Up North

Amazing Food Stories and History

Revisado: 06-25-24

Great book, but read it - don’t listen to the audio version. The reader has no idea how to pronounce Japanese words, and the book is filled with Japanese terminology and locations. The mispronunciations were distracting and confusing.

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Pedantic and dry. Written 50 yes ago.

Revisado: 04-12-23

I thought it would be good to learn about Hawaiian mythology before traveling there. However, this book a 50 year old academic treatise, and it sounds like that. It is a dry and pedantic list of Hawaiian gods who battled here and there, then battled more. I don’t get any sense of how the mythology influenced culture.

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Delightful story with an unusual twist

Revisado: 10-07-16

What made the experience of listening to Clockwork the most enjoyable?

The story is charming. An intriguing story, like an old German fairytale, with bits of magic and old-time craftsmanship. Very cleverly written, and very well read.

What did you like best about this story?

Both the story and the reading were excellent.

Have you listened to any of Anton Lesser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I will definitely look for longer works by this author.

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Uninspired with a whining main character

Revisado: 09-25-16

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

I did listen to the whole book, but I sometimes questioned whether it was worth it. The story had many thinly veiled parallels to Harry Potter - the unloved child going to wizard school, groups of students in forms, a 'sport' in which the forms compete and which the whole school comes to watch, a device for performing magic (though not wands), and a nasty professor who gives unfair homework to the hero. There were some creative ideas, though... enough to keep me listening.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader was good at evoking characters, but the whole story was told from the voice of a whiny adolescent. It was told as stream of consciousness and the whining became tiresome after a while. It might have worked better in text than audio. As an audio book, it would have been better to not hear the main character's voice so much.

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Terrific story, great reading!

Revisado: 04-05-15

Would you listen to Raisins and Almonds again? Why?

Absolutely! There was so much interesting detail about Judaic culture in early 20th century Australia. The first time I listened for the story, the second listening would be to pay attention to culture and characters.

What other book might you compare Raisins and Almonds to and why?

Most of the Phryne Fisher stories are fundamentally the same: Phryne learns as much as possible about a culture, group of people or individual and uses that knowledge and the good will she has earned by treating everyone decently to solve the puzzle. But each book is different and interesting for the culture it explores.

Have you listened to any of Stephanie Daniel’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think Stephanie Daniel reads all the Phryne Fisher books and she does a superb job! Each voice is distinct and you learn a lot about the character simply from the voice. She does female and male, upper class and lower all equally well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending was sweet. I can't explain why without giving away some of the mystery, but Phryne uses her sensitivity to culture and people, and her attention to detail to finally solve the mystery. This shows Phryne's respect for all people and all cultures.

Any additional comments?

I love the whole Phryne Fisher series, and will it will be sad when I've listened to them all.

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Phryne is awesome, as always!

Revisado: 04-05-15

If you could sum up Murder in Montparnasse in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, clever, fun

What did you like best about this story?

How the different mysteries intertwined in the end. A bit contrived, but fun nonetheless. I like how Kerry Greenwood describes different cultures - often focusing on one or two in each book. This book provided detailed descriptions of France during the war, and the Orkney Islands.

Which character – as performed by Stephanie Daniel – was your favorite?

Phryne, of course! Who wouldn't want to be clever, courageous and beautiful like her?

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Family is everything"

Any additional comments?

All the Phryne Fisher books are terrific, and Stephanie Daniel is a superb reader.

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Disappointed with the voices

Revisado: 04-05-15

Would you try another book from Kerry Greenwood and/or Louise Siversen?

I am a devoted fan of Phryne Fisher and recently started reading and enjoying the Corinna Chapman series. This was my first audio book for the Corinna Chapman series and I was very disappointed with the reading. The voices for the male characters (Daniel and Jason) were so low and husky it made them seem like unintelligent charicatures, which they are not. I couldn't even finish listening to the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Corinna, of course, because she is clever. Jason because he has overcome such odds and is a good kid that life has treated badly.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Louise Siversen?

I adore Stephanie Daniel, who reads Phryne Fisher, though I realise her aristocratic voice might not be suited for Corinna.

Could you see Devil's Food being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Could be good.

Any additional comments?

I'll go back to reading these in paper format.

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Delightful story well told

Revisado: 05-05-13

Would you consider the audio edition of The Night Circus to be better than the print version?

I have not ready the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Night Circus?

Each time we see how Celia and Marco create things in the circus for one-another.

Which character – as performed by Jim Dale – was your favorite?

I really enjoyed Celia - I loved her natural ability and grace and identified with her insecurities.

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

Very much - I'd turn the story on even if I only had a few minutes to listen, and it distracted me from things I should have been doing.

Any additional comments?

A well crafted story with interesting characters. I felt like a Muggle getting a hint that true magic might actually exist, even if I am not aware of it in my daily life. Delightful!

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