Rajeev A.

Narrator’s Curious Speech Pattern Was Distracting

Revisado: 07-12-24

I have grown to think of Bunin as among my favorite fifteen or twenty short storyists. The narrator out reader is good but his curious way of dropping the time of his voice about every five or so words was distracting. Since this is one of very few of Bunin’s works available on audible, I do recommend it.

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The 2nd in the Quincunx Cycle

Revisado: 09-03-22

Amusing, though not as engaging as the first in the cycle, Pastoral. The characters do eventually become more interesting. I’m looking forward to the next book in the cycle.

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My Favorite Book on the Artist's Journey

Revisado: 11-25-21

This is the best book I have ever read on the topic of "becoming am artist," because the author delves into questions so many others ignore. The author asks, "What is art?" and "Who or what is an artist?" with authenticity, vulnerability, self-reflection, and some measure of objectivity about "the Art World."

The book is read by the author who does a a five star job.

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A Note on the Translation

Revisado: 10-21-19

I suspect this is the Constance Garnett translation, which, for 63 cents or whatever I paid for the “audiobook,” is fine. I wonder, however, whether the text may be slightly Bowdlerized. I look forward to seeing other translations.

The story itself is brilliant in the usual Chekhovian way. And the performance is an attempt to give the piece character.

The reader affects (or has?) a Russian accent, which is a departure from the seemingly standard approach. Often the reader gives upper class characters a stately, stuffy English accent and reads the peasant and poor people with a comic cockney or other “low” English accent. I’m not sure what the solution is.

In this case the Russian accent mostly works.

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The Most Thoughtful in the Series So Far

Revisado: 08-17-19

I haven’t binged the books but have read them over the past year. So it may be difficult to compare the nuances of each book. From what I remember, however, Babylon’s Ashes is the most “philosophical” of the books to this point, musing on realpolitik and ethics and historiography. That doesn’t mean it’s not full of action, though, because, curiously, it’s also full of riveting space battles, battles whose outcomes have long-lasting, irreversible consequences. And the character moments are meaningful and touching.

The authors keep making the series exciting, engaging, and original. Impressive!

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Well Written & Well Narrated

Revisado: 10-05-18

If all you’ve read is Gatsby and if you liked it, then you might enjoy this book. It’s as well written and as heart-felt. Tender is the Night is a more mature work than most of his other fiction, a portrait of a twentieth century marriage. And an interesting depiction or depictions of mental illness.

My main reservation has to do with the protagonist’s racism and classism, which may be part of Fitzgerald’s intended characterization the character. Perhaps.Maybe. I reserved a star because of these issues and thought I should mention them in this review.

The narrator, Peter Marinker, does a marvelous job. I sampled other versions on audible and very much preferred Marinker’s. His clear perhaps even clinical articulation, tone, and pacing are appropriate to the protagonist’s perspective and approach. His French pronunciation is good (to my poorly trained ear). And the other characters’ voices are clearly distinguishable, even though Marinker does not quite “act them out.”

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Kate Reading is A Great Reader

Revisado: 09-20-18

This is a quiet book, much like the previous two in the Trilogy. A writer talking to other writers about representation and misrepresentation. And kids. And divorce or separation. And there is the requisite story about a dog. If you like Lydia Davis’ writing, you may enjoy this as well.

Kate Reading reads well. Her voice and characterization are well done. And you get the sense that she gave some thought to what to make of the narrative.

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What is Pullman, the Master, up to here?

Revisado: 02-02-18

— No Spoilers —

Three of the characters we’re familiar with are here: Lord Azrael, Marissa Coulter, and Lyra. (Forgive the spellings. As big a fan as I am, I have only ever listened to these books.) But what happens in this book does truly involve a whole different set of characters. The tone is a little different, too: the class distinctions seem to matter more here, for example. And as fond as I am of Lyra and Will, I felt more sympathetic towards Malcolm and Alice, the characters in this book. And yet, and yet …. I’m not quite sure what Pullman is up to here. We already know what Rusokoff particles are and about the mystery of Dust. So the narrative hangs on the question of what becomes of Malcolm and Alice. They’re so important to Lyra’s future, but they’re (obviously) never mentioned in _His Darkk Materials_. Something dramatic must happen to them; they must have some pivotal role, other than simply being a part of Lyra’s history. I can’t see where _La Belle Sauvage_ is going, narratively. My fear for the book and the series is that it might not amount to much of anything. But Pullman is such a master of narrative. (I’ve listened to several of his other books available on Audible: he is a connoisseur of narrative. He must know what he’s doing.) I’ll listen to the next one, whenever it comes out. I only hope this does become its own story.

Having written all that, I do want to add that as a book, _La Belle Sauvage_ is a complete story in itself. There’s nothing lacking here, especially if you have never read _His Dark Materials_. In fact it would probably be even better, if you’ve never read _His Dark Materials_. It’s just that, if you do know those books — they’re so good — you can’t help but wonder how it all fits together. Obviously that is the narrative hook. As I said above: I just hope there’s a payoff.

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Laugh Out Loud Funny

Revisado: 11-09-17

Hugh Lee’s performance is one of the best I’ve heard. Doyle’s prose and his sensibilities are refreshing.

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Important Text, Well Read, and Impossible to Comfortably Listen to with Headphones/Earbuds

Revisado: 07-28-17

This is a review of the Recording Engineering and/or Direction. This is not a review of the text or performance. The musical interludes are too loud, compared to the reader’s voice. (And there are too many of them.) Grossman is a favorite of mine, and Levey's reading is masterful. Unfortunately, however, the volume of the musical interludes is painful, when listened to on headphones and/or earbuds.

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