Oona

Surprisingly Applicable to Contemporary Life

Revisado: 11-03-24

E.B. White was much more than the author of Charlotte's Web. His essays for adults are as sharp, funny, and perceptive today as they were in the first years of World War II, when Americans were also trying make up their minds who their enemies were and how to make a living. This is a nice reading, well worth a listen.

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More Nuanced Than Other Campions

Revisado: 03-23-24

This is one of the Campion series that I saw first in its television dramatization. I was pleasantly surprised at the additional twists of plot and more interesting character development to be had from listening to this unabridged reading. Alingham's romantic plot lines often seem weaker to me than her character studies, but in this case she believably portrays the effect of traumatic stress on a relationship, while also maintaining the basic mystery plot. A unifying undercurrent of camouflaged identity runs through the story, making it intriguing to read as a novel, beyond the puzzle presented by the mystery. I've been a Francis Matthews fan for years, and have a hard time adjusting to the squeaky voice that David Thorpe gives Campion. I have to confess that Thorpe's reading is likely closest to Allingham's intention for the character, however, and the other characters are masterfully done.

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Not funny enough to be a parody!

Revisado: 12-20-23

Apparently the author writes loads of these. I've tried hard, but two is my limit. The dialogue feels like something out of a teen cosplay that hasn't had enough homework done in advance. Unrealistic dialogue, stereotypic characters, and a detective inspector whose lack of believable boundaries would have him dismissed from the force in a heartbeat... presented by a reader whose accent veers from Boston Brahmin to Southern Belle but never quite makes it across the Atlantic.

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Peculiar Last Chapter

Revisado: 11-11-23

I bought this to download before a ten-hour flight and didn't see reviews about the reader of the last chapter until after I finished listening. I agree, Michael Pritchard is the definitive reader for the Nero Wolfe series. What happens in the last chapter sounds like a clumsy patch job on a damaged original tape. Or maybe an early AI voice trying to pretend it's Pritchard? There's one spot where Pritchard's voice re-emerges, only to have the odd new voice take over again. All that aside, this is classic early Rex Stout with all the familiar characters in place. Not one of the best, but it got me across the Atlantic Ocean very nicely.

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Accept No Substitutes!

Revisado: 03-18-23

If you don't have an impeccable knowledge of the English language and an ear for who says what under stress; if you don't have an interest in orchids; if you don't have a clue about fine dining beyond expensive steak... don't try to step into Rex Stout's shoes. Yes, I made it through to the end, but I groaned a lot. The well loved characters become caricatures under this writer's pen.

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Much More than a Refresher Course!

Revisado: 01-26-23

As an undergrad English major, I'd read all of the major poets covered here, but they weren't at all my primary focus. In taking this course I simply hoped for a refresher of material I already knew a little about... but came away with new information, ideas, and questions I'll enjoy following up. Prof. Spiegelman makes interesting historical/social connections to events in the poets' lives that weren't considered in my earlier studies. He also discussed the form and word choices of specific poems, not an easy task to pull off intelligibly in audio alone. Further, he makes a good job of covering some women poets of the period, whom I'll now seek out. The final lecture discusses the influence the Romantics had on a multitude of later poets, among them Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and Allen Ginsberg -- making fascinating connections both to subject matter and philosophy. The lecture style is informative without being dry. I'll be listening to this one again.

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The Definitive First Campion

Revisado: 10-10-22

While Crime at Black Dudley is a fun introductory read for Campion fans, Mystery Mile is the work in which Allingham hits her stride with the detective. She develops his personality beyond the buffoonery of the first novel, adds to Lugg's stature as sidekick, brings in Chief Inspector Oates, and generally sets the stage for future novels in the series. The narration here is good, communicating the multitude of personalities well. Of course, Americans may balk at the hammy impersonation of (one of our many) accents, but I'm sure that Brits get enough of that from American actors. This is a satisfying romp through blackmail, bullying, attempted murder and escapes across the rooftops. Just what the doctor ordered.

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A Vintage Curiosity

Revisado: 10-08-22

Allingham hadn't begun to hit her stride with this first Campion mystery, and the reader makes Albert just a little more idiotic than necessary. It's fun to see the roots of the series, but it's not nearly the level of writing or plotting that we can expect in later works.

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Christopher Robin and Pooh Solve a Mystery

Revisado: 11-15-21

Reads like the work of a precocious child or a spoof of the genre. One can see Milne tinkering with the plot throughout, while his grown male characters exclaim, "What fun!" as they go for endless long walks to discuss their theories. I kept expecting Tigger to leap out of the bushes with an unexpected clue.

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For Scholarly Poetry Lovers

Revisado: 05-07-21

Classic Vendler analysis, read with intonation that doesn't always reflect the meaning of the text.

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