Nan51

Enjoyable and Informative

Revisado: 06-12-23

I have a new respect for the services performed by courtiers. I confess based on historical fiction I had read for decades I had a completely wrong impression. These people who serve come from different backgrounds are have distinguished themselves before coming to serve the Royal Family. I expect even this is just the tip of the iceberg and meant to be an introduction for people who have no idea.

I enjoyed reading each chapter and looked forward to the next. No, it is not primarily about Harry and Meghan but it provides explanations and insight into what happened. You will get much needed background.

Valentine Low's narration of his book is excellent. His voice is pleasant and his speech is easily understood by this American. But I enjoy British films and television as well as programs from other countries. As to criticism in some reviews about his accent, it is what I would expect from any British television personality. And there are variety of accents among them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about British life. I'll be looking for more books from this author.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Difficult Subject But So Worth Hearing

Revisado: 08-27-19

I had reservations about this book. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he went through. Grief is so personal and so emotional. But after reading and listening to so many of his other works, I came to the point that I knew it was time. I'm glad I did. We all suffer loss and deal with it each time in our own way depending on circumstance. Lewis married for the first time in his 50s. And despite their short time together, relatively speaking, before she died of cancer, they loved one another deeply. The loss he felt was devastating to him and in this book, he expresses anger that God could have brought her into his life only to rob him of her presence. This book came about as he kept a journal to express his grief, anger, despair and loss in a private way. He didn't want to talk about it...except to God and to H. (his way of referring to his wife - Helen Joy Davidman Gresham Lewis). I am grateful to him for putting it down on paper. He does work his way out a very dark place. As he says, you might think you are locked in and then you hear something that tells you that you are not, but simply outdoors in the dark and just have to follow the sound. It's a very positive and encouraging story of grief and hope and faith.

The narrator, Ralph Cosham, was excellent. I thought his voice was pleasant and he expressed the feelings very well.

PS. I did not find the Introduction or the Foreword helpful. I will skip over those when I listen again and go directly to Chapter One. C.S. Lewis' own words are best when they heard without additions, in my opinion.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A Well Written Mystery Story

Revisado: 04-29-19

I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I did not want to put it down. The story unfolded at just the right pace, and the revelations about the characters' motivations were not made too soon. As they are first introduced, the reader is led to believe they are one thing and only as the main character who has just returned after a four year absence begins to investigate what happened four years earlier and what has been going on since, does the reader become enlightened. I was so glad NOT to be in the aggravating position of knowing more than the lead. When you find yourself thinking "How can he or she be so stupid?!" The one thing I would caution is that readers understand the period the author knew and wrote about. It would be useless to expect an author who was born more than 100 years ago to write as one who was born 40 years ago. Even with that, the mystery story is great and not one that has been told over and over. As much as I enjoy Miss Marple and Poirot, I don't want to read, listen or watch the same stories over and over and over. Patricia Wentworth, the author, and her style of writing is a treat! And Diana Bishop, the narrator, is wonderful in her ability to voice each character and help the listener become lost in the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

An Officer's Wife's View of WWII

Revisado: 04-08-19

This is a wonderful story of the early days of WWII from the homefront. Of all of D.E. Stevenson's novels, this one is near the top of my list. Her character, Hester Christie, is the mother of two and the wife of an officer who has been sent with the British Expeditionary Force to France in the early days of the war. She writes about her duties in that role, to keep everything going at home, give support as needed to other wives whose husbands have been deployed and be involve And in all the usual goings-on involving normal life. She provides a variety of characters and situations. It's difficult to put it into a short review. Despite the war going on across the Channel, people's lives are still as complicated at home with falling in love, having hearts broken, having children, being afraid of German invasion, worrying about their loved ones and trying to prepare to defend their homes while men are overseas, and so on. I read the book a couple of years ago having borrowed it from the library. It had to be found in the library archives and when my borrowing it made them realize the condition of the paperback, they withdrew it from circulation after I returned it. I then paid a lot for an old paperback. When Amazon made a new reprint of the paperback and a Kindle version available recently, I bought both. And now, Audible has Leslie Mackie's wonderful narration. She makes the characters come to life. I enjoy listening as I drive or when I'm settling down at the end of the day. I love this book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

The Book is Better Than the Movie

Revisado: 02-21-19

Many of us have experienced that when we go to see the film version of a favourite book. In this case, I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC version of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries starring Ian Carmichael. And I still do and will continue to do so. I also love the Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter films of the Wimsey/Vane stories. However, I am so glad I bought the audio book version of Ian Carmichael reading the books. The stories are different. The TV versions are abridged and the dramatized to fit within a prescribed time limit. They are altered for TV audiences who may or may not watch the next story. Dorothy Sayers created a character who ages. The ending of Strong Poison is much different than the TV version. Several men have commented they would have dropped Harriet Vane if she had behaved that way. Sayers did not write either her or Lord Peter that way. I don't understand why the TV writer made such an alteration. I won't say more than that. Pick up the book and read the last chapter and you may find yourself getting all the audio book versions you can lay your hands on. I've only searched for Ian Carmichael as narrator. He is excellent with all the characters and, of course, as Lord Peter.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Delightful!

Revisado: 01-17-19

I didn't know what to expect based on the description of this offering of three short Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, but as a recent fan of the series I had to give it a try. I've been reading them, listening to the audiobooks and watching the video versions with both Ian Carmichael and Edward Petheridge. I'm addicted and was glad to find more in any format. These are, for me, better than I hoped. I do not recommend them until you've been introduced to Lord Peter and his more traditional mysteries so you can appreciate his ability of detection as well as his personal life adversities. Dorothy L. Sayers created a complete character with supporting characters to match. But, if you have enjoyed his other adventures, do not deny yourself these three tales. I was mystified, puzzled and delighted to the point of laughing out loud. Wonderful!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Classic Stories of Hauntings and Supernatural Even

Revisado: 12-04-17

Tales that you might tell around the fire on a wintry evening when the wind is rattling the door and howling outside. Lots of frights and shudders. Good old fashioned fun!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Enjoyable

Revisado: 07-21-16

Would you consider the audio edition of The Quiet Professor to be better than the print version?

I think the audio edition adds to my enjoyment of the story because I can hear accents of the various characters which I just cannot add in my mind as I read it. It's not better than the print version, but it adds another dimension. I would love to find more Betty Neels stories in audio version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well, I think it would have to be the Quiet Professor, Jake van Belfield. He is just so solid, reliable, large and good looking and determined to have his own way. He doesn't force Megan to do to anything she doesn't want to do, but he just manages to convince her that his quietly suggested ideas really would be for the best. The reader believes that if she decided not to go along with him, and he thought she wouldn't budge, he would accept her decision. She just seems to know that he is right about how to get over her "cracked" heart.

What about Anne Cater’s performance did you like?

I love her voice, her pacing of the narration, her manner of acting each character so you know who is talking by the way she changes accent, pitch, pronunciation and so on. She's a wonderful reader and actress.

If you could rename The Quiet Professor, what would you call it?

I cannot imagine.

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to more of Betty Neels novels in audio edition. I hope I don't have long to wait.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Story Great - Narration Okay

Revisado: 01-14-16

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend the audible book to a friend because the story is simply read. The reader has a pleasant voice. But there is no differentiation between characters. He simply reads.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Percival Keene.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader had a pleasant voice and read well.

Was Percival Keene worth the listening time?

No. I will simply read the book myself next time.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Enjoyable Travel Story

Revisado: 01-14-16

Would you listen to A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland again? Why?

I think I will listen again. I really enjoyed the voices of Patrick Tull and Alexander Spencer. I thought I had a better understanding of Samuel Johnson and James Boswell thanks to their voicing of their writing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't have a favorite. I was surprised to learn from this book that Samuel Johnson believed that men generally would be overmatched by women intellectually and that was why women were not educated as men were in his lifetime. I had no idea that men of his education and society would even consider that educating women would be desirable.

I liked James Boswell very much. He was so intelligent, so well mannered and humble. He obviously admired Samuel Johnson and wanted to impress him with Scotland. I think that while Johnson was inconvenienced quite often during their travels, Boswell did succeed in changing Johnson's mind about Scots in several instances.

What about Patrick Tull and Alexander Spencer ’s performance did you like?

I thought they captured the personalities quite well. I enjoyed the give and take of the different characters even though the men wrote their accounts separately, the audible book created an illusion of a conversation which entertained and amused me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I hate this question.

Any additional comments?

If you are interested in books about life in Scotland in the 18th century, or how and Englishman and a Scotsman viewed life in the 18th century, I know you would enjoy this. The difficulties of travel, food, lodging and just getting along for a period of time for people of different backgrounds is very interesting. The narration is very enjoyable.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona