Kelli Stone

Looong and Whiney

Revisado: 03-12-25

Interesting outline for a memoir. Definitely had potential but ends up being overly repetitive. I feel for the author but really, this narrative would have been better worked out with a solid therapist. Not that her vulnerability isn’t appreciated. It is. It’s just too long with the same message repeated over and over. So sorry for what happened to the author on multiple occasions with multiple perpetrators. Maybe better as a short form essay or article.

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Just plain silly

Revisado: 05-02-24

One of the silliest little books I’ve listened to since joining Audible years ago. Shallow, predictable plot. Performance not much better. Do not recommend.

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Amateurish Writing - Screeching Narrator

Revisado: 09-17-23

I enjoyed this book less than any I’ve read since subscribing to Audible in 2016. The writing is really poor. The endless conversations with the “voice” were so overused and unbelievable. The narrator literally screamed. She didn’t mimic screaming so the listener understood the emotion of the various situations. She screamed, often in a high, shrill, voice. I’m finishing the book primarily because I’m stubborn. So glad it’s almost over!

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Shallow, predictable plot with grating narration

Revisado: 03-08-23

I went back to see if this book was categorized as a YA read. It is not. It just seems that way. I'm not sure if it's because of the underdeveloped characters or the terrible narration but honestly, it's a perfect storm of unpleasantness. The performer's pronunciation and tones were so hard to listen to. I made it to the end. That is all.

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Brilliantly Written and Read

Revisado: 08-18-20

I tried to describe this novel to a friend and found it virtually impossible. I found it frustrating, being unable to explain the details this author tackles to describe the complexities involved in the sexual abuse of Vanessa. Then I stopped trying to describe it to my friend. Only Kate Elizabeth Russell and Grace Gummer can do that.

It is overly simplistic to say Vanessa was sexually abused and Kate Elizabeth Russell knows this. Nothing is simple in the mind of a fifteen year old, especially when she's lured into a sexual relationship with an adult who has expertise in convincing teenage girls to become involved with him. I love it that this author is bold enough to illustrate that the feelings of a teenage victim are very complex. They aren't good/bad, white/black, happy/sad - they're often a jumbled mess of confusion and it's this "mess" that prevents so many people from understanding that they are/were victims of an incredibly skilled perpetrator. Sometimes the abusive relationship feels good but that doesn't make the relationship "OK" and this author isn't afraid to describe the parts that seemingly feel good. It's clear to see that Vanessa is physically and emotionally standing very near a cliff's edge. As the reader, we see this but we watch as confusing and often conflicting waves wash over Vanessa, one after the other.

I love it that this author breaks out of the cliches associated with this type of relationship and allows the characters to express their honest feelings. As the reader, we can see that the logic expressed by Vanessa and employed by Strane is hopelessly flawed but we also see that the characters, probably just Vanessa but perhaps Strane as well truly believe the things they are feeling and saying. It also must have been tough for the author to illustrate indirectly how the relationship with Strane negatively impacts Vanessa's life. We see it in her friendships, her relationships with her parents, her education, her career, her ability to maintain anything close to a "normal" adult relationship with a partner. It would have been easy to state these impacts directly but the author allows them to slowly evolve. We see Vanessa grow up and move into her young adult years and it's in the author's character development that we see the sacrifice of Vanessa at the hands of Strane.

As I neared the end of the book, I found myself wondering how it would end. It ends perfectly. I won't state the ending in the event someone reads this review before reading the book but I can tell you how it made me feel for Vanessa. I felt hopeful for her.

I can't say enough about the performance of this book. Grace Gummer becomes Vanessa but she doesn't struggle with the many others who make up this story. Gummer expresses a grand range of emotions seen in the book's characters, especially with Vanessa. She is spot on in expressing Vanessa's shyness, boldness, hesitancy, anger, confusion, frustration, jealousy and so many other emotions. The combination of this narrator, this story, and this author is absolute perfection.

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Riveting story - Narration needs work

Revisado: 09-25-19

This book is a bit different than many of the true crime titles that are available. The author presents a number of views of heinous crimes. He writes openly about how the crimes he investigated affected him as well as his relationship with his family. This author brings the perspective of taking on empathy for the accused in efforts to gain more information than would be gained by approaching the task in other ways. I like it that the author risks criticism by offering insight into how an offender could become an offender. It doesn't mean he has any less sympathy for the victims of the crime. Any information that can be gathered about how early experiences affect behavior are critical if we are to fully understand the criminal mind. This book is unique in that it dares to take the time to try and understand why some of the offenders behave as they do.

The narrator's tone didn't "fit" with the subject matter. He approached the book as if he were reading a textbook. He brought very little emotion to the performance which is a shame because the author included a strong emotional component in his writing. Overall, I recommend the book - just try and overlook the performance. Kevin Pierce would have done an excellent job. He's great with this subject matter.

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Helpful Hint for Those Suffering Thru This Narr

Revisado: 08-28-18

In complete transparency, I haven't yet finished this book I'm about half way through it. The story is riveting. The book is so well written. Unfortunately the narrator is almost impossible to listen to. Other reviewers have captured my thoughts about him so I won't repeat them here. Here's some good news though. If you're using the Audible app, you can increase the narration speed up to 1.25 and it's better. It eliminates the ill placed - I guess intended to be - dramatic pauses and even helps a bit with the odd voice inflections. Doesn't do a thing for the mispronunciations though. I guess Scott Brick or some of the other masters weren't available for this Pulitzer Prize winner.....???? Sooooooo disappointed after waiting on this book for so long.

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Soooo Very Loooooooong

Revisado: 10-04-17

The very best part of this book: Scott Brick. He's awesome. I love his performances in crime - both true and fiction. I felt so bad for him though, having to read this book. It has a great story - the plot is good.......however it contains so many meaningless rabbit holes that add no value to the plot, character development, or general mood creation. I wanted to fast forward through so many parts of this novel because they added absolutely nothing.

I couldn't stand the protagonist. I felt like the author was trying to create a character who was sarcastic in a likable way. He missed that mark altogether. I caught myself audibly groaning at some of his quips, jokes, and puns. Constant adolescent references to his genitalia didn't help matters, nor did his description of women. His "wit" was so misplaced and unconvincing. The constant jokes reminded me of a comedian I recently saw who told only a few jokes during his performance that were sort of funny, but he repeated the punch lines over and over to the point it was almost awkward. Same situation with this book. After a while, they're all just the same joke.

I found myself in such a predicament. As stated, the story was good but I had to wade thru so much muck to get to the end. I wanted to see how things were solved, but it was so hard to get there. I found myself too far in to turn back. This book is like quicksand.

I would not recommend this book unless you can find an abridged version that teases out all the meaningless blather. Its' a good story - just takes too long to get to the point.

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Very moving, thought provoking,

Revisado: 04-12-17

I read true crime. I chose this book on a whim. I am so glad I stepped out of my genre. This book is powerful. It's a thought provoking exploration of relationships between friends, husbands and wives, parents and children, rekindled friendships and loss. The author tells the story from different perspectives, rotating back and forth, past and present in a way that she artfully weaves a tale that draws you in to the point that you don't want to stop listening. I love a book that really delves into how others think and why they behave the way they do and this book is all of that. Don't even get me started on the narrator. How many ways can I say he is INCREDIBLE. I would say that he really "makes" the book but that isn't true because the book is already made. The story and the narrator make a great combination. He did such incredible justice to the voices of each of the characters. Can't think of anything I could say that needs changing about any of this work. I loved it!

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The "In Cold Blood" of our time

Revisado: 10-15-16

What made the experience of listening to The Stranger Beside Me the most enjoyable?

Rule did an absolutely amazing job of examining Bundy from multiple perspectives. It was as if she switched between multiple brains to examine his character. She struck the perfect balance between understanding and analyzing along with sympathy for all involved parties while holding Bundy accountable for his actions.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rule - Her multiple perspectives

Did Lorelei King do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She definitely differentiated between the characters by changing her voice but I found it distracting. Female voices were very childlike and the southern accents were off. At times I felt as if I were listening to a children''s storybook being read by my teacher which is way off from this subject matter.

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