CFutch

Watch me return this audiobook

Revisado: 06-03-21

The premise of the book intrigued me enough to buy it. The actual book did not intrigue me at all. There was too much florid prose, too much gratuitous vocabulary, too much ‘telling’ and not enough ‘showing’. I haven’t read Janelle Browns before so maybe this book is an anomaly, but I was underwhelmed by the shallow, poorly drawn characters and the overall lack of good story telling. It just seemed lazy and formulaic. I actually skipped ten chapters of the audiobook to see where it was going and fast forwarded to the ending hoping I’d want to go back and read the rest. Nope. I could figure out exactly what had happened by the characters’ stereotypical inner chatter, and the “plot twist” epilogue was not much of a surprise. I didn’t care what happened to any of these people. No need to spend more time here.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Story and narration so flawless, could be supernatural ;)

Revisado: 11-05-20

Too often when I read or listen to a book, I’m bored by tropes and simple plots. I can see the ending coming a mile away and don’t care enough about the characters or the setting or the writing to wait it out. This book is the antithesis of those. I loved the style and the characters, the history and settings, and not once could I predict plot or ending. And even if I could have, the story telling is so lush and rich I would have stayed on the ride for the sheer joy of it. It was supernatural enough without asking me to but into a new world or odd mythology. It was so very human. And it was historic. I am ready to read everything by this author now. And the narration was equally amazing - each character was voiced distinctly without becoming a caricature. All Five Stars!

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Might read on paper, not great as audio

Revisado: 02-27-20

I like the premise of this book, and I think I might get something out of it if I read it myself, but I’m not enjoying it or engaged by it as an audiobook.

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Beautiful, Delightful, Funny and Deep

Revisado: 09-17-19

I didn’t know what to expect with this book. I’d tried to read A Man Called Ove and put it down. But this book kept popping up on my suggestion list. I liked the way the narrator read in the sample and was intrigued by the description, so I gave it a go. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more! It’s a wonderfully woven story of family, all sorts of family, time through the eyes of a very different, intelligent, precocious but down to earth girl named Elsa. At no point did it become treacley or pat or preposterous. I was mesmerized throughout by Elsa and the other characters, and her relationships with them. And Frederik Bachman’s writing is the kind I would love to emulate as a writer, complex in its simplicity and approachability. A true gem of a story.

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Too confusing in audio format

Revisado: 02-11-19

I listen to audio books mainly in the car and on the plane. I bought this highly rated book during the 2for1 promotion. I wouldn’t call myself a light reader by a long shot, but I had a hard time following the narrative in audio. It jumped back and forth on the timeline so frequently I was never sure where or when I was. I think this book has promise and it has some excellent recommendations. Maybe I need the visual cues from the print version?

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esto le resultó útil a 16 personas

Story dried out in the desert sun

Revisado: 01-30-19

I have found so many of Jodi’s stories refreshing, but this one seems to dry up in midstream. I think part of the drought was caused by bad narration, but I found the book less intriguing after only a few hours. If I ever find this book on sale at a resale store I might give it a go reading it on my own. But this audio version just wasn’t up to par.

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Dull story, duller narrator

Revisado: 11-16-17

I think the narrator took the title of the book literally, speaking with a tone that threatened to put me to sleep with every sentence. I kept listening because the book had some good reviews and I thought there must be a method behind the madness. Alas, there was not. The narration style did not lend anything to the text, which I also found bleak and dull. Being set in my beloved Spain could not redeem this story for me. None of the characters were remotely likable. Not. One. They were quirky and a bit demented - which normally would sell me - but they were not interesting in the least. I kept hoping the protagonist would do us all a favor and do herself in. Then her mewling mother would have something legit to whine about. Maybe I'll give another of the author's books a go. The writing is not horrible, but this particular book was not my cup of tea at all... not even with hot milk.

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