AngieB

Narration diminished enjoyment

Revisado: 10-23-24

I have listened to Black, Red, and most of White so far. So many people recommended this series to me, but I just haven’t enjoyed it as much as I expected. From the start, the narration has been off. Character voices do not consistently stay the same, nor do pronunciations, and the tone and pace were often not aligned well with the action. I have been fairly disappointed, but have decided to reread the actual books to see if that makes a difference. I will update my review if it does not. Right now, I can’t be certain if it’s the narration, the writing, and/or the storyline itself that makes this nearly impossible to enjoy at all.

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Wonderful story & presentation

Revisado: 01-30-24

I don’t want to repeat what many others have said. This book really challenged me on levels I did not expect. The ending brought bittersweet tears. One of my new all-time favorite books. No doubt I will read it again. I highly recommend getting Journal of a Novel to go along with this.

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Think thou doest protest too much

Revisado: 12-28-23

It was a quick listen, with a great narration. You can take away more than one lesson from it. The most prominent one being that you can protest too much - and that obsession is not healthy. When we rely on what others think of us for our own sense of well-being, we are on dangerous ground. Worth a listen!

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Wonderful narration, poetic writing

Revisado: 12-26-23

I first read this book in high school, but reading it now was a treasure. I would recommend reading it along with a book club, to get the added benefit of learning more about the author & her siblings, etc. The book is very poetic in its writing, and was like a wild roller coaster. I couldn’t stop reading once I got to chapter 27. I recommend having a copy of the book and reading along with the narration, if you can. The book is a classic for a good reason, and I definitely recommend it.

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Callow is a bit over-the-top

Revisado: 12-21-23

I have not listened to any other versions yet, but even so, I feel that Callow was a bit over-the-top in his reading. Also, I often read along in the book with the audio, and noted several times that words were changed or missed. Most were inconsequential, but this passage in particular was more significant:

In the 3rd paragraph from end in Ch 12, The Fellow of Delicacy, on pg. 154 of the Penguin edition, it reads:

“In an unselfish aspect … it would have been a good thing for others in a worldly point of view…”

“In a selfish aspect… it would have been a bad thing for me in a worldly point of view…”

Callow read both of these lines as “…it would have been a bad thing for me.” I am surprised this was not caught & corrected, since it makes no sense.

I look forward to listening to a different narrator in the future, one who is a bit less dramatic & doesn’t make so many people sound like they were extremely angry & perturbed all the time. It took a little something away from the dialogue, rather than enhancing it.

The book itself is not my favorite Dickens, but very enjoyable even so. The first two-thirds are a bit sluggish, and initially I was very lost as to what I was reading, but push on through. Don’t be afraid to look up some summaries of chapters, as they can be very helpful as well.

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Finished in a day...Full of symbolism & metaphors

Revisado: 10-27-23

I am in a book club, and last year we read Blood Meridian. That one was a difficult read, at times, but I could not put it down. I have wanted to read some other McCarthy books, and I chose this one a couple of days ago and finished it within a day. Both books are full of symbolism and metaphors, but BM was a more significant downer for me, while The Road reflected a lot about hope. Yes, it's dark and dismal, and Stechschulte is a great narrator who helps you to feel all of that - but you have to go below the surface a bit to understand the complexities of the book.

Admittedly, it reminded me a bit of The Walking Dead, which makes sense as they are both post-Apocalyptic. If you are not familiar with McCarthy's writing, the audiobook may be more enjoyable than a physical book. McCarthy defies the rules of writing, which is a turn off to some. I would encourage you to listen to the audiobook version, and maybe do a re-read later of the physical book, and after that, perhaps, watch the movie if you want. Both BM and The Road have changed me a little, for the better.

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Decent story, not so great narration

Revisado: 06-11-23

The story was pretty good, nice and short, but the narration almost killed it. Elisabeth Rodgers read the story well, but the character dialogue was very robotic and choppy. She.talked.like.you.would.read. this.sentence. I almost stopped listening to the book in the first 15 minutes, but I stuck with it. James Anderson Foster was a bit choppy as well, but so much better than Rodgers.

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