HSB

Great book but terrible performance

Revisado: 10-25-24

The performance is monotonous and downright boring, which is so contrary to the story and the continuity of the series. What a shame….

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Powerful, impactful, well written and beautifully performed

Revisado: 09-25-24

I knew of Cory Richards’ career as a mountaineer and NG photographer, and I’d heard of “addiction issues”, or was it “mental health issues”….? Richards wrote a viscerally honest book about his life and mental health, the challenges of his childhood and adulthood. He weaves adroitly between various periods and episodes of his life, and the vivid memories they left. It’s a gripping account, and a very well written one at that. Richards is a gifted writer and reader, his intellect is obvious, and the intensity with which he goes through life is palpable. This is a memorable “listen”.

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Fedarko is one of the best adventure/outdoors narratives writers

Revisado: 07-18-24

Excellent narrative with a good dose of well-researched history, entertaining and very well written. Fedarko is also a wonderful reader, very pleasant to listen to. His other book “A Walk in the Park” is equally great! Can’t wait for his next book!

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Disappointing

Revisado: 06-03-24

Uneven - some essays are interesting but don’t go deep enough, while others are rather boring and not particularly engaging. I was expecting more, as I find Amy compelling when I watch her on Jeopardy. I was expecting a lot more…

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Written for Chardonnay-drinking soccer moms…

Revisado: 03-06-24

Disappointing. Characters are cliché, superficial, and the plot wraps up remarkably fast and with seemingly rapid emotional resolution. It’s a nice light beach read, but not much else. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, their actions seemed silly and their relationships predictably bad, based on the lack of moral fiber and backbone they exhibited from the first page. Perhaps a good reflection of life in LA - hopefully not. If meant as a satire, meh… not well delivered. If meant as a sympathetic commentary on life for middle-aged women with teenaged kids in a social media-dominated world, meh… boring…
Performance note: all the “men” voices sound creepy, even the ones for characters we are supposed to like.

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Good effort for first novel but lacks depth

Revisado: 01-11-24

I wanted to like this first novel by V. Chan, but found it superficial. The characters are not sufficiently developed, and an opportunity was missed to provide much richer context as to what life in Malaya was like before, during and after the war. There is just enough there to give the reader some idea of what it must have been like, but it’s thin at best. I didn’t really feel or believe the passion that led to the main character becoming a spy, and we barely register what kind of information is turned over to the enemy by this spy. It seems inconsequential to history - was it? Yet we are supposed to believe that everything that happened to the family was the result of those actions. The lack of depth and richness of the story in the early pages carries through to the end. This will not be a memorable book or story for me.
The performance is grating at times, when the reader takes on various voices and accents that are not always accurate and sometimes are just plain annoying.
The writing itself is uneven. At times, there are sentences that hint at the potential for better, more melodious prose. But those sentences are lost amongst the rest of the book. It’s not badly written - it just doesn’t quite stand out.
Overall - frankly I was hoping for more after seeing an interview with the author. She mentioned that the more she was writing, the more the story was coming to her. And perhaps that’s why it feels like the story is thin. It’s a historical novel where the author doesn’t really dive into history all that much.
I do hope Vanessa Chan keeps writing and targets a second novel. I think she has the potential for a better novel after getting her feet (very) wet with this first book.

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Beautiful story, made alive by the performance

Revisado: 11-25-23

A masterful story, poetic, beautifully written. The performance is equal to the task. A sweeping epic with great symbolism, crossing geographies and histories, through characters that are well developed and unique. Loved it.

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Gripping, deep, and a great performance

Revisado: 06-03-23

A suspenseful thriller from start to finish, with depth and gravitas. Meaningful and interesting characters, great storytelling, and a wonderful performance by the narrator. Highly recommended.

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Excellent performance, well-written story, enjoyable and gripping!

Revisado: 04-14-23

Weber’s performance makes the story come to life. The plot is good, well spun, and the characters interesting. It doesn’t pretend to be unpredictable, and that’s fine, because the story develops gradually, and with just the right amount of consistent suspense. Enjoyed it a lot!

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Great story but easy to get lost in the narrative

Revisado: 06-09-22

I love historical narratives like this, with compelling people and a fascinating piece of history. This is a great story. I found the writing can meander a little, and I got lost a few times trying to remember where I had gotten to in the overall journey. I had to listen to some chapelets twice to get situated again. But still, I learned about an event that took place in WWII about which I had not heard anything before.

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