J.Chin

Good story narrator mispronounced place names hundreds of times so distracting

Revisado: 10-04-23

Enjoyed the story and details a lot. Narrator mis-pronounced place names hundreds or maybe thousands of times which was extremely distracting particularly if you’re familiar with them. A couple of those are San Jacinto and Tahquitz. Her voice was pleasant though.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

I'm not even a climber, but I enjoyed it a lot

Revisado: 11-04-19

I particularly like books narrated by the author, and this is one of those. This is subtly about a relationship between father and daughter, also educational about climbing. I thought it might be boring, but it was free and outdoors, so decided to try it. I was fully interested all the way through this short book. I found myself imagining myself climbing with them or watching...I could imagine myself there and feel the pain or the fear or the triumph with them. I found it uplifting overall.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Told in recordings by the investigators & victims

Revisado: 11-30-18

Exceptionally well-told by actual recordings of the various investigators, victims, and family members involved in the story, with great detail - one of the best audiobooks I've heard...and I've been listening for years.

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Inspiring Story; narrator mispronounces key words

Revisado: 11-05-18

As a walker, and someone who enjoys learning about California history, I enjoy the story very much. The beginning, about dealing with cancer, is interesting too and told in an upbeat and hopeful way.

Overall, I think the narrator has a pleasant voice, is easy to listen to, and generally does a good job. However, she repeatedly mispronounces key Spanish names of people and places. For example, Junipero Serra is a well-known historical person whose name comes up often, and anyone familiar with California and its history - anyone who went to 4th grade in California - or anyone with any knowledge of Spanish pronunciation should know how to pronounce the name, but this name that comes up often in the story is always mis-pronounced. And some of the names of the missions and cities that are key to the story are also mis-pronounced, as well as common Spanish words, like chollo being mispronounced. It distracts and detracts from the story, as it comes up repeatedly, and brings to the listener's attention that the narrator is not the author, and is likely not from California, and didn't go to the effort to check the pronunciation of key historical people and places.

Still, I do enjoy learning the story, and recommend the story for people interested in long distance walking, and in California history, but I now wish I had read it rather than listening, as the mispronunciation is pretty distracting and annoying. I think that the producers also should have paid attention to this, as the equivalent of editing or proofreading a written book.

I hope the story with be re-recorded someday, by someone who has a knowledge of Spanish pronunciation. Or, perhaps this narrator could learn the correct pronounciations and those portions could be edited in this recording.

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Could have been story of triumphing over adversity

Revisado: 10-20-18

Both the narrator and the author made this a depressing story, emphasizing all the adversity in Laura's life, and more than that, Rose's negativity and failings. The book seems to be more about Rose than about Laura.

Laura did have a lot of adversity in her life, but it could have been presented in a positive way, about a woman who kept going, who kept finding ways to support herself and her family, who didn't cave in, who helped others, who educated herself, who did what it took to survived, and who thrived.

The tone of voice of the narrator was dull, matter-of-fact, depressing. Without hope in it.

I would have quit before halfway through, except that it was a book my mother splurged on for me to read...and I wanted to tell her I finished it...but not wanting to devote that much time to it, listened while doing other things.

I have been reading both Laura's books, and books about her by others for more than 50 years, I am familiar with her history. And I often enjoy books about people who triumph over adversity. I hope someone else writes this story emphasizing how she kept hope, how she kept on keeping on, how she taught herself endlessly what she needed to do to survive.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Highly inspirational, as well as educational

Revisado: 08-04-18

I found this to be a highly inspirational story, a 'page turner', that I didn't want to pause. It was also very educational and I think should be required reading in high school, to understand this part of our U.S. History better. I am not even a football fan, but found the play-by-plays exciting and enjoyable, too. I highly recommend this book. Aside from the story, the narrator was excellent, too, and it was very easy to listen to.

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Author-narrated/well-written - yet abridged

Revisado: 06-28-16

What did you love best about In Contempt?

It was good to hear this narrated by the author, and good to hear the story from his viewpoint.

Any additional comments?

Beware, though, this is advertised as unabridged, yet it is only less than 3 hrs. and at the end it says abridged.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas