VM

Beautiful and compelling story.

Revisado: 01-12-24

In our world, we tend to become too preoccupied with small things that affect us individually. Taking time to pay attention to the larger landscape requires us to set aside our individual concerns for longer than most of us are comfortable.

Then, along comes a book like ‘Our Missing Hearts’ and shows us a terrifying, and terrifyingly plausible, reality. We find every bit of our attention drawn into the story and we welcome it. After all, it’s not our world, it’s an escape from our world.

But once the story is complete, we must re-orient ourselves to our reality. In that first split second, if you allow it, you might see the world Celeste Ng created is still there - as just a faint overlay on our reality. Before the overlay fades completely, and if you can ignore your phone and not check your watch, you may see how we collectively are on a collision course with the world revealed in this book.

From that point on, every minute of your life will reflect either a decision to live in a world created by (and for) others, or a decision to resist. A decision to fight against injustice currently in the world and the injustice just now sprouting up all around us. A decision to reclaim the power in a single life.
A single voice.
A single heart.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Clever story & a great performance

Revisado: 09-26-23

I had no idea what to expect, but once I started listening I couldn't stop until I got to the end. Somehow in a very short span of time the characters felt like old friends - I was completely invested in their lives.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Strike 1

Revisado: 05-04-23

I’ll confess, I only made it through Book 1 and found even that to be a struggle. My biggest obstacle early on was the narration. I tried moving the listening speed up but was unable to find a speed that was fast enough not to fall asleep but slow enough that I didn’t miss anything. I ended up settling on 1.15x and listening while folding laundry or doing dishes.

The story itself was inconsistent in pacing. At times a character was introduced, their backstory revealed, dropped into the story where the backstory was reviewed. All before they really did anything. Other characters would be briefly introduced only to disappear for long stretches before returning, often using a different name, and having a place in the action.

In the end, I forced myself to finish the first book. Ever the optimist, I started Book 2 but couldn’t get through the “Previously on…” summary of Book 1.

I might try to get through Book 2 later, but there are so many other books out there!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Enjoyable, while also painful.

Revisado: 04-18-23

This is the first work from the LATW that I’ve heard so I came in with no expectations. I say that only because it seems like many of the negative reviews were left by those who failed to have their expectations met.

Having been through this sort of thing with my daughters I could relate to both sides of this conflict. That allowed me to flow seamlessly between characters, aligning myself with first one, then another. And while the ending did feel a bit abrupt that just mirrored reality where, in my experience, everyone walks away feeling unhappy and vaguely unfulfilled.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Could not settle on one voice

Revisado: 06-21-20

This story begins with an apology for any flaws in the English because it is written by a fox. And it was written like you would expect a new English speaker to write - mostly restricted vocabulary during the dialog. Because of the repetition that occurs when you restrict vocabulary, this got a bit tedious but since the writing is part of the story, you just roll with it.

Until the word "très" found its way into the story. Then idioms started dropping. Idioms are particularly difficult to pick up & use correctly when learning a new language. I would not expect to hear them in this context.

I'm not trying to be difficult but if the reader must persevere through dialog so très simplistically written (Ex. 'I was like' then 'he was like' and 'I was like') then commit to that writing style throughout the piece. And if having the writing style be consistent with primitive English really isn't that important to the story, then please do something about the dialog.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

I got totally lost!

Revisado: 02-16-20

I don't mean that I got lost in a bad way. There I was, listening to a story when I realized that I had been pulled into an entire experience. It wasn't just the writing - the performance and production were captivating - and before long I felt that I honestly knew the characters to the point of being invested in their well being. This isn't unusual for me as a reader/ listener, but it is unusual for me to become so totally engrossed so quickly. It wasn't until hours later that I was discovered still sitting there (now in the dark). The audio had long since ended but I was so invested in the lives of the characters that I had become lost in their world - the world that had now been (re)created in my mind.

So please, save this gem for a time when you can listen to the entire production in one sitting. Better still, a time when you can listen to the entire production followed by a leisurely guided tour of Lillian's and a nice cup of tea.

Note to the author: I am totally going to borrow the phrase "emotionally biographical".

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Clearly a prequel

Revisado: 02-14-20

The narration was excellent and overall this was an enjoyable listen. It was clearly a prequel as the last chapter felt less like a conclusion and more like a nod to the rest of the story. Don’t misunderstand me, the story was still interesting enough, it just was not written as a stand alone book. The plot was a bit predictable and the supporting characters were more than a little flat but it served its purpose of leaving the listener wanting to know more about Finley Jayne.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña