Donald Theiler

Don

Revisado: 04-24-25

Excellent detail surrounding the events in Hapsburg Vienna and Sarajevo before the Guns of August 1914 were unleashed.

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Dark story

Revisado: 03-07-19

I liked the tight descriptive style of this story of growing up at the extreme lower end of the southern social structure in the south. The story reminded me of an American Angelia’s Ashes. Well worth the listen.

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The Complete Churchill

Revisado: 12-05-12

What did you love best about The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3?

I liked the level of detail which is included in this volume. It contains many details which I have not encountered in either biographies of Churchill or accounts of the 2nd World War. An example is the descriptions of the ebbs and flows of support for Churchill during his time as prime minister during the war. Also, the information about the people who surrounded and assisted him during this period is very well done and informative.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of the descriptions of his personal quirks, which were many and fascinating. Examples of this are his drinking and the schedule which he kept during the blitz. Also, the scenes which describe his single minded determination to defeat Germany once he was given responsibility for the war give real insight into his greatness.

Any additional comments?

This is must reading for anyone interested in Churchill and/or the 2nd World War.

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Bio Pulls No Punches

Revisado: 11-29-12

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

For anyone who is interested in the information technology revolution this is a must read. I recommend it highly. It combines a great story about the development of the communications revolution and a very revealing description of the personality of Steve Jobs. I especially enjoyed the detailed description of the intensity and focus which Jobs brought to his efforts to build Pixar and Apple. His excursions into the distortion reality field and explosive outbursts are examples of this intensity. His development of 1 or 2 outstanding products at a time are examples of his focus.

Any additional comments?

It will be interesting to see what happens to Apple as the company moves forward without its visionary leader.

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A Mystery Examined

Revisado: 10-08-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Bring Up the Bodies to be better than the print version?

I would enjoy this book in either audio or print.

What did you like best about this story?

The in-depth look at the reign and purported affairs of Ann Boleyn are very well done. You do not really know if any affairs were actually consummated, just as history does not really know. It is a mystery for which we will never really know the answer, but as told here the probability is low. The characters are well fleshed out and believable. Cromwell of course is portrayed as a very complex and deep individual. You come away from the book with a nuanced look at the period and its characters. I especially like the examination of the thought processes Cromwell goes through in dealing with the events of the time.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My primary reaction is a feeling of sadness for the fate to which so many individuals get caught up in as a part of the court intrigues surrounding Henry the 8th. It reminds me of insects getting caught up in a spiders web. They struggle but the outcome is foreordained.

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In depth look at the great migration

Revisado: 10-01-12

Would you consider the audio edition of The Warmth of Other Suns to be better than the print version?

The audio version is very well done and moves along well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All three of the major characters in the book have diverse and compelling stories which represent a broad range of migration experiences.

Any additional comments?

If you are not familiar with this major event in US history this book is a must read.

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A sympathetic look at Silent Cal

Revisado: 09-04-12

What made the experience of listening to Coolidge: An American Enigma the most enjoyable?

This book attempts to flesh out the relatively one dimensional view of Calvin Coolidge which has been provided to most students of American history. It is generally successful in this regard, however the book relies too much on various verbatim readings of his speeches and writings. This gets a bit tiresome. Overall however the book does provide a better description of the personality and political philosophy of President Coolidge than found in other books on this era.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Obviously the personality of Coolidge dominates the book.

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Aussies at war in North Africa

Revisado: 09-03-12

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

I loved this book. I would certainly recommend it to someone who likes the personalization of war. It contains many little details of how the war in North Africa was conducted by individual soldiers, especially the Australian troops. It has a definite Aussie slant.

Which character – as performed by Humphrey Bower – was your favorite?

The portrayal of the "Desert Fox", Irwin Rommel was especially good and well balanced. It did not dress him up and make it look like he did not make mistakes. He certainly did and they are well illustrated in the book.

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

Not necessarily, it is a book which can be broken into parts and does not suffer from leaving it for a few days.

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Interesting information for Churchill aficionados

Revisado: 08-28-12

What made the experience of listening to The Churchills: In Love and War the most enjoyable?

If you are interested in the personal lives of famous people this book is for you. It contains information which is not in most history books and fills out the personality profiles of Winston and Clementine Churchill. I found the information about their children and the relationships between these famous parents and their offspring most interesting. It also provides a good look at the life of privilege which the upper class in England experienced during the late 19th and early 20th century.

Which character – as performed by Anne Flosnik – was your favorite?

I especially liked the portrayal of Randolph Churchill. It pulled no punches.

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

I liked breaking it up and enjoying each generation in turn over time.

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Disappointing last volume in series

Revisado: 09-27-11

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Right Wing Republicans would probably enjoy much of the book.

What could William J. Bennett have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I was very disappointed that Bennett totally abandoned any objectivity and just reflected a totally biased Republican viewpoint in this last volume. The first two volumes of the series were interesting in that they were a bit slanted to the right of center, but still contained good insights into the events of each era. Unfortunately as he got to the comtemporary period he just went overboard in defendning the Republican position on virtually everything and being totally unsympathitic to everything that the Democrats accomplished. Totally unbalanced presentation.

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