Colleen Calvert

How did I miss this book for so long?

Revisado: 07-18-17

This book exceeded my expectations and stands out as one of the best I've listened to and read in years. The audiobook is excellent but the tale was so riveting I also turned to reading when I wanted to move on more quickly. At 25 hours, there is plenty of opportunity to listen and read. I read somewhere that there are 40 cliffhangers in this story and I believe it. As a huge fan of Victoria fiction I don't know how I missed this book for so long. This book will have you hanging from the beginning to the end. Ian Holm does an impressive narration, rendering each character completely believable and some quite funny (for example, Frederick Fairlie) - the humour is very convincing even though the book was written more than 150 years ago. The writing style remains highly accessible to today's readers. It saddens me to think how long it might be before I read another book as good as this one.

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Compelling storyline and enjoyable

Revisado: 10-09-16

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would after the first couple of chapters. The window on discrimination meted out against so called 'sinners' (an unwed mother) and 'blacks' (an aboriginal man) felt authentic in its portrayal. So did the oppression of the small town against non-conformists and the lack of alternatives to pack up and leave in depression-era Tasmania. Some other elements of the plot were irritatingly predictable - the wounded, sensitive (handsome) small-town man versus the successful, insensitive (also handsome) snobbish London love interest of the modern-day protagonist. Thankfully, the rest of the story set in 1930s Scotland and Tasmania was sufficiently compelling to overlook the spoiler alert (not!) of the 'which one will she choose' sub-plot. Truthfully, I would classify this a chick-lit. Nevertheless, it is a much higher quality than the norm and a good listen for someone always on the lookout for lengthy audiobooks a cut above the norm.

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A rare, rich tale of 1860s New Zealand

Revisado: 10-09-16

I love historical fiction so this was a great find. The tale is complex. I recommend having both the audio and print versions on hand. At times I needed to refer back to the print text when I'd not grasped the intricacies of the plot. The diversity of characters is brought alive by the outstanding narration by Mark Meadows. I would put this book among my top ten favourite works of historical fiction. This gem stands out against the predictable and too often sentimental books which populate the best seller lists. Sit back and enjoy!

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Finished it but...

Revisado: 03-24-16

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

Be sure that you want to read about potential cannibalism. I don't. Had I realised that would be a prominent line of inquiry in the story, I'd have given it a pass. The historical setting was fascinating, but the psychopathic undertone was a bit more than I bargained for.

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A great book

Revisado: 03-24-16

Any additional comments?

I've been making my way through dozens of books of historical fiction, including many on both world wars, in the past couple of years. I'd put this one among the top I've read/listened to. I loved the portrayal of Dr Rivers especially. His compassion was moving; his total acceptance of his patients, when they could not accept themselves, was conveyed with great humanity. At the same time, his goal of getting men well again so that they could return to the front felt like a authentic portrayal of the times. The friendships and connections made by men emerging from broken, isolated states lent a glimmer of hope that it was possible to overcome the tragedies they had experienced. Over and over, I was struck with the evidence that the trauma that the WWI generation of men experienced was doomed to be repeated countless times in the next 100 years. Fast forward to today. Thankfully today we have a better - though far from adequate or perfect - understanding of war trauma and PTSD. I also listened to the following two in this trilogy but neither was the calibre of Regeneration. I would recommend the second but not the third in the trilogy.

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Soap Opera of the 18th Century

Revisado: 10-18-12

While the narration is excellent, I was highly disappointed by this well-known Jane Austen book. It can't hold a candle to the likes of Pride and Prejudice. I couldn't get through it and gave up after 20 chapters. The plot (if you could call it that) was soap opera like in its preoccupation with who was a good match for whom. These people seemed incredibly lacking in substance.

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Top notch all around

Revisado: 09-19-12

I just started reading and listening to John Irving. This guy is amazing. I loved so many things about this book. I love how human his characters; and their flaws make you love them the more. My daughter spent the first year of her life in an orphanage so I was super interested to read about institutional care, and Irving's portrayal of the mind of an orphan. Many characteristics resonated from my own experience. He has some unforgettable lines. This book is one of the best among the dozens I've listened to in the last two years.

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Interesting and worth listening too

Revisado: 09-19-12

I liked this book; it isn't a genre that I usually read or listen to much. I learned a lot about video games. I found the references to 1980s culture interesting but almost obsessive in its documentation. I came of age in the 1980s but many of the references were not familiar to me. I found that some of the gaming scenes were overly long, though they did convey effectively how deeply into imaginary worlds the characters had gone.

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Overrated and sentimental

Revisado: 09-19-12

I love dogs and this book started out well. But I found the plot too predictable and the book felt way too sentimental. After a particularly nasty twist in the story (I won't reveal it) I turned it off.

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Disappointing - I didn't finish listening

Revisado: 09-19-12

I stuck with this book for several chapters but finally dropped it. This seems like one of those highbrow award winners that lacks a good story. This may be judged to be top notch in terms of craft (I note that other reviewers admire how the story comes together... but I would have needed to get to the last chapter to understand that). I didn't feel like listening to a whole story I didn't find interesting to admire the job Egan does tying these stories together. I put this in the same category as Franzen's book "Freedom" - too much navel gazing. I read to enjoy and learn. Apart from the opening chapter about the kleptomaniac, from whom I learned a lot, neither was happening here.

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