Amazon Customer

Wow. What a story.

Revisado: 03-21-23

This is a perfect example of where audible shines; the narrator breathes color and texture to the landscape and each person in a way that makes you “ see” inside Pino’s experiences. Even though it’s not one hundred percent factual, the parts that matter are and that, to me, is incredible. The experiences of the survivors of that time really make you pause and reflect. Thank you, Mark, for doing the work of compline and researching and piecing together the whole story.

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Good book with a few narrator sdrawbacks

Revisado: 09-27-22

I didn’t enjoy the narrator for Beverly nearly as much as the voice of Colby and the 2 brief singing parts made me cringe, but the storyline is good.

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Ah Nicholas, you’ve done it again.

Revisado: 10-15-21

At the beginning, the story starts off in a depressing note, but stick with it, because the way it unfolds is just cinematic ( as are most of the authors’ books).
I love the throwback/memory parts as I feel like I often think about my own youth during the strangeness of the world right now, and feel some sort of nostalgia.
The ending felt cathartic, not a full-on gut job like some of his books can be. You know how it is, when your family thinks your just reading a book in your armchair, except that your actually having an existential crisis and dying inside at the cruelty of life and wondering how Nicholas could do this to you again. This one felt uplifting at the end, beautifully done. Thank you for the gift of this ending, Mr. Sparks.

Ahem. So after that nice little review, I must say, I enjoyed the male narrator, but the female narrator nearly had me wanting to stop listening. It’s just too over-the-top breathy and the teen impersonation made the writing sound cringe worthy in a way that it probably wouldn’t have been if I’d picked up the book and read it myself.
I’m hardly saying I’d be capable of doing a better job, I know narrating is far more complicated than just reading what’s in front of you. But, that’s my two cents.

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Oh, Rory.

Revisado: 03-11-21

Thank you for sharing your story. Above all, thank you God, for allowing your story to be what I has, thus far.
It’s a gift, to be humbled by your mistakes and be honest about your struggles so you can encourage others. We’re all on this same journey of life, it’s never to late for any of us.
The most beautiful part of this story is the parts where you see forgiveness, acceptance of a different plan than you think you need, and the beauty of dying with love.
Anything and everything turns out okay, if we can just see that we aren’t the author, we are just the character, like Rory says.

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Beautiful melancholy, much like life

Revisado: 02-21-21

The story continues well after many other authors would have tied it up all pretty. Which gives you two things: a longer trajectory of the ups and downs in the characters life and a closer look at what happens after the so-called happily-ever-after. The result meant that at times I felt as though I couldn’t stand to hear of one more heartache the character(s) had to endure. I found myself wondering, “ good riddance, can’t these people be spared, surely they have been through enough!?!” Then, I realized, this is us too, if we sat down to write an account of our lives. If you haven’t hurt this much, you’ll get there. It’s part of living. Only most of us, just take each hit as it comes, we don’t see all our struggles lined up.
I love that the author went past the reunion. For me, this brings a sense of reality to a story. Like, “ hey look, it all works out and everything’s great, and also, then sometimes it’s not, sometimes these people really struggle, too.” It gives a humanity to the story, which makes people feel validated. We too, know this is the way of life.
The end was such a beautiful portrayal of old love. How beautiful it can be, at the end, when all the good years together make you feel content to leave life.
The narrator also did a good job at conveying emotion.

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Book Balm

Revisado: 10-23-20

I definitely enjoyed listening to this book.

Two thing I’d like to mention are that the ending seems to be wrapped up rather quickly. I found myself wishing it were longer. Filling out more of their time apart would have made the end more poignant I think.

The other thing is that either Nicholas is growing soft in his age or he figured that the pandemic-crazed world didn’t need a heart wrencher, but hallelujah(!), people, we actually get a feel-good ending. I think a lot of people need that sort of “ eventually everything ends up okay” reassurance in these times, even if it’s for a fictitious character.
The larger body of his work was honed on his incredible ability to twist the emotional scalpel at the end so that I’m “bleeding” out my eyes and sometimes I have found myself in the pleading and bargaining phase with the author. Like, “ Why?! Nicholas, you’re killing me, why did she have to die. Gahhh! You always do this to me!”
But seeing as I show up for that kill me softly song-and-dance repeatedly, at every book release, is a testament to his ability to craft scenes that feel cinematic- yet real - with everyday details and characters that make you want the best for them. Characters that, by the end, feel like the story of a friend, which is possibly why it’s so gutting to lose them.

Not this time. This time was a balm.

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Like a listening to a cinematic portrayal of a life live out of-order

Revisado: 07-18-20

The Time Traveler’s Wife was quite the ride of a book.

The constantly forward/ backward nature of the storyline makes the reader see how disorienting the random bursts into the past and future must feel for Henry.
I found myself frustrated for Claire, by being bound to a future that she hadn’t currently decided to choose. And knowing that despite her choices she would still end up exactly as she would be in the future, like the trajectory was already set. Makes one think about how we would act or feel if we knew details of what our lives unfold to be.
During the book I felt a sense of nostalgia for childhood me, as Henry revisits himself. What would I have told my childhood self? How much the sacrifice of time travel would is worth... just to go back and watch myself being me, before the world molded me into who I become.

I felt a bit melancholy thinking about how if you, like Henry, already know how your story ends, how do you live in the now? How does the knowing change the present?

At the end of the day, what a mind bending way the author procured the time travel scenes so that at times I found myself trying to logically figure put something that defies logic. Beautifully done.

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All the feels.

Revisado: 06-09-20

I loved this book.
How it demonstrates that don’t always get what we set out for, and this idea is brilliantly played out, by a cast of people with their own strengths and shortcomings. In the end I was left with that bittersweet feeling, that affirmation that we are all specs with our own big personal worlds and that life will continue on whether we are here or gone, and that the importance is in the love we share, in the now.
Well done.

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Funny stuff... for a Minnesotan.

Revisado: 06-05-20

Pros:

-Too funny. Sloane’s friend has quite the sense of humor and made me laugh out loud. Other moments were only humorous to me as a former Minnesotan because of the how the author paints Midwest people and places. I’d laugh and then get a little stab of homesickness. The way they say Minnesota made me giggle. If any of y’all know how people from Minnesota really talk, it’s so wholesome and backwoods you will die laughing. I never realized till I moved away. In real life, the author would have included more of “Doncha know”, “yah”, “ope”, “uffda”, and hot dish recipes.

-The author notes in the end that this grief after loss was the inspiration and it made me appreciate the levity she added to the books fictional situation.

-Feel good sorta chick story. Well, except for the parts where you just want to bonk the main characters heads together and tell them, “Here’s an idea: ditch absolutely the overhyped game of fame and find happiness in a job that isn’t a nightmare! Bam. All your problems solved! Big money, big problems.” I try to remember it’s just fiction, but seriously, you have options people. Also, you’re from Minnesota, and now you’re all about a limo and a mini mansion? A guy could almost be passively embarrassed of you. Thank goodness they came to their senses in the end, as for me, I’m still the far flung child ( I know, mom, I know).

Cons:

-The repeated use of sexual descriptives. You don’t have to be a sexy bombshell to be loveable and we get that you like each other, we do. Being subtle goes a long way in my opinion. Everything doesn’t have to be spelled out.

-The swearing. Sometimes if it’s mild, it’s bearable, but I’m in a cornfield, and little ears are around, so it’s hard to listen to this with them anywhere nearby. Big turnoff. Curse words are simply stand ins for better adjectives that still convey an intensely felt point. A thesaurus might be helpful;)

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A sure hit; minus the double narrators.

Revisado: 04-25-20

Another good one. In this book of the Pike Logan Series, you see Pike and Jennifer’s relationship grow and change.

The double narration is poorly done, I think it’d be better if Rich Orlow narrated the entire thing, as his voice is perfect for portraying Pike. Sort of like in the Vince Flynn novels, where George Guidall is the only voice I can imagine as Mitch Rapp. There’s a nice, comfortable certainty in hearing the character have the same mannerisms and intonation through the whole series.

Overall, I’d say the narration didn’t kill the book, just something that distracts a little.

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