Tiffany Begley

My Favorite Camino Memoir

Revisado: 03-23-24

My husband and I are preparing to walk the Camino in a couple of months and we’ve been reading and listening to a lot of people’s experiences. Bill’s story is my favorite! It is witty, self-aware, but not overly emotional. The people he encounters are lively and you truly experience the things he experiences along the way. At first I thought it might be odd to have a memoir written by a man he read by a woman but it’s a perfect choice.

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Just Storytelling Excellence!

Revisado: 01-06-24

The storyline is so good, the characters are so good, the performer is so good. Started the year off with a great choice. Amy Harmon is a gifted storyteller!

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I wanted to love it….

Revisado: 01-01-24

I think this book would have been better had I read a physical copy. The reader makes the characters sound whiney and simple and flat. The author took such pains to develop well rounded characters but I feel like that isn’t captured in the reading. I kept thinking to myself that how the various characters sounded was not how I would have imagined their voices if I’d been reading a hard copy of the book. I wanted to love it; it’s an interesting concept and I wonder if I’d feel like the story line was better executed had I liked the reader’s voice. Regardless, the author does a great job of weaving the characters’ lives together and tackling some tough topics.

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Genius Story Telling

Revisado: 12-03-23

The prose is perfection, the performance was excellent. It’ll be one I listen to over and over again.

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I made it 3 Hours

Revisado: 07-03-23

I tried. I legitimately tried. I’m an avid reader - paper and audio - and this book just isn’t for me. It reads like a history book. I gave it a go but I’m moving on. Hope you enjoy it more!

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Stopped at 4 hours

Revisado: 06-17-23

The protagonist is flat. She is only her bitterness and there’s no nuance or depth to her. The pace is excruciatingly slow and I kept listening just to give it a chance. I have only stopped listening to 3 books out of 200+ but I just couldn’t keep going. The narrator is not my favorite either. Sorry, hard pass for me.

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Loved It!

Revisado: 04-25-23

The story practically grabs you from the very beginning and never lets go!! The twists and turns and aha moments are so well done. Narrator was excellent as well.

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Mixed Emotions about the Book

Revisado: 04-16-23

At first I didn’t like the narrator but then I realized that she fit the narrative. And then I realized I didn’t like the story. I mean I liked the story okay at times but I couldn’t put my finger on what it is about this book that is slaying people and eliciting 5 star reviews. Closer to the end I was choked with emotion at the story of Silvie but feel neutral about most parts of the book. I don’t know. I’m not sad I listened to it and it was a good story but also not a favorite for me.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

I Wanted to Love It

Revisado: 03-31-23

I hate writing negative reviews. I know artists put so much of themselves into the work and I don’t want to discount that. But this book didn’t work for me for a few reasons.

1) The narration - I literally could not tell characters apart because all the Appalachian women and men came out sounding the same. The main narrator’s voice is odd, almost like she’s talking through a bubble or something. It’s breathy and difficult to listen to and the reason I almost quit listening. Bahni Turpin is an amazing narrator but the dual narration just didn’t work. It gives the impression that it’s going to be more split than it actually is and the last half of the book only references the alternate storyline.

2) The characters and storyline - There was no believable development. For instance, the main character drops hints early in the book that her past was difficult but I feel like that story never really gets told. Some of it is inferred by the story of her sisters but there are gaps and it seems choppy. Evan’s character change is abrupt; there’s no explanation of why he starts to change his feelings toward Jen or the internal conflict. He just…changes. Rand and Sara are such a big part of the first half of the book but virtually disappear the second half. And….I legitimately cannot piece together the story of the manuscript. Evan wrote parts of it and then the odd uncle found more parts that Evan didn’t write and then they find the journal. I’m so confused as to who wrote what and when.

And then there’s Evan and Jen’s love story which is a lot of angry words, a few cold touches when searching for his niece, and then they’re kissing backstage in the epilogue. I don’t mind a story where the reader has to fill in some details based on the context of future chapters but it just didn’t work for me.

I think the best word is forced. The whole story felt forced, as if the author had a beginning and an end and she just threw the characters into situations to get them to the end.

A lot of people have loved the book but it just wasn’t for me. Neither the story nor the narration made it worth the time I spent listening to it. Disappointed I used a credit on it.

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I Really Wanted to Like It

Revisado: 01-30-23

I was so excited for the story but…it just wasn’t for me. I thought the characters were petulant and boring after they reached adulthood. I tried to be interested in the gaming aspect but it just never really grabbed my attention. The narrators read it well but they did not perform the story or or characters. All in all, it was a strikeout for me but I’m glad others have enjoyed it!

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