Linda C

A factual account of Alexander's military career and physical decline

Revisado: 05-18-24

After Mary Renault's "Fire From Heaven" and especially "The Persian Boy," a very romantic account from the perspective of Alexander's lover Bagoas, I wanted to check on the actual facts to see what might have been altered for the benefit of these 2 very good novels. This much shorter historical account answered that for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Renault, while she did a great deal of necessary embroidery, rests invention on solid factual ground. Political tensions between Persian and Macedonian staff are described much as Renault portrayed them, Alexander's worst cruelties don't play a part in "The Persian Boy," and hadn't yet begun in "Fire From Heaven." His 2000 crucifixions at Tyre are double Pilate's 1,000 at Jerusalem a few short centuries later. The author ends with an interesting analysis of the effects of Alexander's reign on politics and culture in the centuries after his death. Bronson Pinchot is a wonderful narrator; I also enjoy his reading of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series.

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For richer or poorer, it's always about the money

Revisado: 04-09-24

This book is a series of character studies about a New York upper-crust family that take place in the 19th and 20th centuries. They're all very different from each other, although perhaps not really unusual in the society in which they move. Marriage is as much a financial as a personal matter to these people, almost all of whom are wealthy by any normal standard. Friendships are often based as much on usefulness in professional and social success, and family ties are a network of advantage as well as affection. They all share the universal problem of divining what they value most and how to go about getting it. It's odd, but the very well-to-do and those in poverty seem to worry about money in equal measure. The characters, both central and peripheral, are well-drawn and curiously unique, and the narrator captures each one without resorting to overemphasis. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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At the heart of a mystery

Revisado: 12-21-23

A writer with an unusually close and powerful relationship with his two daughters is at the center of this story. Writing his biography after his death, the younger daughter discovers that her father held a secret, something so terrible that he changed his whole life to escape it, ruining the happiness of his wife along the way. Of course she sets out to discover the truth, uncovering more and more mystery with every step. The ultimate answer is both more and less terrible than I could have imagined.

Barbara Vine develops character as well as any author I know, and this novel is no exception. The mother and two daughters are fascinating people whose lives have been shaped around the somewhat bizarre personality of this strange and brilliant man, and there are no easy explanations for anything.

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A fascinating romp through history

Revisado: 12-01-22

I first read this book when it was published in the 1980s, have reread it several times since then, and thoroughly enjoyed it once again in audiobook format. It begins with a BBC journalist, Henry Lincoln, doing a story about unusual circumstances in the life of a priest in the south of France in the early 20th century, in the course of which he discovers a bizarre family tree dating back over two thousand years. Lincoln then recruited Baigent and Leigh to help with the staggering amount of research involved. The book is very well written and narrated. If you like detective stories, have an interest in history, or just love sweeping family sagas, you may enjoy this as much as I have. BTW, I checked the book's references as best I could, and if anything the authors understate the facts. They don't assert that this family's claims about their heritage are true, but they are able to substantiate much of the history that leads to those claims. History has never been so much fun!

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Scientology as only Mike Rinder could tell it

Revisado: 11-08-22

If you've ever wondered about the members of any cult, "How can they believe this garbage?", the answer is in this book. Mike's parents were Scientologists. He was never taught any other reality, he spent his teenage and adult life working 18+ hr. days, 7 days a week, for far less than minimum wage. Eventually he became one of Scientology's top executives. Mike was for some years in charge of "fair game," Scientology's policy of blackmail and threat toward anyone who tries to leave or who speaks publicly against it. He shows example after example of how Scientologists are indoctrinated by hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hypnotic "auditing" sessions to belie their own experience, intellect, good sense, morality, and even love. He finally left Scientology in his early 50s without a cent. He partnered Leah Remini in "Scientology and the Aftermath" and is on the board of the Aftermath Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists Scientologists trying to escape and build a life outside the cult. He narrates the book clearly and with expression, as well as a touch of lilting Aussie accent. Bravo, Mike! for the book, for your escape, and for what you have done with the rest of your life.

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Worth reading and re-reading

Revisado: 06-29-22

This intriguing novel takes place in the years just before, during and after the first World War. Lanny Budd is the illegitimate son of a wealthy American munitions manufacturer who lives with his mother, a celebrated beauty, on the Riviera and in Paris. He has a knack for meeting people and making friends, and in this way some fascinating historical personages make their way unobtrusively into the story -- not necessarily those you might have heard of, but people whose actions helped to shape their time. Politics and philosophy are dealt with thematically but not intrusively. Bronson Pinchot does a great job with a book not many narrators could do justice to.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Great fun, well narrated

Revisado: 03-13-22

Science fiction with dragons! Well, the science part is pretty sketchy, but who cares? This is just a fun read with heroic characters who find their true loves as they try to revive the scientific knowledge of their ancestors. There are gigantic dragons to ride on and shoulder dragons to play with, all wrapped in mystery which unfolds one step at a time. Anne McCaffrey invites you to take an imaginary vacation on Pern. Why not? Oh, and if you want a picture of a dragon, do a search for "emerald tree monitor." Earth dragons don't have wings, but they are still gorgeous!

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Great until the ending(s)

Revisado: 01-09-22

Never before have I known a Ruth Rendell or Barbara Vine story to be anything less than brilliant, and this one measures up to that standard almost all the way through, but then everything sort of went kaput. Up until the last chapters, this is a typically superb Rendell novel: both good and evil characters are complex and fascinating, the plot twists left me gasping from Chapter 1 throughout, and I listened to the whole thing in one sitting because I just had to know what happened next. Then, in the final chapters when the suspense was really killing me, the characters began to act and feel in ways that just were not consistent with the personalities that Rendell drew so beautifully up until that point. Rendell has that rarest of gifts, the ability to create a unique and intricate plot which arises entirely from character and setting, but that didn't happen here. I don't know whether Rendell suffered a failure of imagination or l completely misunderstood her, but the endings of each character's story were just meaningless to me. It was like baking a cake only to discover too late that you've confused the salt with the sugar. I have been a devoted Rendell/Vine reader for decades, have read over two dozen of her novels and fully intend to listen to another Rendell audiobook in order to heal from this one ... but what a disappointment!

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Wonder of a tale, masterfully narrated

Revisado: 12-24-21

Robert Silverberg has been one of my favorite authors for about 40 years, and this is probably his best work. It's fantasy disguised as science fiction, meaning that what little science there is, is irrelevant. It's about a fantastic planet called Majipoor and a delightful hero named Valentine who is so pure of heart that everyone loves him. He has a quest, of course, and Majipoor's infinite variety plays a pivotal role in the story. As long as this novel is, I could have enjoyed another few hours of it.

Stefan Rudnicki is my favorite narrator. He has a beautiful voice, and his narration is so skillful that you feel he's livingbthe story right along with you.

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A picturesque exploration of the nature of evil

Revisado: 12-18-21

I find something different every time I read this fast-paced and meticulously constructed novel, particularly after reading its prequel Hannibal Rising. This story has a happy ending for both the villain and the heroine, in such a way that one has to question the applicability of both those terms. Are those terms even relevant to anything? Given that question, can justice exist? Hannibal and Clarice seem to have found their own answers after horribly painful journeys, but what exactly are those answers and are they valid? You may find yourself, as I did, re-reading the last chapters to make sure you didn't miss some salient point that explains everything. Every answer leads to more questions. I love it.

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