Katpearl

This Story Sickens and Intrigues...

Revisado: 03-28-16

What did you like best about What Was Mine? What did you like least?

I guess if an author has the ability to provoke such feelings of hate and anger towards a fictional character, then they’ve written a good book. Lucy made me angrier than I’ve been in quite some time! She was arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed, cruel, psychotic, revolting, ridiculous, ludicrous, dramatic, (can I say dramatic twice?) and well, downright idiotic at times. I found myself wanting to strangle a fictional character!She had such a ridiculous thought process…she thought she could breast feed a baby even though she’d not given birth, not even been pregnant! When the story broke in the media, she was appalled when she wasn’t praised at how well she’d raised the child she kidnapped! She felt that “expensive schools, private tutors, bedtime stories, a full time nanny, trips to the beach, trips to Disney” would surely make up for the fact that she’d kidnapped a four month old! Because of her actions, the lives of so many were altered/ruined. It’s like she did NOT get the fact that what she did was beyond wrong!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Seeing how what Lucy did and the affect it had on everyone was the most AND least interesting aspect of this book.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not sure, maybe my increased loathing of Lucy. Unlike other reviewers, I NEVER felt sorry for her. She ruined the lives of too many people.

Do you think What Was Mine needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I do think it needs a follow-up! The way nothing was resolved was infuriating!

Any additional comments?

I know from the reviews, that people saw Marilyn, the birth mother as annoying. I got irritated with her at times, but then I’d stop and think about what all she’d been through and how that would forever alter a person and their personality. I felt for her, her heart was broken, her daughter stolen, and she bared the burden for that. The fact that she was able to put one foot in front of another and get through each day was amazing.The fact that her marriage failed was not surprising. What WAS surprising was the reaction of the birth father when he'd found out his daughter had been found.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Parents make mistakes, hers was a big one...

Revisado: 03-23-16

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I liked this book but still had a few issues with it. It got really slow in places. I found myself wanting to skip to the end of a chapter just so that the story could actually move on to a different subject.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting was how Helen grew as a mother and as a person. She was so unsure of herself when she met Ava and Swift. By the time the "Lake Tahoe incident" was behind them, she was much stronger, sure of herself and was on the road to being an excellent mother. The least interesting would be too much detail. I know! How can a book have too much detail?! The more the better, right? For me in this book, it sometimes would drag on and on. I usually have favourite characters in a book. This one for me didn't really have any stand out awesome characters other than Estella, the Havilands maid. Scenes toward the end with her had me choked up. She was probably the one really good person in the book. Elliot was also a great person and I didn't have anything against him, he was just bland. Good-hearted but bland. My least favourite characters were Swift and his "I'm above the law and nothing can touch me" son, Cooper. He isn't in the book a whole lot, but he's a scoundrel.

Have you listened to any of Joyce Maynard’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I've read To Die For.

Was Under the Influence worth the listening time?

I'd say yes.

Any additional comments?

Some of the characters (most of them actually) are extremely irritating. Helen is a good mother who made a really stupid mistake. She drove her 5 year son to the hospital after drinking a couple of bottles of wine. My first thought was, what an idiot, why not call an ambulance to get them both to the ER? It's not against the law for a single mom to have a few drinks after she's put her child to bed, but driving with them while drunk is. So I can understand why she got into trouble. That being said, her ex-husband, Dwight and his whole family, were the ex and ex in-laws from hell. Then there's Swift and Ava, her "saviours", they grated on my nerves from the very moment they were introduced. They were both condescending, overbearing and snobby. Add loud, obnoxious and no morality and you get Swift. These two definitely gave off the air that if you were in their presence, you were an extremely lucky person. When Helen met the Havilands, she thought her luck was changing! They took her under their wings and she finally felt like she had a real family. But we all know the saying "if something seems too good to be true, it probably is". Hmmm, this is where Helen got really irritating. It's one thing to make friends and have them offer help and guidance, but Helen completely lost what little personality and backbone she had. If the Havilands didn't like her clothes, she dressed like Ava wanted her to, she blew off plans with her one REAL friend (and lost her) because she was so busy sucking up to the Havilands, she lost the only man she'd ever truly loved because the Havilands deemed him (Elliot), not good enough for her. Anything they said went. Now let's talk about her son, Ollie. The kid was a brat. Many, many kids are the product of divorce but they don't act like Ollie did. Helen loved him. She was always so excited to see him but nothing she ever did was good enough for him. That is until she bribed Ollie to stay overnight with her by offering use of the Haviland's big house, pool and their other fun amenities. He only did so to be able to go "see the monkey man" as he called Swift (that in itself was beyond annoying). Swift was not the best influence to have over a child either! In closing, Helen grew on me and grew as a mother. Oh and Ollie? Well, I won't give the WHOLE book away!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Beautiful Southern Story

Revisado: 03-12-16

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

Yes! I would definitely recommend! I loved this book from the moment it started. Cee Cee stole my heart. So did Aunt Tootie and Oleta. I got so engrossed in this book and with these characters, I felt like they were real and were family!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh this is tough! Cee Cee or Aunt Tootie. But I loved Oleta too.

What does Jenna Lamia bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jenna Lamia is absolutely amazing. She just has a gift. She brings each character to life! She makes you care about each of them so much.

If you could rename Saving Ceecee Honeycutt, what would you call it?

Summertime in Savannah

Any additional comments?

I got so into this book and fell so in love with it that I had my husband take me to Savannah for our 30th wedding anniversary last week so that I could explore downtown Savannah like CeeCee did! It was beautiful. This book is wonderful. After CeeCee's unstable mother dies, her father pawns her off on her Aunt Tootie in Savannah, GA. Aunt Tootie is kind and loving and CeeCee has amazing adventures, learns life lessons and what it really means to love and be loved. You'll love it from the moment you start listening!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Very Slow, Couldn't Finish

Revisado: 03-12-16

What did you like best about Looking for Me? What did you like least?

I always love Jenna Lamia. She never disappoints.

What could Beth Hoffman have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It couldn't hold my interest. I'm not really sure...

Which scene was your favorite?

Since it couldn't hold my interest long enough for me to finish, I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I loved Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt and was hoping for the magic and feeling of that book. That didn't happen.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Story of Two Southern Families Told Over Time

Revisado: 03-12-16

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

Yes, I would recommend but you need to know going in that there are parts that are so boring that you'll skip way ahead and not miss a thing! It just drones on and on at times.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was a let down. After putting all of that time in and getting to know these characters, I expected and hoped for better for a some of them.

Have you listened to any of Scott Shepherd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've not listened to any of Scott's other performances but I absolutely love him! He was the best part of this listening experience.

Do you think Lookaway, Lookaway needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think it needed a better ending but not a follow up. The book followed the family through many years, so I don't think there would be enough storyline for a follow up...

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book a lot at times but it started slow. Then it would pick up steam and bog down again. I loved some of the characters and didn't like some so much. Jerene Johnston was the epitome of "old money southern country club type". I loved her. I grew up with women like her. You could throw anything at her and she stayed calm, cool and collected. I am from MS and my mother is a Johnston, so I found it extra quirky and could relate to the southern "eccentricities". It's nothing that's going rock your world or get you too excited. It's just the story of two southern families as they grow and intertwine through a few decades.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wish someone had warned of the HORRIBLE narrator!

Revisado: 02-14-16

The story was probably ok, but I could not get past the awful narrator. Seriously, if you are thinking of getting this book, listen to the sample first, something I very much regret not doing.

She did horrible male voices (ok, let's face it, we get used to this, so I can get past a female who can't quite nail down make voices) but ALL of her female voices pretty much sounded the same. Half the time, I could not tell who was who. Very confusing. Oh, and did I mention that she drifted in and out of this weird Fran Drescher nasal (very annoying) whiny thing?!? What the hell?

The story itself is actually good. It sounds like the author has actually been through the pain of losing a close loved one. Too bad the pretty good writing gets totally lost on really, really, really bad narration. I would recommend this book but NOT on audio. Just read it with your eyes. Otherwise your ears will bleed

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 19 personas

SPOILERS!!! Was Very Disappointed!

Revisado: 01-19-16

What disappointed you about Pretending to Dance?

It had such high ratings, I was expecting more. The book description eludes to a lot of mystery. A mysterious death (I'm thinking a terrible murder, yes!). A dead mother (another yes! How'd she die?). A birth mother's mysterious presence? (Ooo, is she stalking the family? Does she want the child she gave up back?). All of this sounds so good! Molly ran away 20 years ago. For these reasons, I'm thinking awesome! The makings of an amazing story! I was ready to dive in! It revolved around a 14 year girl who was "coming of age". She was unsure of herself and naive. She is surrounded by family on family land (aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother, parents) on a mountain ridge in NC. Her father has extremely advanced multiple sclerosis and is confined to wheelchair, paralysed from the neck down. She was adopted by her stepmother but her biological mother lives within walking distance. She has a friend who is the total opposite of her, Stacey. Stacey is lacking parental supervision, does drugs, drinks and has a 17 year old boyfriend. She immediately introduces these things to Molly. She falls hard for the older boy who uses her and breaks her heart. I was fine with all of this. Like I said it part of it was a coming of age story. (This sounds awful and I hate to even say it, considering I'm the mother of 3 daughters, but the teen sex "coming of age" part of the book was the most interesting and realistic part of the book.) This book was terribly slow. It flips between 14 year old Molly in NC to 38 year old Molly in San Diego. I don't know who is more annoying, the 14 year old or the 38 year old. On a plus note, while most of the characters in "Pretending to Dance" were very annoying/boring, there were a few who were really great, stand out characters. Russell, (Molly's father's aid) was my favorite. He was loving, kind, and very good to Molly and her family. Danielle was an amazing cousin, Molly was just too blind to see it. Nora and Amalea (Molly's adopted and birth mother) were both wonderful, once again, Molly was too blind and unforgiving to see it.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'll probably stick with Joshilyn Jackson. Or any book that has characters with actual personalities. Molly, her husband Aiden and Sienna, the girl they want an open adoption with, all have the personalities of sticks or pine combs.

How could the performance have been better?

I'm sure Susan Bennett did the best she could with what she had to work with. That being said, her voice was way to old for a 14 year girl.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Annoyance, I wanted to slap Molly.

Any additional comments?

This book is boring, falls short on all expectations. It just drones on and on and on. I stopped listening several times and only finished because I was on a long trip and had nothing else loaded on my iPhone. Molly is selfish, annoying, unforgiving and wastes 20 years of her life having no family, not because she doesn't have family, but because she cut them from her life. Also like I mentioned already, the overview eludes to a murder, a dead mother, the mysterious presence of Molly's birth mother. Wrong, wrong, wrong. If only ANY of this plot line would have existed, the book may have been good. There was no murder (simply a requested mercy death), no dead mother (Molly just told everyone her everyone she was dead) and lastly, "mysterious presence"? Oh we could only wish...instead, both Molly's birth mother and her adoptive mother coexist quite peacefully next door to each other. Boring.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 19 personas

Love love love

Revisado: 12-03-15

The book was great! I loved Frede, Nikki and Howard! The narrator was amazing. Can't wait to check out other works by the author and narrator.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Story was ok performance was not

Revisado: 11-23-15

The story is A little far-fetched but it's pretty good. I like to twist of the ending but the beginning is a little slow.

The narrator is terrible, maybe he does a good job with other books but he's totally wrong for this book and does a terrible, horrible job at women's voices.

There is a sex scene that literally made me laugh out loud that could have been written by an adolescent boy. In other words it was ridiculous, but Sandra Brown always seems to throw in a ridiculous sex scene that makes me say yeah right... Oh Sandra, if only orgasms were that easy...

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Extremely Predictable

Revisado: 11-03-15

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really well spent. I knew what was going to happen before it happened. Too preticable.

If you’ve listened to books by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke before, how does this one compare?

I've not and I don't think I would.

What didn’t you like about Amy McFadden’s performance?

The narrator was really bad. Her accent was odd. Very annoying. Her male voices were absolutely awful.

Did The Status of All Things inspire you to do anything?

Not read anything else by this narrator

Any additional comments?

I think this should have been in the teen genre. Very immature and predictable. I COULD NOT get passed the narrator. I don't think I even finished. I just skipped around toward the end and got the jist of it. $24 was way too expensive for this!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas