slr

endless, infinite author's preface

Revisado: 01-07-16

What was most disappointing about Henry James’s story?

I was never able to listen to the story. An hour in, I was still hearing only James' excruciatingly dull author's preface. Fast forwarding, I was never able to find where the preface ended and the story began. If I were a James scholar, I'm sure I'd find this preface useful; as a regular reader, I couldn't bear it. This book was a terrible waste of money.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Roderick Hudson?

Cut the preface. Or provide some kind of marker that would help listeners skip it and get right to the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

yet another Murakami novel I couldn't finish

Revisado: 10-16-12

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

The reader for the female character, Aomami, has the perfect voice for reading children's books. It is not the right voice -- slow, oozily warm, whisperingly sweet, and childish -- for the character of a smart, strong, decisive, thoughtful young woman.

What could the authors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Written it better.

Did the narrators do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I tried, I really tried. I made it further into 1Q84 than into any other Murakami novel yet -- almost to the end. But the tedium just became, once again, too much to bear. Murakami will do things like write, "'Yes, that is correct,' she said. 'Yes, that is correct,' he said, repeating her words." Now, I ask you, is the phrase "repeating her words" not entirely redundant here? Isn't it self-evident that this is a repetition? And why the lengthy descriptions of so many irrelevant scenes and people and clothes? Don't get me wrong: I love the 19th century novel, the longer the better. I love these novels for the rich description, the nuanced textures of their worlds. But even Victor Hugo knew how to edit. To be honest, Murakami's penchant for stating the obvious -- "repeating her words" -- reminds of nothing so much as that even greater klutz, Dan Brown.

I'm also not super keen on the fantasy of the grown man sexually penetrating pre-pubescent girls. Dressing it up as a reverse rape -- the man is paralyzed, the girls initiate the sex, they're not real girls anyway -- makes the fantasy all the more perverse. Some readers may dig the idea of a grown man being mounted by a ten year old girl with large, perfect breasts (much emphasis on this), no pubic hair, and no inconvenient possibilities of pregnancy. Personally, I'm revolted. You know, do what you want in the realm of the imagination, etc., but I'm going to have to opt out of this particularly misogynist scenario. (Oh, the irony -- a book about a woman who assassinates men who abuse women devolving, at its core, into a rape fantasy like this. Who is Murakami trying to kid?)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña