Toni G

Most Excellent Narrator of a Terrific Tale

Revisado: 09-23-24

Frederica is an fun romp of a story, made even better by an excellent narrator. It's unusual for a male narrator to effect feminine voices well, but this reading was very well done. Highly recommended. I'm going to see what other books I can find by him.

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Fantastic Humor

Revisado: 07-02-24

What a great story, with sneaky humor and swashbuckling characters. The male characters are kinda fun too. Elizabeth Knowledon is an excellent narrator and brings the story to life.

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It's a cliffhanger?

Revisado: 09-17-22

It absolutely SUCKS when you're blindsided by a cliffhanger on what you thought was a summer afternoon fluff piece! And this isn't one where you can just imagine what goes next, nor one where the story ends, but there's an overarching plot that continues. Nope.
This is one of those cliffhangers you'd get in an old TV soap! Gasp! Shock! OMGs galore!
Seriously? Now even fluffy romances are turning into serials? SO done!

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Unexpectedly Excellent

Revisado: 09-15-22

As it has been (several) years since I read Pride and Prejudice, I worried that I would lose a lot of the thread due to not remembering salient points. No need for any concern! Page introduces a little "refresher" guide skillfully into the story quite soon after it begins to catch up those, such as myself, who are not repeat readers of the classics.

Once you're on board with Lydia and her shameful past, you're on a fast clip to the home straight. The entire story is only 2 hours long, after all, but I found it delightfully refreshing to not have to travel the twists and travails of heartache but to cut, swift and true, to the meat of the matter!

Lydia is trying to recover from the mistakes of youth, in a society that is forbidding and unforgiving. On top of that, she has a callous, whoring, drinking cad of a husband, no money, and no companions. For a child from a large and loud family, this is probably her biggest loss. Her loneliness is palpable!

As we follow her growth from devastated teen to assured young woman, feel her pain, and applaud her efforts, this unlikely heroine becomes someone we root for and empathize with. I loved her wit, her resourcefulness, and her triumphs.

My only criticism was the jarring background music. For a tale set in the early 1800s, rock music (or is it punk?) is discordant and distracting.

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Finally! Two Voices TOGETHER!

Revisado: 01-26-22

One of my personal bugbears, and I understand why, is when you have a male and a female perspective, but each one gets one chapter. The male voices are spoken by the female when it's her chapter, and the female voice by the male when it's his chapter, and it has irritated me for soooo long! in this book, hallelujah, the two voices are together. The male is spoken by the male, the female by the female, I love it!!! And, to make it even better, the story is excellent. I was on tenterhooks waiting for the big reveal, and more tenterhooks, and more tenterhooks, yet it didn't get frustrating in a way that was negative. It was like waiting for Christmas, or a fun vacation. I loved the characters, I loved the development, I loved the big reveal, and I enjoyed the ending. Overall a fun book with talented narrators. Two thumbs up

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Soaring and Informative,

Revisado: 10-19-21

A beautiful story of hope and life, death and new beginnings. Written in the thoughtful, slow style of the era in which it was set, it leads you inexorably towards a satisfying conclusion. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and even the informational sections, which can become very dry and boring if not handled well. I learned about bell ringing, and embroidery, and who would ever have put those two together? There was discussion of politics, sex, religion, gender inequality; yet nothing to offend, everything handled delicately, with tact and relative to the time frame in which it was set. I was fortunate to enjoy the audible version of this book, and the author's careful prose perfectly matched the narrator's style, diction, and impersonations. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I will happily follow both the author and the narrator for future book choices.

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You Couldn't Find a Single Scot?

Revisado: 09-03-21

Ock? Seriously? That's how you pronounce och? The female narrator doesn't do a bad job of the Scottish accent, but the male narrator really grated. He's a very good reader, but please don't let him do a Scottish accent again! You honestly couldn't find one single Scot who could do this for you? I had to give up listening, and switch to reading just to get through it.

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esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Words of Wisdom... but funny!

Revisado: 04-26-21

One of the reviewers I read said they were really mad. because the book ended! I know exactly what they mean!

There were so many sections with quotable wisdom that I desperately want to share! I was amused, surprised, delighted, intrigued, sad.. an entire gamut of emotions I lived with through the book. Hart is so good in his telling, I felt like I was talking this journey with him!

I loved his perspective, his work ethic, his insistence on being positive. This absolutely resonates with my own views on life. If you buy any book this year, make it this one. It's a memoir, a life coaching manual, a self help, and a comedy, all in one!

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This narrator is my favorite!

Revisado: 05-15-20

I really don't want the book to end, not only because of the excellent story, but because (after half a dozen books!) the narrator feels like a friend! Her range of accents and voices is impressive and I could listen to her all day. Oh, wait! I did! 😉

The Lady Hardcastle mysteries is an absorbing series and I thoroughly hope there are more to come!

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The narrator utterly makes this book!

Revisado: 04-30-20

The story itself is fantastic! The twists and turns, the plot, the banter, the brilliant characters, they all add up to a tale well worth reading. However, the narrator actually makes the book. Her excellent characterizations, her well-timed pauses and clever interpretation, the airs and graces of Lady hardcastle, the witty comments of Armstrong, the innocence and naivety of the village people, she brings them all to life in a delightful way. I'm a huge fan of this author and the series, and I hope there are many more. and I will listen to every one instead of read it, just because of this narrator.

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