud to be described. Enough already! I do feel this world the author created was well fleshed out and accurate. She tried! I think this book was in need of an editor. The reader got on my nerves when she said anything ending with -air. Hair, fair, etc. some hear a posh UK accent, I heard a reader trying overly hard. To each their own.

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That fantasy part.......

Revisado: 12-11-20

This story drew me in immediately, and although it's a long book, I loved every segment. The Fantasy segment was my least favorite, because I found it more than a bit confusing. If there is one problem with audio books, it's that it's difficult to go back and find out who someone IS in the story. Too many characters or if the names are too far out or strange, and it's just impossible. This is not my first Mitchell book. I have to say he's one of my favorite authors, and I love how he writes these novelettes and ties them together so well.

I really give this story a 4 and a half. With a half star deducted for the Fantasy.

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It's all about authorial choices

Revisado: 02-18-16

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I felt that there were three scenes that were too much for me. The author made a choice to have Frederick (the weak) beaten, to have Werner (the hero) die, and to have Yodda (the defenseless orphan) raped. It's one thing to have man's inhumanity to his fellow man on display (like in Cloud Atlas where it is done VERY well), it's another to have it go over the line into gratuitous. This book crosses that line for me.

Would you be willing to try another book from Anthony Doerr? Why or why not?

Not on audio - if it jumps around like this one. I usually can handle a change in time/place/character, but this book did that frequently and at times I didn't know where I was, in what year, with what character. In print, that would have been a little easier.

What about Zach Appelman’s performance did you like?

He did a decent job with the material.

Do you think All the Light We Cannot See needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Good grief NO. Unless you want to take it into Syria and explore the war going on there right now. I welcome that, but I wouldn't read it. Part of what people like about this book, is that it is a beautiful setting. Perhaps people would have more sympathy for the refugees of Syria if a book such as this one was written about them.

Any additional comments?

I felt the characters were somewhat flat. I felt manipulated by the blindness of the girl. The setting of course was wonderful, and the plot, once it got going (more than 100 pages in) kept me interested. But I nearly stopped listening when Werner died. Was that really necessary? And the rape scene - ORPHANS!!!! That was way too much and completely unnecessary. It did nothing to further the plot of the book, it did nothing to change any characters. It was gratuitous violence. Looking back on it I'm surprised he didn't include some sexual abuse of the blind girl, he certainly didn't hold back on the weak Frederick. I was very disappointed by the level of violence. I read for pleasure and it was not pleasurable in any way to read. I wish that this kick of dark novels would end already. Personally I'm sick to death of the current trend.

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What a writer!

Revisado: 07-14-15

Would you listen to The Goldfinch again? Why?

Yes, because there were times I'm sure I tuned out and missed some wonderful prose. Las Vegas scenes were very difficult for me to listen to. As I've said in prior reviews, I hate the "train wreck" scenario where you can see disaster approaching from a long way off, and in a way, I felt that during this entire book. However, luckily, someone told me it turned out well at the end, so I stuck with it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Goldfinch?

So many, it's difficult to recount them. Just a fabulously written book.

Which character – as performed by David Pittu – was your favorite?

Hobie. He is just about the only likable character in the entire book. This reader is unbelievably good in this difficult book.

If you could rename The Goldfinch, what would you call it?

Druggy-ville.

Any additional comments?

I hate reading about drug abuse, child abuse and other horrors in life. Sometimes it's worth it at the end of the book, and sometimes it isn't. This time, it's worth plodding through it. Donna Tartt has to be one of the best authors of her generation. The narrator was unreal, so good, with such a challenging book! I would rate this higher, but there were many parts of this book that were very difficult to get through. All the drug abuse is disgusting. I know Boris is supposed to be a very charismatic character, but I couldn't like him because of it. I understood it, but can't enjoy books that contain all that self destruction. I felt the same with Theo. There are so many sad stories in life, I just don't happen to want to read about them since I read for pleasure. For sad stories, I tune in the nightly news and read the newspapers. For pleasure reading, I'd like an escape from it. I would have quit this book halfway through the Las Vegas scenes if it were not for the fabulous writing.

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Mumble soft MUMBLE LOUD

Revisado: 07-14-15

What disappointed you about The Light Between Oceans?

Angst ridden and sad, the voice of the narrator was too muffled and soft to hear him over traffic noise at times.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

This book felt like I was watching a train wreck about to happen - you could see the problem from a long way off, but there was nothing you could do to prevent calamity.

Any additional comments?

Depressing book, and I'm tired of depressing books at our book club. If there are recommendations for books with at least one likable character that has an actual plot and doesn't involve: drug use, cheating spouses, constant angst - please by all means, let me know.

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I really disliked this audiobook.

Revisado: 05-16-13

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

How could this book be improved, this is what Audible is asking me. Well let's just say it was a selection that I made based on my bookclub. I hate war and I hate war stories, and I especially hate books that talk about someone getting beaten up, made to eat feces, I could go on but why relive this horrible experience. Not every book I listen to or read needs to be a fun story - but I don't read to get depressed, and make no mistake about it, this book is depressing. I'm glad this man is alive and all that. His achievement is living through his POW experience in WWII. At the end of the book, be ready to accept that everyone will call him a hero. To me, a hero is someone that risks his life to save others. This man stayed alive and to call him a hero is a big stretch for me. A hero is someone to look up to - and this man did not live a heroic life, IMO. That, and all the reviews that must somehow take a different view of the word "hero" are why I decided to write this review, long after my listen.

Has Unbroken turned you off from other books in this genre?

YES! I read for entertainment, and this book was not entertaining in the least!

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was a decent reader - not one of my favorites, but certainly he was good.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Unbroken?

The entire book. This person had a great will to live - but was he a nice, good, person? Not especially. I think that people go over the top about this title because he went through AA and talks about God. Similarly, the book reviews of "The Shack" are equally ridiculous...that was a poorly written book and if you read the reviews, you would think it was written by Dickens.

Any additional comments?

Yes, please leave "Unbroken" off any email you send to me - all it does is remind me of how much I hated listening to that book, and how my views are so NOT in the mainstream. I don't understand people's enjoyment of this man's horrible experiences.

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Best book I've read all year!

Revisado: 06-25-12

This book seems very fresh to me - and I loved it from the first sentence. I listened to it twice and bought the paperback for lending. There must be a reason why I'm enjoying "dystopian future" books lately...this book offers a brilliant fictional look into our future that feels right to me. Anyone that pulls for the underdog will love this book. I am a geek, I admit it - but I feel anyone that has ever played a game of PacMan would enjoy this wild ride.

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I didn't care for this book at all.

Revisado: 06-25-12

This was a selection of our book club, so I had to read the darn thing. I am not someone that requires a happy story, but what a depressing slog this book turned out to be. So many characters making horrible decisions. I hate it when a book is like a train wreck you can see coming for miles...unstoppable, depressing, waste of time. I gave this book a 3 star because I did learn something about the African massacres financed by big oil. Disgusting and criminal.

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Great Content - difficult listen, IMO.

Revisado: 06-25-12

Bill is a brilliant man. He read the book quite well. My problem with this book is that he refers to charts and graphs, which naturally I can't see. The first part of the book involved quite a bit of back-slapping...he had an excellent presidency and knows it. However, as he hits upon deeper subjects, it was more difficult to follow for me. I needed time to think about what he was saying - I needed to press pause. If this were a book, I would have bookmarked it to return to a topic in which I was very interested. Difficult to do while listening.

Please take into consideration that I am not the hugest fan of non-fiction. I did enjoy this book, but I feel as if I have to go back and read it in hard copy.

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