Holly K.

Great story with incredible narration

Revisado: 01-02-24

This was such a compelling and entertaining read. Hilarious at times and sobering in it's unfortunate basis in reality, the story is told from the perspective of an unassuming virologist who gets swept into the political circus due to an outbreak of a mysterious virus. The humor is in the details... set a few years in the future, you'll notice that capitalism is still king in the States as politicians, journalists, and scientists coordinate (or compete) to save lives and save face. Every now and then, my husband would catch a snippet of the story and start laughing, having no context for what's going on, because the dialogue and world-building are at once ridiculous and so dang believable.

The narration is incredible - sooo many voices and accents, all distinct and thoughtfully paired with the descriptions of each colorful and well-developed character. One of my favorite reads of 2023!

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Never seen the movies, don't think I want to

Revisado: 11-12-22

This was so fascinating. I loved the no-nonsense reading of the narrator, really lent support to the idea of this being a retelling, vs a work of fiction, which is inherently very spooky. Like many haunted stories, things start slowly but escalate wildly. I thought it was odd how much emphasis was given to measurements- specific temperatures, lot sizes, etc. - but again, maybe that was stylistic to give the story more credibility through specificity. I've never seen any of the movies on this subject, but I suspect they won't do this tale justice because you can't hear the characters' inner monologues, which do a lot of work to justify actions, build suspense, and create doubt throughout the book. Great storytelling, unwavering narration, and relatable characters really come together to make this a fun (but scary) read!

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Predictable twists but still fascinating and enter

Revisado: 11-11-22

The voice cast was great for this- stellar selections all around. I love stories told from multiple perspectives, seeing how different paths cross and how folks in different social roles view the same events, so I thought that was a great choice here. Some of the big reveals and twists were pretty easy to guess early on, but that didn't make it any less interesting to listen to them unfold, just less surprising. I would have liked to learn more about the subsequent events, which probably didn't belong in this book, but maybe Margaret will give us a trilogy so we can see them play out.

If you enjoyed the first book or the TV series, I think you'll enjoy this deeper look at lives within and without Gilead.

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Compelling, Unique, Satisfying Ending

Revisado: 05-29-22

This wasn't a book I "couldn't stop listening to". I'd leave it for days, listening to other media in between. But the story stayed with me... I'd think about it in the breaks between listens, and eventually I'd be drawn back in. When I did listen, it was for hours at a time, though. Always needing one more chapter, a little more insight to the bigger mystery at play. I've read very mixed reviews so I wasn't expecting much, but the story is great, and like nothing I've ever heard/read. It combines fantasy, mystery, self-realization, and dystopian themes in a truly unique way. I was highly entertained by each of the narrator's perspectives, and delighted at how the storylines eventually intertwine. Even better, I found the ending to be unpredictable and satisfying... a rarity in some of the related genres, in my experience.
I think there are only two people reading aloud, but they do a great job with inflection, accents, and tone. You eventually forget it's just the two of them and start to hear the huge cast of characters in this epic tale as separate voices. It was refreshing how many perspectives (racially, culturally, relationship...ly) are represented in the cast, and none of it feels forced or unnatural, or deeply related to the plot. Like, there's a gay couple that plays a fairly big role in the story, and their relationship is key, but not because it's an LGBTQ relationship- just because it's a relationship full of love and dedication. There are key players from all different backgrounds, including our main characters, but their background doesn't define them- their actions and thoughts do, which is powerful I think, and sometimes a missed target in literature that strives to be "representative" or "diverse". Every one of them has heroic moments. Every one has moments of weakness. And of critical importance to the story, where characters come from matters so much less than what they choose to do in the present, as new paths are forged in a new world.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Captivating, Sickening, but Well-Read

Revisado: 03-30-22

You know going into this one that you're in for a stomach-churning ride. I didn't think I'd be as affected by the narration of body horror as I am seeing it on screen but I was wrong. So fair warning, it gets gross, y'all.

I finished this quickly because it's an intriguing story set in a outrageous world. I appreciated the main character, flaws and all, and the vivid descriptions- not just of the gross stuff, but of settings and people throughout- it created such elaborate mental pictures. I loved the narrator's voice, intonation, and pauses.

What I didn't love was the in-your-face way themes were introduced and continued through the story. I like a good theme, but I felt parts of this bordered on preachy, which wasn't necessary given the subject matter. A little more nuance would have been appreciated in how we're introduced to some of the depravity of the current world, the importance of language in justification of that depravity, and how relationships can sustain you (or be your undoing). I suspect the author is vegan... I'd rather not have suspicions one way or the other.

I know some were dissatisfied with the ending, but I thought it was great (no spoilers, just know it's controversial). If you're into dystopian fiction and can handle slaughterhouse descriptions, give this a try. It's got a lot of food for thought (see what I did there?), twists and shocks, and I hope they never make it a movie.

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