Meredith Jones

A Chilling View on Humans Capacity for Evil

Revisado: 08-05-23

First: if you are someone who is sensitive to physical and/or sexual violence, or racism then this book is NOT for you. It's a story about the worst humans who could ever exist. Predictably, they do, say, and think some horrific things. However, there are equally as many extraordinarily sympathetic characters in this story as well. We are presented with the cold war festering in humanity since time began: between those who do evil, and those who seek justice.

This book is instantly in my S tier of fiction. The characters are well thought out, with much depth and background given to help you to understand their actions and motives. Despite what some other reviewers say, beneath all the horrific events in this novel is captured many of the the essences of mankind. While it may be about psychic vampires who are practically inhuman, the novel as a whole is exceptionally human.

The performance, both that of Melanie and of the seemingly endless list of characters that Mel Foster portrays, were incredible. Laural Merlingtons voice brought Melanie to life and a whole additional chilling layer to her chapters. My only complaint, early on, was that Mel felt somewhat monotonous in his narrative portions, but by the end, I absolutely loved the contrast between dialogue and exposition.

10/10. I can't believe there is no film, TV, or anime adaption of this story.

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Finale to a wonderful series

Revisado: 03-11-23

The series “Chronicles of Barsetshire” is a favorite that I have read many times. It has the calming pace of another time with witty observations and rich character development. I prefer the voice of Timothy West to this reader. Mr West seems to understand the characters more fully.

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Interesting perspectives, delusional rantings

Revisado: 07-10-20

while the majority of the novel brings great new perspectives to the Manson family and their crimes, it is sometimes overshadowed by the narrative of the delusional, 20 year pursuit of "truth" by the author.

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Morose reading dulls a good story

Revisado: 05-28-14

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If I was reading this book myself I might recommend it to a friend who enjoys historical fiction. I would not recommend the audible version.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the historical descriptions of life in these times, especially in the wine trade. I also enjoyed the references to early Oxford University and events that preceded sweeping changes in the Church.

What didn’t you like about R. D. Watson’s performance?

Watson used a very low voice, with a tone that seemed both urgent and suggestive of doom throughout the whole story. I found it very distracting. He also seemed to have great difficulty jumping from one character to the next, especially where diverse accents were involved making it confusing to recognize who was supposed to be speaking. A different reader could have made a great difference to the overall experience.

Any additional comments?

It was difficult to stick with this story, due to Watson's performance. Also, not sure where the Nectar of Angels came into this story. Perhaps the wine?

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Interesting patient's perspective of healthcare

Revisado: 03-08-14

Any additional comments?

As a neuroscience nurse I found Susannah Cahallan's story of illness, diagnosis and recovery interesting, particularly from the patient perspective. It is a helpful to remind clinicians what a frightening and alien environment healthcare is to the uninitiated. Kudos to Susannah and her family for fighting for answers. Her story illustrates how easy it can be to be misdiagnosed and fall through the many bottomless cracks of healthcare today. We all have to educate our selves, take responsibility and be ferociously persistent in our pursuit of health.
Unfortunately I found the writing to be irritating at times with its repetitions, poor grammar and formulaic approach. Perhaps I expect to much? It may have been the reader. I have heard other performances by Ms Henderson and I find her delivery lacking.

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Flat narration mars post WW2 story

Revisado: 11-05-12

Would you try another book from D. E. Stevenson and/or Hilary Neville?

I loved the Miss Buncle series of books by D.E.Stevenson - very amusing. This story loses the humor and reads like a journal of everyday activities for this woman and her family - some serious, some menial. The descriptions of Scotland are lovely. It is fascinating to hear this character talk about her role as a dutiful wife, whose job is to "cook supper for my husband". I also got a kick out of her husband worrying that she might be overexhausted from the effort of caring for herself and the house while the housekeeper takes a vacation! Different times, different roles - fascinating to a 21st cetury housewife, mother and full time employee. I will try other books by this author, but I hope to find one with more laughs.

As for Hilary Neville! What a come down after listening to Patricia Gallimore reading the Buncle series. Ms Neville's reading was uninspiring. It was difficult at times to know which character was speaking as she did minimal alteration of her voice to suit the character - except for the childrens voices perhaps. She showed no emotion in her voice, it felt like she was reading because she had to, not to tell us a lovely story. I will avoid her narrations in future.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas