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Disappointingly cliched

Revisado: 01-02-25

I usually enjoy time travel fiction, but this one fell a bit short for me. The time traveler conveniently lands in the home of a wealthy family, complete with attentive servants. Considering the ultra-rich are such a small minority, why do time travelers never end up in the slums or among the working class?

One detail that particularly pulled me out of the story was the author's portrayal of London. While it's true that the UK is known for its frequent rain, the author seems unaware that this typically means light drizzles rather than the dramatic storms with thunder and lightning she describes. This lack of authenticity made the setting feel less believable and detracted from the overall immersion.

That said, the ending of the book was refreshingly unique and took an unexpected direction that I appreciated. While the story didn’t fully meet my expectations, the conclusion stood out as a creative and intriguing twist, adding depth to the narrative.

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A Delightful Surprise Set in My Homeland

Revisado: 10-30-24

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Susannah Glenn in the future. As an Aussie now living overseas, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the story is set in my homeland—but I would have loved it just as much regardless of the setting. With well-developed characters, an engaging storyline, and likable personalities throughout, this book was an absolute delight. Highly recommend!

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A Fascinating Case, But Narration Misses the Mark

Revisado: 08-12-24

The case presented in Then No One Can Have Her is fascinating, and the story is mostly well-written, though there are occasional phrasing issues that gave me pause. One striking example was describing a savage beating as "beaten mercifully," which I assume was meant to be "beaten mercilessly."

While the writing itself was engaging, the narrator's mispronunciations significantly detracted from the listening experience. The most glaring was her pronunciation of La Jolla—an iconic place name even I’m familiar with as an Australian. Although she understood that "J" in Spanish is pronounced "H," she mispronounced the double "L" entirely, breaking immersion. Other missteps included repeatedly mispronouncing "indigent" as "In-DIN-gent," with an extra "n" and misplaced emphasis, and stumbling over "exsanguination." While not a common everyday word, "exsanguination" is standard in true crime and should have been familiar to a narrator of this genre.

These errors may seem minor, but when I’m listening to a book while milking my goats, I want to be fully immersed in the story, not distracted by the narrator’s struggles with basic vocabulary.

That said, the story itself is intricately woven and deeply engaging. Caitlin Rother masterfully navigates the complexities of the case, keeping readers guessing about what really happened until the end. Despite its flaws, this is a compelling read, and I applaud the author for her storytelling.

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A Missed Opportunity for Deeper Insight

Revisado: 07-25-24

I’ve enjoyed many books by M. William Phelps and appreciate his storytelling, so when this title appeared in a search of his name, I downloaded it, assuming he was the author. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Surviving Dirty John is written by Debra Newell herself, and while her motivation to share her perspective is understandable—she felt misrepresented as shallow in the podcast and TV series—the result is disappointing.

Ironically, in her attempt to counter those portrayals, Newell instead reinforces them. The first hour of the book is a tedious account of her physical beauty, her sister’s “super-model” looks, and her fixation on wealth and possessions. While I sympathize with her as a survivor of coercive control (having experienced something similar myself), the lack of depth and the focus on superficial details made it hard to connect with her or the story. I was hoping for insight into the characters and the dynamics of her experience, but what I got felt more like a plea for attention.

To make matters worse, the narration was poor, further detracting from the listening experience. Despite my initial sympathy for her story, I couldn’t make it past the 90-minute mark. With the podcast, TV series, and now this book, it feels like her story has been told—and perhaps retold—one too many times.

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Fell Short of Expectations and Immersion

Revisado: 12-02-23

I really wanted to love People of the Wolf. As a huge fan of Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children series, I was hoping for something similarly immersive and engaging. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me on several fronts.

The characters felt one-dimensional, making it hard to invest in their stories. Additionally, there were inconsistencies in the world-building that pulled me out of the narrative. For example, both the winter season and a single night were referred to as "the long dark," yet when asked how long it had been since she’d eaten, a character responded with "two weeks." For a tribe that seemingly lacks the concept of years, months, or days, the notion of a “week” felt out of place and historically inaccurate.

To add to the confusion, the characters’ names often changed mid-story. I already struggled to keep track of names like "Runs in Light," but then had to remember that he became "Wolf Dreamer." This naming convention made following the story unnecessarily complicated. In other cases, names like "Four Teeth" were introduced without explanation—was he born with four teeth? Did he name himself later in life after losing the rest? The lack of clarity only deepened my frustration.

I pushed through most of the book, unwilling to waste the credit I spent on it, but with two hours left, I found myself unable to continue. The story wasn’t captivating, the characters were forgettable, and the inconsistencies were too distracting. In the end, I moved on to something more engaging and better able to hold my attention.

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A Performance That Missed the Mark

Revisado: 06-30-23

I typically prefer books that are read rather than performed, but I’ve come across some performed stories that managed to hold my attention. Unfortunately, Marrow wasn’t one of them.

The repeated reminder at the start of each "episode" that this is a work of fiction felt unnecessary and patronizing—once at the beginning of the book would have been sufficient. Beyond that, the story itself meandered, with an old woman reminiscing about her childhood in a way that felt more like rambling than meaningful storytelling.

The performance also detracted from the experience. The older woman’s voice didn’t match the six-year-old child she was supposed to be reliving, making it even harder to connect with the narrative. I can’t help but feel this book would have worked better as a straightforward reading rather than a performance.

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An Eye-Opening Journey Through the Lost Diversity

Revisado: 04-01-23

Eating to Extinction is an absolutely fascinating deep dive into the history of the food we eat today—how it became what it is and what other varieties once thrived before falling out of favor. The book sheds light on the forces that have shaped our modern food system, highlighting the loss of diversity and its consequences.

At times, it left me feeling sad and even helpless as an individual to effect meaningful change. However, it also reinforced the idea that knowledge is power. The more people who understand these issues, the greater the chance that those in a position to make a difference might take action.

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Powerful Story Undermined by a Flat Performance

Revisado: 04-22-22

The story in To Kill or Be Killed is very well-written, offering a compelling and insightful look into how an intelligent woman can gradually fall under the control of an abuser and the profound sense of entrapment that follows. The author does an excellent job of capturing this dynamic and articulating the emotional and psychological complexities involved.

Unfortunately, the narration detracted from the overall experience. The monotone delivery, with each word enunciated with equal weight and unnatural separation—almost like it was being read by a computer—was both distracting and flattened the emotional depth of the story. This made it difficult at times to grasp the context and nuance that the author had clearly intended.

Despite the performance issues, the story itself is powerful and well worth reading for its portrayal of abuse and control dynamics.

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An Intriguing Story Marred by Excessive Violence

Revisado: 12-30-21

The storyline of Gone Again was engaging, but the character development left much to be desired. The protagonist is presented as a man who supposedly isn’t violent, yet he spends much of the novel doing things like punching women in the face over playground conflicts between their 6-year-olds or pistol-whipping a man he’s already incapacitated with a gunshot. These actions felt at odds with how the character was intended to be portrayed.

On a more positive note, having lived in Edinburgh, I enjoyed the references to familiar places and events, which added a personal connection to the story. However, I feel the book could be significantly improved by toning down the violence and focusing more on sleuthing and the investigative aspects of the plot.

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Immersive, Nostalgic, and Brilliantly Realistic

Revisado: 12-28-21

The performance of Ghost Child was outstanding, with the narrators delivering accents and voices perfectly suited to each character. As a Melburnian who grew up in the 80s, I thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic reminders of my childhood vocabulary (Ace! Grouse!) woven throughout the story.

Surprisingly, I didn’t recall this case from the news—and it wasn’t until I was halfway through that I realized it was fiction! The author does an incredible job of crafting a story so realistic that it feels like a true-crime account while offering deep insight into the foster care system from multiple perspectives.

This book is truly worth a listen, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping and immersive experience.

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