Maudiemanding

Still a great book

Revisado: 02-25-25

The plot, the language, the evident skill. This series pulls it all together. I find Deighton underestimated these days but he’s the best at the Cold War. Le Carrie is brilliant but always seems slightly less engaged with the nitty gritty.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Oddball sci fi

Revisado: 02-18-25

Loved the characters and locations are well-imagined. Good story line ties it all together. Can’t wait for the next one!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Best in a while

Revisado: 01-06-25

This whole series is excellently written and full of twists. However the last few have suffered from a weak motive on behalf of the killer. Too often I’ve gotten to the end and wanted to ask, but why did he/she bother? Sometimes the subplot has been more convincing.

Not so in this one! Good all the way through. I am a little tired of the obtuse Georgina, but I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Evocative—Great characters, historic plot

Revisado: 07-18-24

Well written about a very interesting time in London. The women characters were especially appealing—straightforward motivations with complex results for themselves and everyone else. And I was fascinated that Elly was based on a real person and the crazy “Baby party” actually happened.

It describes the underbelly of the worlds of Dorothy Sayers and even P G Woodhouse. Exploring the mania of so many young people alive and rebellious, knowing they’d survived WWI (as soldiers or nurses) or escaped by being just too young to be involved while understanding the devastation that had occurred. The toll on England had been immense and people with criminal backgrounds had fought alongside aristocrats, bakers, and clerks. As the heroine states when asked if she’d lost anyone in the war, “I’ve lost everyone”.

I have to particularly mention the excellence of the man who read the audio version. He definitely added to the enjoyment with great shifts between accents and perfect pacing. He really did bring it to life.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Possibly my favorite

Revisado: 07-15-24

A Heyer with a slightly different feel although some of her usual cast members are still there--the titled and wealthy hero, the worthy but young son of the squire--but the heroine is different. She's spunky but fragile, determined but vulnerable. There are a lot of funny moments and some of the minor characters are exceptionally well drawn. Fun all the way!

I liked the performance but it was not as good as some of my favorite Heyer readers--Sian Phillips and Phyllida Nash, plus some others. I'm glad all the modern Regency enthusiasm has brought Heyer back into fashion but, although her books were written intentionally as light reading, they do have a lot of subtlety and reflect her amazing research into the period.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Good story--wrong reader

Revisado: 07-15-24

Why on earth anyone decided to hire a new person to read this when Sian Phillips has just the right voice I do not know. This reader would have been very good for something more modern in style and setting, but her mispronunciations were maddening and she just wasn't the right person to convey the subtlety of Heyer's humor. It's not the reader's fault that she was miscast, but it was someone's stupid idea to do a new version. Buy the Sian Phillips version. The only reason I listened to it is that I forgot I had the earlier version and bought it again by mistake. Maddening, but my fault.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Not my favorite

Revisado: 07-13-24

I’ve read the book but this time I went for Audible. Excellent reader, who made it much more fun and in the Heyer spirit. This is, alas, not her best plot. Her usual characters, the pretty children, the more mature couple at odds, are well drawn but the plot was weak. I still enjoyed it but it was the reader who carried me through.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fun but compelling romp

Revisado: 07-09-24

Not the right reader but she tried. She did a plausible Somerset accent but made no attempt to lower her voice when a man was speaking or differentiate the voices in other ways, so sometimes it was hard to tell who was speaking. But it was still fun after all these years!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

So unexpected!

Revisado: 06-25-24

I loved this book so much I read it through twice on audible immediacy it’s not heavy science fiction at all it’s set very much in our world, just a few minutes into the future or with circumstances that are happening now but we know nothing about.

The writing is stylish but not intrusive. The characters are very different from each other but you identify with every one. The plot is somber but ultimately optimistic. I am shocked by how much I literally loved this book. Give it a try!

Plus the two readers were perfect.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

We go deeper!

Revisado: 05-13-24

If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller and don’t care that much about understanding everyone’s motivations including the police, this is not for you.

If you enjoy a richly imagined and fantastically twisted spiral of people and circumstances, this is your cup of British tea. It’s not a simple whodunnit. Even the “bad guys” are interesting and the ethical questions are real. I enjoyed learning more about DS Cross and his obsession with fairness as well as justice. The apparent sidetrack into his taking care of his father was really important to reveal the profound humanity that is so often necessarily veiled by his Asperger’s Syndrome. Sullivan is possibly the best heir to PD James I’ve found. I enjoy a lot of American detective fiction but you can’t beat the Brits when they’re at their best!

The narrator of the audio book is very good with all the voices and accents but his delivery of the actual narrative is so ponderous and over-enunciated that I considered quitting the book. However, I do a lot of long car journeys so I stuck with it and tried to get used to it. I won’t quit the series because of him but the actor who read the first two books was much more enjoyable to listen to.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña