Brit in Asheville

thoroughly compelling read

Revisado: 07-28-19

When I told my husband I was reading this, he was very surprised. I don't read the WSJ; in fact I don't read even the business section of any newspaper. Startups, stock options, Silicon Valley - it doesn't come anywhere near my interest radar. I don't even generally like non fiction. So why select this? I am interested in stories with a health/medicine theme. But mostly, I relied heavily on the 5 star reviews. I was not disappointed. This was a masterpiece of investigative journalism, writing and storytelling. It was like a crime thriller and I listened to the entire book in 3 days. I was rooting for the whistleblowers and hoping the lying cheating CEO and Theranos' loyal investors got their comeuppance. It was utterly compelling. I heard that a film is going to based on the story and Jennifer Lawrence will play Holmes.

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beautifully written but rather a downer

Revisado: 03-06-16

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As so many reviewers noted, this is a little and tragic life. The life of Jude, the central character, who was abused as a child, physically and sexually. The details slowly emerge through the book of his tormentors and the often hard-to-believe-this-could-actually-happen (except we know it does) events. Because of childhood, Jude suffers enormous pain and disabilities. But worse, is the unfolding of his mental state and the anguish he experiences as result of these experiences. We watch helplessy as his mental anguish intensifies and he causes himself further pain and suffering.
I gave the book only 4 stars because of its unrelenting sense of doom - there is hardly a light hearted moment to relax in. It is disturbing and I was not always in the mood to face feeling desperation over Jude's condition. True, there are wonderful relationships to enjoy when Jude is an adult - with his adopted parents, with his lover, with his doctor, with his friends in general and with his mentor at work. They are so solid and giving and Jude is bathed in such amazing support and unconditional love, that it was at times as hard for me to relate to this aspect of his life, as it was to relate to his childhood.
Jude's three college friends feature in varying degrees throughout the book and I also found it implausible that each goes on to achieve hugely successful careers. Especially given that two of them are in the arts/theatre world. They are not just good at their work but go on to achieve fame and fortune - what are the odds - all four of them superstars?
No matter what faults I had with the story, there is no doubting the expertise of Yanagihara's writing. Exquisite details and powerful descriptions of people and events certainly kept me hooked throughout.

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fifty hours but never a dull moment!

Revisado: 05-10-15

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I had seen the movie but years and years ago and I frankly couldn't remember all the twists and turns. I enjoyed immensely learning so much about the South, the civil war (being British I did not learn about it in school), slavery and the role of women in society during this era. I found the characters compelling and the journey that the reader takes - through romances, deaths, poverty, extravagance, deceit, honor - engrossing. The narrator managed wonderful accents and had great acting skill. But what has lingered with me the most is the ending - it is such a real life ending. So often novels end with that fictional all's well with the world. This did not. Scarlet got some of what she had hungered for and lost so much more. Rhett true to character gave up the ghost of loving her and moved on. It was a stunning ending but it was so beleivable and refreshing. It's a long long book - 50 hours - but such a great experience.

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at times makes you wince; at times makes you laugh

Revisado: 02-19-15

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I don't know if I want to congratulate the author the narrator more. They both did an excellent job. I found it painful listening to Hildy's "jackpot" moments - moments when the drinking was most definitely not social nor moderate. But I found her gutsy and saucy personality likeable and funny and her description of life in this small New England town and its cast of characters residents thoroughly entertaining. For a book that has no murder mystery element, it was a real page turner.

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will be a great movie!

Revisado: 11-14-14

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A story of a quadriplegic man who lived his pre-injury life in the fast lane and his sweet, carefree but not very adventurous or ambitious caregiver. Set in England, I was drawn to read this because it is so familiar to me - being British - the description of the local castle and its tea rooms and the conversations the family has etc etc. I had a trip down memory lane and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story was a warm somewhat predictable one but kudos to the author for keeping the reader in suspense about the direction the quadriplegic main character will choose until the last chapter. Funny and warm and sad and at times thought provoking - this is not high brow literature but its an enjoyable read and the narration was excellent.

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Wine women and song = page after page

Revisado: 06-16-14

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The story of Hemmingway as told through the voice of his first wife, Hadley. I felt I was going to learn a lot about a great American author whom I knew little about and whose work I was not very familiar with. I learned Hemingway is not a likeable man - A womanizer to the point where he expected his wife to move in with him and his lover and enjoy the 'conveniences' of the threesome. An alcoholic - every event every day is described in terms of the drink that accompanied it - champagne breakfasts, absinthe with friends etc etc. I reserve judgement on his novels as I am about to start The sun also rises.
The Paris Wife limps along from one scene to the next showing Hemingway indulging in wine, women and song. We move from one town to the next to explore which women he was lusting after and which drinks he was partaking of. I marveled at the patience of his wife, grew irritated at him and his faults, and wished the book would come to an end.

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disappointing

Revisado: 06-23-13

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I read reviews of this and with great anticipation bought the book - couldn't wait to delve into these pages - Mantel is lauded as a wonderful writer and this period of history has always been fascinating to me. I admit, it was disappointing. Extra stars to Vance who told the story masterfully and has a wonderful voice. But Mantel's style wasn't music to my ears. I found some of the descriptions of court politics tedious and the numerous characters - apart from the key players - hard to keep separate. Especially irritating was this use of the pronoun 'he' followed by the name 'Cromwell'. What an awkward construction! Why not use simply 'Cromwell', unless the use of 'he' is clear who it refers to?

I am a great fan of historical fiction and was hoping to discover a new favourite author - but it's back to Ken Follett for me!

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Another amazing accomplishment for Follett

Revisado: 04-22-13

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LOL that someone described Follett and Lee, the narrator, as the Dream Team. That's it in a nutshell. I read (listened) to Follett's Pillars of the Earth and marvelled at how he took an era and wove together such remarkable human interest stories with a text book of historical facts. He did the same with Fall of Giants. Incredible detail about the war and life at the time, but presented in such an easy to digest fashion, following the interwoven lives of aristocracy in Europe, miners from Wales.and assorted characters in the US. It is a long read (listen) but it is captivating and interesting from start to finish. Follett and Lee have managed double-handedly (does such a word exist?) to make me a convert of historical fiction.

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a slow and monotonous story

Revisado: 04-22-13

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Did Tim Robbins, an actor I admire, read this book so incredibly slowly because it is short and he wanted to spin it out to 5 hours? Did he use the same monotone voice for almost all the characters because he forgot his acting skills? And why did he talk so quietly into the microphone that I had to turn the volume way up to catch it all?
I know this book is a classic and I never read it growing up so felt it was time to see what the hype was all about. I still don't know but I do look forward to seeing the movie and perhaps - contrary to the usual scenario - I will enjoy the movie more than the book.

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Historical fiction great read

Revisado: 02-23-13

If you could sum up The Kitchen House in three words, what would they be?

Great historical fiction

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I learned so much about this era and the lives of the slaves on plantations in the south. Fascinating, sad and at times appalling. There were a lot of characters in the story - every female character seems to have a new baby every other chapter and it was a bit hard to keep everyone straight ! But I realized you only need to keep the relationships of the main characters in order - who fathered whom -.
The ending is bitter sweet and our heroine Lavinia doesnt end up with her all ducks in a row - happy marriage, beautiful children and wonderful home. So for that I was grateful as the story took on a more realistic tone. There is tragedy, there is heartache, decisions and actions go wrong. But you don;t drown in the misery of the lives of slaves - you learn how family can be comprised of people who arent biologically related and that these bonds can withstand many tests.
Really enjoyed the Irish narrator, Cassidty, who brought the character of the small irish immigrant girl, Lavinia, to life.

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