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Compelling story, lackluster narration

Revisado: 10-03-19

This mystery/thriller pulled me in right away—the same day Devon goes into early labor, her friend Belina is murdered and another friend, Alec (Belina's employer), is the lead suspect. After she gets out of the hospital, Devon throws herself into the case (in spite of her husband's objections). Devon has a background in law, specifically investigating and prosecuting corporate fraud, and so, when information emerges that suggests money laundering may have played a part in Belina's death, she finds herself drawn even further in to the case.

The book is set in Rhode Island (Providence and Newport), and as a Providence resident I found the depiction of the city and Rhode Island as a whole quite compelling. I used to live off Blackstone Boulevard, in the area where much of the book takes place, so it was fun to recognize so much of the setting. If you know anything about RI politics, you'll know the state has a long, twisted history of corruption and bad behavior by politicians at nearly every level. Political dealings and misdeeds are part of this story, and added some extra intrigue to the narrative. Mentions of Devon's past work made me wish for more about her investigation and takedown of the speaker of the house, and her connections with her husband's shady political establishment uncle, the lead detective on Belina's murder, an FBI agent, and a local independent journalist reminded me of the types of relationship dynamics that made Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series so compelling.

The final twists in the story were, and I mean this in the best possible way, extremely messed up. As an avid thriller reader, it's unusual that I'm completely blindsided by a twist. I had an inkling about one of the twists revealed near the end, but the other caught me off guard and I was quite impressed. If you're sensitive to the following subjects playing out on the page, you may want to approach with caution: childhood sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, traumatic birth, loads of misogyny (both from others and internalized—to be clear, I don't feel this is a sexist book, but a book that clearly and accurately depicts misogyny).

The audiobook narration, unfortunately, was dry and stilted. Many awkward pauses in the middle of sentences, several annoying voices and inaccurate accents, etc. Playing the book on 1.25 and 1.5 speeds (varying depending on the level of focus I could dedicate at a given time) helped some, but didn't totally alleviate the issues I had with the narrator. Still totally worth picking up!

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a beautiful YA epistolary novel

Revisado: 09-10-19

I’m so glad I read Dear Haiti, Love Alaine! I received a digital review copy from NetGalley and Inkyard Press (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review. I loved this novel so much that, after reading the eARC, I pre-ordered both a finished copy and the audiobook, and listened to it, in full, in the two days after its release. (Bahni Turpin narrates the audiobook and is wonderful, as usual.)

Alaine Beauparlant is super-smart, ambitious, and curious, traits that seem to serve her well and land her in trouble in equal measure. Thanks to the Moulites’ stunning writing and character development, Alaine feels true-to-life from the first page, growing more even complex and thoughtful as the story progresses. This is an epistolary novel featuring diary entries, emails, postcards, news articles, and transcripts of conversations, and the variety in form and voice made the 430-ish pages fly by.

Alaine is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She lives with her (single) father, Jules, in Miami, where he works as a psychiatrist and she attends a progressive Catholic school. Her mother, Celeste, is a high-profile TV journalist living and working in Washington, D.C., and she has never been a consistent or accessible figure in Alaine’s life. Celeste's twin, Alaine’s Tati Estelle, is an influential woman in Haiti who works as both the Minister of Tourism and the CEO of a charitable start-up. After her mom's career hits a road-bump, Alaine hits one of her own. In the aftermath, her dad sends her to Haiti to intern with Estelle at her company, PATRON PAL, which connects donors ("patrons") with bright Haitian children in need (“pals")—a sort of 21st century version of a "sponsor a child" charity, gamified and made accessible by a smartphone app. While in Haiti, Alaine seeks to learn more about her family and its role in Haitian history (for both her own edification and a school assignment), and, naturally, learns a great deal about herself and her immediate family in the process.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is a standout debut. A powerful depiction of family legacies and secrets, and a loving portrait of both Alaine (full of heart, dry wit, and good intentions) and the country and people of Haiti. This will be a great fit for readers who enjoy heartfelt, intricately-crafted young adult fiction and the work of Elizabeth Acevedo, Ashley Herring Blake, Deb Caletti, and Brandy Colbert.

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Compelling story, unpleasant narration.

Revisado: 03-19-19

This is the first Emily Henry book I've read/listened too, and I'm impressed! The cast of characters is complex and well-developed, and the plot is compelling. My only complaint with the audiobook: the voices the narrator used for dialogue, especially lines spoken by the male characters and the younger version of Franny (in flashback scenes), which range from cartoonish to whiny to gratingly gravelly. I had to turn the volume way down and turn the speed up to get through some dialogue-heavy sections. If you're particular about audiobook narrators, this might not be for you.

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esto le resultó útil a 16 personas

Beautiful short stories!

Revisado: 05-07-18

A gorgeous collection of loosely-connected short stories. The protagonists (nearly all young women) are people adrift, most of them in cities that are somehow foreign to them. A bored, married white woman in Manhattan begins to write a novel about her new hook-up’s Venezuelan childhood—without his permission or input. A twenty-something in Brooklyn suffers through her boyfriend's performance art. A nice professor in Iowa City decides to become a bad person—but only when she’s sleeping with her TA. A Russian factory worker in Japan frets about her best friend and lover, who is also the kept girlfriend of a member of the yakuza. A recent college graduate in New York works for a scattered, eccentric rich woman (for no money) and harbors a crush on her boss's probably-straight assistant. Background characters reappear, often years later and at different stages of their lives. This lends the collection a lovely sort of mid-aughts indie movie feel (everything is connected, even if only by a wispy thread).

As with most short story collections, not every piece will land for every reader. I lost interest in "Mamushi," but found every other story compelling. I enjoyed these stories so much that, on release day, having already read the egalley provided to me by NetGalley and Random House, I bought the audiobook and listened the the entire collection over the course of two days. I'm not usually a re-reader, but I know I will revisit these. The audiobook is as extraordinary as the stories themselves. Each story is performed by a different narrator (including several Audible fan favorites), which as far as I'm concerned is the ideal narration style for short fiction, as it differentiates each piece/ensures that the stories don't bleed together.

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a beautifully-written book, with spot-on narration

Revisado: 07-07-16

The obvious first: Lin-Manuel Miranda is an incredible audiobook narrator.

The book itself: The characters, from Aristotle and Dante to their parents (and even minor characters like Gina and Ari's off-stage brother) are so well-developed. The setting is beautifully described, and as Dante introduces Ari to great literature, his descriptions and observations become even richer and more lyrical.
In addition to demonstrating the significant impact of friendship can have on a lonely, angry teenager, this gorgeous novel is a testament to the necessity of supportive parenting.
If you enjoyed Eleanor & Park, you'll like this too—they're somewhat similar in tone, and Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing is just as beautiful as Rainbow Rowell's.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas