Newlawgirl

Sweet story about found family

Revisado: 04-19-25

This is a beautiful story of Yeongju, a young who opens a bookshop after her divorce. The book follows her as she grows into herself and creates a family among the other regulars at the bookshop. It’s a very sweet story and we find out about each bookstore patron as the book continues. The only thing that bothered me was I felt it was a little too heavy-handed about how awful work is. Everyone had some sort of issue with a previous employer either because they couldn’t find a job or because everything in the corporate world was awful. However, they didn’t have the same discussion about the happiness they found in the workforce, because many of them did. But otherwise, it was a delightful story and very sweet.

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A lovely, layered novel

Revisado: 02-18-25

I loved this book, which is the first I've ready by Tom Rachman. The stories are told from the perspectives of the author main character and a variety of people who crossed paths with her. The stories are so real, yet the novelist herself is inventing them before the reader's eyes. Some of the stories are sweet, some heartbreaking, and some joyful. But at the end, you're left wondering what, if anything, about the author/narrator was real. It was lovely and quiet and really spoke to me. The narration was perfect and really brought all of the characters to life.

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A lovely book about grief and found family

Revisado: 10-29-24

The book is a delight. The story revolves around a witch, Saika, who travels to Ash Gardens, a unique location where people can plant the ashes of their loved ones. The witch, who is planning to plant her sister, Fiona, is still mired in grief and is not ready to begin the ritual. So instead of planting Fiona, she begins to work at Ash Gardens. While there, she becomes a part of the group of odd characters who have been drawn to this magical graveyard by its caretaker, Frank. This book is a fun, touching, and beautiful study of grief and how it draws people together. The characters who make up at Ash Gardens are all well-developed and the family they have created makes you want to be a part of it. The narration was excellent and brought everyone to life.

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Unputdownable!

Revisado: 10-17-24

I preordered this book and got it the day it released. I couldn’t stop listening to it and finished in less than two days! The characters have depth, the plot is compelling, and the book is well-paced. The narration was wonderful and really brought the characters and the story to life. Highly recommend!

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So funny, and the narration is perfect!

Revisado: 11-10-23

I have listened to a lot of David Sedaris’ books and I was concerned that the transition between Tracey Ullman and David Sedaris would be jarring. It’s not. It’s absolutely seamless and Tracey Ullman added an extra layer of humor to the stories in this book. This is one of my favorite collections and I have listened to it over and over again.

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A beautiful story about facing adulthood

Revisado: 07-03-23

I heard an interview with the author on NPR and thought the story sounded intriguing, so I bought the audiobook. I am so glad I did. This is a beautiful story about the relationships between mothers and daughters and finding yourself as an adult. The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and I appreciated the Chinese pronunciations, which I would’ve butchered in my own head had I read the book myself.

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Powerful, Human, and Moving

Revisado: 05-02-23

I pre-ordered this book because the description just spoke to me. I am so glad I did! This is an incredibly powerful story about a woman who is newly released from prison. The book chronicles her struggles adapting to life outside, trying to reunite with her children, and dealing with her past. The two narrators tell the story perfectly, with one speaking as present Ranita and one as past Ranita. I was sad when the book ended, because Ranita’s story was so beautifully told. Thank you so much for this wonderful book!

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Very interesting story, awful narration

Revisado: 05-01-23

I really thought this was an interesting story about being haunted, both literally and figuratively, by family and colonialism. However, I almost did not finish this book because the narration was wooden and very often emphasis was on the wrong word or syllable. It was as if someone had handed the narrator the book and she’d never seen it before. It made the book difficult to understand and I often had to think about what was being said. That was especially irritating when the book became suspenseful, since I felt I missed part of the plot. I would definitely recommend reading this book, but I truly can’t recommend the audio book.

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Good, creepy story

Revisado: 03-17-23

I was looking for a good thriller and found this. I’m so glad I did! It’s my first book by this author, but won’t be my last. I was concerned that I might not understand what’s going on since there are recurring characters, but it wasn’t a problem at all. The book was eerie and twisty and unique. The narrator was terrific and I found myself easily getting sucked in. So glad I found this one!

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Very interesting, but narration doesn’t do it justice

Revisado: 03-17-23

This is an incredibly interesting book about Olive Oatman’s life and how her story was co-opted by societal influences, chief among them her ghost writer, Rev. Royal Stratton, who wrote a book that changed her story to advance his own narrative. The author goes on to address how, even after she breaks free of Sutton, her story is then reshaped by her husband and finally by a number of typically male authors, who have fictionalized her life story.

Given how much this book attempts to reclaim Olive Oatman’s story from the predominantly male figures who have used it for their own ends, the choice of a male narrator strikes a discordant note. If ever a book cries out for a woman to be telling the story, it’s this one, which focuses on how little of her own story Olive Oatman was able to tell.

The narration is also poor, because, as others have noted, the narrator mispronounces numerous words, even common ones. Given that commonplace words are repeatedly, mispronounced, I couldn’t trust the narrator‘s pronunciation of anything. It was very frustrating to constantly have to look up information while listening to the story because the narrator was creating inaccuracy.

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