Maria

Wraps Around You Like Warm Blanket

Revisado: 08-30-13

Using a deceptively simple presentation, Aaron Paul Lazar serves this story of a young Gus LeGarde 11, like a refreshing savory meal. He brings us back to the 60's, a time before the prevalence of electronics and fast food and crazy schedules. The children in this story play and explore and feel their power. They are free in ways our culture has since forgotten.

The plot centers around Gus' coming of age, his crush on a 15 year old girl, watching "To Kill a Mockingbird" with his parents and his subsequent emotions and questions (he asks his parents what rape is), his friendship with German-raised 10 year old twins, the children's adventures in trying to find a terrified young girl they had seen fleeing from a drunken man, mysteries around valuable missing religious artifacts and life at his grandfather's camp.

Aaron's gentle spirit comes through in his writing even with the complex subject matter. It's like he's serving a good meal on a tray and wants to be sure that we will like it.

I read the other reviews and wonder if some of the more critical ones don't miss the point a bit. Can't it be okay to enjoy ourselves wandering through the summer with these children, coming of age with them? I am fairly new to Aaron's writing style and am enjoying the pace with it's richness of sensation and weaving of characters and scenes both those he creates on his own and those he brings in from his past. Who hasn't had a situation, if not exactly the same at least in the same genre, in which he remembers his dad chasing bats around the house in his boxers and then recaptures so delightfully in Tremolo?

Aaron generously gives of himself while he creates a world for us to wander in and around, enjoying adventures with his characters.

Erik Synnestvedt's narration in the audio version of Tremelo is in my opinion, perfect. This is true you see, because it draws attention to the story being narrated and not to Erik himself. Thank you Asron and Erik for this little trip down memory lane. It's like I got, for a moment, to be a child again albeit with some nearly harrowing adventures!

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Write Like the Wind 1; Motivating Writing!

Revisado: 05-28-13

A writing book from one of my newly-favortie authors, Aaron Paul Lazar. Sage advice from seasoned author Aaron Paul Lazar allows the rest of us to jump ahead and incorporate into our own writing, lessons that he had to learn the hard way.

Aaron Paul Lazar details the lists of writing do's and don't that he has gleaned while interspersing vignettes from his own life to help us get a pictures of what it is acutally like, in the life of a real person, to write.

The only downside of the book is that he shows us how undeniably human he is and therefore he leaves none of us an "out" for not getting that novel we have been planning on writting or for its not being at least well on the way to being completed.

Aaron Paul Lazar works full time as an engineer, traveling an hour and a half each day for work. He has primary care for the running of his household, makes his wife, children and extended family his first priorities, lavishes care on his beautiful gardens, and exercises daily. And he finds time to write, daily. Several family members have serious health concerns that he deals with with loving conscientiousness (yes, I do know this personally). And he finds time to write, daily.

I have already begun using some of the suggestions in this book in my own writing (no, I don't write daily but I am writing more frequently). Aaron's enthusiasm for life and for his family and for his envronment come through in his writing pushing the reader to be more alive and aware and excited to be writing. This book is appropriate for beginning through moderately advanced writers.

This is an easy book to listen to in the a audiobook verson. The narrator George Kuch, brings Aaron Paul Lazar's words to life. He performs this book well making it a pleasure to listen to.

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There should be a higher rating possible

Revisado: 05-26-13

Essentially Yours is only the second Aaron Paul Lazar audiobook I have had the pleasure of listening to. From the opening scene I was riveted. Marcella's friend Callie receives a box from her long-lost brother and Marcella's one time lover Sky, that catapults them into a hair-raising adventure. There is a delightful tension between Marcella's husband, Quinn and the other characters that runs through the otherwise serious adventure showing Aaron Paul Lazar at the top of his game.

He incorporates his love of family and nature and even pulls a little supernatural experience into the story in a smooth style that can only be accompllished by a master writer. The tone of the story varies from intense action to coffee-spewing funny to sweet and weaves back and forth between these without noticible segues.

Essentially Yours is performed by Hannah Seussy who slides right into the narration bringing to life each character with such spirit that makes it hard to imagine another narrator doing justice so precisely. I am not sure that my coffee would have been in such spewing-danger had there been another narrator.

I have been an avid audiobook reader/listener for over 21 years and I will surely be choosing more Aaron Paul Lazar books now. This tightly written book will pull you in and give you a thoroughly enjoyable time!

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Charming Whodunit

Revisado: 05-21-13

Where does Upstaged rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An avid audiobook listener, I found Upstaged to be a multi-faceted mystery book. Aaron Lazar brings his characters to life and makes his villans vile and helps us love the good guys. As I live in the same vicinity as Aaron, it was fun to be able to meander with his characters in my mind as they went to different places that I know.

Which character – as performed by Robert King Ross – was your favorite?

I loved that there are such a variety of characters - Cindy and Siegfried who have disabilities but are not defined by what they cannot do. I wondered if Aaron knew some of the mom's in my hometown when I read about Agnes Bigelow the mentally unstable stage mother. His kindness and tolerance come through his writings in his dealings of the gay young man, Nelson Santos.

Robert King Ross' rich voice is the perfect vehicle for spiriting one into the world of Gus LeGarde.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and I nearly did!

Any additional comments?

Upstaged is not so much written as orchestrated by Aaron Lazary. He brings so many disparate characters and situations together that the book mimics the bumps and traversings on the road of life. Gus LeGarde is helping out with a musical and getting married while he is remembering about the wife he lost and while working full time. We are treated to songs sung by the beautiful voice of Aaron's daughter Melanie woven throughout the book. There are beautiful scenes and delicious dinners. But most of all there is the pervasive kindness and love for other beings that permeates the book.

This was my first introduction to the writings of Aaron Lazar. My first order of business after finishing this review is to load my Ipod with more or his writings!

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