Gayle Hallgren-Rezac

Best Short Story Collection on Audio Bar None!

Revisado: 03-30-13

What did you love best about Close Range?

Don't even get me started on the amazing Annie Proulx and her powerful stories including those in Close Range. One short story is more amazing than the one before. But in this case, it's not just the writin', it's also the readin'.

I think when it comes to books most people probably say the same thing about audio books that they say when a book comes out as a movie: "The book was better." Not in this case. The narrators are splendid, they have the most wonderful voices. My vote would be that Francis Fisher, Bruce Greenwood and Campbell Scott just read all audio books ever produced. There are no better narrators.

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Gone Guy

Revisado: 03-30-13

If you could sum up The Financial Lives of the Poets in three words, what would they be?

Jess Walter's writing reminds me of Gone Girl. Funny, contemporary, "a male voice". (OK more than three words). Jess Walter is the male version of "chick lit" (and I mean it in a nice way). Not only is his storytelling is brilliant, he one of the best narrators. He has a great voice but Jess, please don't give up your day job writing books. I am waiting for your next one.

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Classic, well read.

Revisado: 03-30-13

What did you love best about East of Eden?

If you haven't read East of Eden, this audio version is very good. John Steinbeck's brilliance shines through in this epic story. The characters are truly unique. A hooker without a heart of gold is a woman not often described in such chilling way. This is classic American story well worth the time.

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Bernadette you lost me.

Revisado: 03-30-13

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Bernadette was such a difficult and unlikeable character that even with her cute kid as a sidekick the story fizzled. WIth audio books the author has to tell a great story with characters you care about or you fall asleep, which is easy to do in AudioBookland.

What would I change about the book? See para above.

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Masterful story, Masterful narration.

Revisado: 03-30-13

Would you listen to The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume 3 again? Why?

The story of how this book was finally completed is a tale itself. Paul Reid has done William Manchester proud. Winston Churchill was a fascinating and complex person with such a rich and long life that he is definitely a handful for any biographer. Between these two amazing authors this third volume of Churchill's life is told with effortless ease (which we know was not the case for the authors). And the narration is splendid. No 'eating the scenery'.

I would listen to it again, I will also read the book.

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Don't Have to Care About Beer to Enjoy this Story

Revisado: 03-29-13

What made the experience of listening to Bitter Brew the most enjoyable?

This history of Anheuser-Busch is fascinating, the wealth, the power and the disfunction. A very well-written, page turning history lesson. One character is more fascinating than the next. I am waiting for someone to do a cable series on this family.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Most of the characters were flawed and that made the story more compelling.

What does Peter Berkrot bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Peter Berkrot is an excellent narrator. Doesn't get in the way of the story, no over-acting.

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Interesting Story, I'm OK with Narrator

Revisado: 03-29-13

Would you listen to The Light Between Oceans again? Why?

It's an interesting story of a crossroads in the lives of two people and the consequences of an action. I loved the story being set at a lighthouse, the isolation, the dynamic between the husband and wife. I didn't feel as strongly about the narration as many other reviewers. Listen to a sample and decide for yourself.

I probably wouldn't read/listen to the book again, but I might go to a movie--right director, right actors...

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Waiting for the Quilt Code and it Never Happened

Revisado: 03-29-13

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I usually enjoy Tracy Chevalier's books but I kept waiting for the connection between the quilt making and the use of quilts as a code* used by the Underground Railroad to help slaves find their way to Canada and freedom. Here's a quote from Sarah Ives in a National Geographic article: "Two historians say African American slaves may have used a quilt code to navigate the Underground Railroad. Quilts with patterns named "wagon wheel," "tumbling blocks," and "bear's paw" appear to have contained secret messages that helped direct slaves to freedom, the pair claim." I wonder why this was not part of the story? It would have made for a much more compelling tale, and because this use of quilts and symbols are fairly well known, I would think other readers would have been waiting for the same thing.*Jacqueline Tobin and Raymond Dobard Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad

What was most disappointing about Tracy Chevalier’s story?

Waiting for Chevalier to make the 'quilt code' part of the story.

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

Didn't enjoy the narration all that much and the use of 'thy' and 'thee'. We got it that they were Quakers and this was distracting. Maybe it worked in the book, but not as an audio book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not, unless screenwriters super charged it.

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This is a Wow! story, and a true one.

Revisado: 01-08-12

Where does Lost in Shangri-La rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This tale ranks in the top 10% of the stories I have listened to over the past 2 years. Three of 24 souls survive the crash of of a C-47 sight-seeing moral-boosting flight in the fastness of Dutch New Guinea. The pilots discovered a high-altitude mountain lush 40-mile valley, inhibited by primitive but friendly (to them) natives. Survivors were stranded for 7 weeks, with nowhere for a plane to land, no trails or roads. How did they get out you ask? You won't believe it, but with Gliders! No kidding...

What other book might you compare Lost in Shangri-La to and why?

Unbroken, a WWII story of survival.

Which character ??? as performed by Mitchell Zuckoff ??? was your favorite?

The WAC Corporal and the Parachute Battalian Captain

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, just fascinated...

Any additional comments?

Would make a great movie today... Nicole Kidman could play the corporal

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Leadership Plus

Revisado: 12-18-05

By Darcy Rezac, Author: Work the Pond! I teach Leadership and The Secrets of Positive Networking. This is the best book on Leadership since Koestenbaum. Not only does Covey summarize key works on Leadership, he summarizes his own 7 habits. The power of finding your voice, stepping out of your comfort zone and empowering others to do the same is awesome. Covey's best book.

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