Shar Marie

What stood out most was the intolerable narration.

Revisado: 06-08-24

I don’t like to write critical reviews in the belief that if you can’t say anything nice you shouldn’t say anything at all. But the narration of this story is just impossible for me to listen to, bad enough that I want to warn against buying it. The book itself has such glowing reviews on Amazon that I hope to read it some day soon. Michael O’Brien’s novels are quite expensive so it may be a while until I can invest in it. But with narration this annoying - the voices used for the characters are worse than the cheapest cartoon productions I’ve ever heard - made it impossible for me to get past the first few chapters. I’m going to have to return it and get my credit back.

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So well-written and beautifully read, but so sad!

Revisado: 04-03-24

There are already many good reviews of this book, so I will just mention that I think the author was able to do a great job on this book because she recognized the complexity of the situation for all of the people involved. In a comment at the very end of the book she states that some people gave versions of the story that might not have been true, but that expressed what they wanted to say about the situation. I thought that that was a very insightful comment and very understanding of the people involved.

I absolutely love large families having been the middle child in a large family myself, but I can’t imagine the difficult impact it must have had on the older children having those five celebrity little sisters. Even this book, as well done as it was, barely touches on what life was like for those other children. I don’t know how even the very best parents could manage to care for five newborn babies, whose survival was so unlikely, while also meeting the needs of five other young children. Even with enormous levels of help that were less invasive than the help given to the Dionnes, it would’ve been an incredible disruption to the older kids’ childhoods. But whether we come from a large family or a small family, we are going to have challenges in our lives. Maybe the best we can do is hope that those challenges manage to bring out strengths in us that we might not have discovered otherwise.

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So glad I chose this audiobook!

Revisado: 09-22-23

I’m so glad I took the time to listen to Jill’s story! Honestly the Duggar children had so many blessings in their family. Their parents love them and took good care of them. They were strict but didn’t act like the world was so bad that they couldn’t even talk about it. They listened to their children.

But no family is perfect, and the Duggar kids also had difficult issues to deal with; first, the bizarre behavior of their oldest brother that led to victimization by him followed by re-victimization by greedy tabloids and government agencies that should have protected them. Then there were the excesses of the IBLP. I’m so glad Janna never went to Chicago to work with that agency! Then the story Jill tells of the serious financial issues with her father are so sad and could have been avoided.

After listening to this book and reading Jinger’s book, though, it seems that some of the issues both Duggar daughters had to do with coming from a large family. I grew up in a family less than half their size and it’s easy to lean on your many siblings in childhood, then have to learn how to be an individual in the outside world. These young women are pleasant people, people pleasers, who, in addition to unique Duggar issues, had to come into their own out in the world after what was, for the most part, a good childhood.

It’s interesting to hear from both sisters. Jill does a great job narrating her story. The only thing I’d still like to know is, what on earth happened to Josh? What ever led him to be a person who, as Jill says, needs to be locked up? Hopefully we’ll get his story some day. The truth of that story could help other parents avoid ending up with an adult child with such serious problems.

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Repetitive in the beginning but picks up

Revisado: 03-26-21

Phil Leonetti was the nephew of psychopathic mafia boss Nick Scarfo. This is Phil’s story, mostly in his own words. The narrator does a good job of letting you know when he’s Phil again. The story is interesting. I don’t understand though how Phil can tell this story without ever saying he’s sorry for the murders he committed. He talks about what a great guy some of his fellow mobsters were, so his definition of a great guy might be different from yours or mine. I’m glad he got a chance to get his life back and was able to make something of himself.

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life changing

Revisado: 08-07-18

I can't say the number of times I've recommended the ideas in this book to others, and the number of times I've recalled passages. I don't think you realize how much complaining we, and others, do, and what a negative impact that has on our lives. If we can be grateful instead, our whole outlook changes. Not only that, if we would just take some time to recognize all the good that God does for us, we can face the future knowing that He has helped us before and will help us again. This book is eminently worth reading,and it's nice to have Ann's unique style brought to you in her own voice.

Highly recommended!

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Precious story, especially helpful for families

Revisado: 07-19-18

The producers of this audio book made the right decision in having Kimberly Williams-Paisley narrate her book. What a beautiful job she does! I know from experience how important books like this are for people who also have family members suffering from this or similar illnesses, such as Alzheimer's. When I started caring for my father, I read one book on the symptoms of his illness, but every other book I read was written by a caregiver or other family member. These books help you know that you're not alone, that other people know what you're going through, and that caring for our loved ones is a sad but precious journey. Thanks to Kimberly Williams-Paisley for sharing her mother's story.

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