Janet

Too much credit to the family for what he has beco

Revisado: 02-25-21

The book is well-written and performance highly listenable. I'm sure that every detail has been carefully scrutinized for accuracy and the psychological theory is carefully reviewed.

My problem is that it seems that Donald was not involved in deciding who he would be and how he would act -- that there was a virtual programming that has happened to him to make him into the monster that his father wanted him to be. While I know that family of origin and surrounding systems (family, work group, community) have some interplay with the development of a personality, it seems that there is also room for the element of choice -- that not every person raised by a toxic narcissist must become one himself.

I just wish she had written it as soon as it became clear he was going to run... I just wish we could have known the details of the fraud and abuse before he became so powerful.

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Lost in the details, not Bryson's typical work

Revisado: 09-30-14

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

not -- while interesting potential, it's not as sardonic or gripping as Bryson's other work

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Bryson should read his own work -- always
Nobody can get the tone right on the humorously pedantic stuff like he man himself

Would you be willing to try another one of William Roberts’s performances?

Maybe

Did Made in America inspire you to do anything?

No

Any additional comments?

I love most everything Bryson has written
The topic has potential in his hands, I'm sorry it's not up to his typical level of making things like this so much more appealing than most writers could. It's better than most writers could have done, but not as much fun a listen as any other thing I've heard of his work

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Bryson at his best

Revisado: 02-17-14

Would you consider the audio edition of One Summer to be better than the print version?

Didn't see the print version -- loved it in Bryson's own voice

What other book might you compare One Summer to and why?

Bryson is in a category of his own. He brings times and places, characters and the dynamics of an era to life.

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

I listened to it over and over in many sittings and settings. Even the statistics about baseball and boxing were delivered in such an interesting way that I was fascinated -- and I'm a fan of no sports.

Any additional comments?

Bryson made the era of my grandparents and the precursor to my parent's time come alive. I think I understand them better now. I feel like I walked beside them.

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Not as expected

Revisado: 11-15-13

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Amy Tan has been a favorite over the years for her colorful, misguided characters, the interplay between generations of women, the triumph over pain and abuse.

This book has the abuse and the misguided, but everything is so flat that I simply wanted to plug my ears with cotton and not hear anything for a while. Repetition abounds, wondering about whether the mother betrayed her daughter. How could a writer with Tan's skills come up with something on a topic like this and have it be so hopelessly boring?

What do you think your next listen will be?

Diane Setterfield, Bellman & Black

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

okay

What character would you cut from The Valley of Amazement?

all of them

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Girl Gone with the Times

Revisado: 08-29-13

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Only those with time on their hands and a taste for lighter fare

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The fascination with sociopaths and unexpected twists in psychodramatic mystery work that is "ripped from the headlines" is becoming yawnable. It's a matter of premise and all of the underpinnings of the book. Not so deeply flawed that I didn't enjoy it -- just so much of the same from the genre that it didn't move me to say, "that was totally wonderful and kept me wanting more.

Which scene was your favorite?

not really thinking of one

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

none of those -- it really didn't move me

Any additional comments?

I'm thinking that this is a fine beach read, okay to listen to while puttering in the garden or knitting a blanket... but not a classic in the making, not a watershed insight into motivation or relationships, and not a genre-defining accomplishment.

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A triumph of devotion in unspeakable sadness

Revisado: 07-22-13

What made the experience of listening to And the Mountains Echoed the most enjoyable?

Deep emotion, well-crafted story, triumph of the spirit

Who was your favorite character and why?

Abdullah never stopped loving his sister. His anguish and devotion. The sadness of their parting and the intertwining lives give me pause. I wished for it to turn out differently -- and I knew it could end no other way.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Three narratorsThe woman demonstrates the pathos in her female characters, especially the ugly twin. She was not a likeable character, but I found myself empathizing with her anyway.Both men reflect their narration sections well. The flavor of the characters and the places come through beautifully.

Who was the most memorable character of And the Mountains Echoed and why?

Each person sought to overcome a great loss. Each showed a resilience and brokenness that caught my heart. Even the ancillary characters seem vivid, broken, resilient, poetic and epic. In the end, only Abdullah, his daughter, and the plastic surgeon do not betray those they love. And Fari, the lost sister, atones for the betrayal of her adopted mother, and learns to love.

Any additional comments?

This amazing author has taught me three times to grieve for a land that is filled with so many conflicting traits -- a capacity for cruelty, a capacity for intense affection, resiliency in the face of impossible, unspeakable situations, and above all, a capacity for story.I once knew some people who lived in Afghanistan before all of the combat. They spoke of people with an ability to enjoy life, beauty in many ways, and the capacity for poetry and story.

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Follett has done it again

Revisado: 04-04-13

What did you love best about Winter of the World?

The sweep and intertwining of characters, families, countries and political events gives the reader a sense of the impact of time on people and people on their tunes. The characters are vivid and while complicated, I think he gets the right amount of core characters versus side characters. I'm happy that some of the people on the wrong side are swept up through misunderstanding. I also find it hopeful that some of the people standing up for the right survive through the worst of it.
This is the era of my parents andd grandparents -- I think I understand something more about their time and lives.
Follett has a touch for description that doesn't distract from the story but brings it more to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maude gives up the shallow for the things that are most important. She's a survivor with a sense of right and wrong that I can identify with.

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

Sometimes the narrator and the writer are very much in synch with each other. Lee and Follett are inseparable in my mind. His notion of the accents and voice tones ring especially true. It amuses me that he uses such a nasal tone for the American accents (this is common with British narrators) But I love his Welsh, Eaton, Russian and German accents.

If you could rename Winter of the World, what would you call it?

Call of Tyrants

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a chip off the old block

Revisado: 04-04-13

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would to some friends, not to others

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

hmmm -- okay

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I liked the matching of the actor/voice tone to the role they portrayed.

If you could rename World War Z, what would you call it?

No idea -- this is about right

Any additional comments?

I read on the basis of a young man I love, and whose tastes I know to be even quirkier than my own. Was not surprised at the piece or it's features. A definite product of the Brooks family sensibilities. Not earth-shattering or inspiring, but memorable and amusing. I enjoyed the experience.

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I'm going to listen to the whole series!

Revisado: 03-04-12

What did you love best about Outlander?

Everything. The characters were compelling and intense, the historical context felt right (even though I'm no expert), the relationships were so well developed, and the descriptions brought the whole thing to life.

What did you like best about this story?

while a predictable adventure in some ways -- how could have been thought a spy and then a witch? -- how could he not have compelled her to love him? -- it still captured my interest. I think because the author KNOWS these people, loves them, and puts them right in front of the reader to love them, too.

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funny and worth the read

Revisado: 03-04-12

Would you try another book from P. J. O'Rourke and/or Christopher Lane?

yes

Was Don't Vote - It Just Encourages the Bastards worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

funny -- i don't agree with his politics, but i agree with some of this attitudes about politicians. it was sarcastic and rude, but in a totally honest sort of way

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