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Thought Provoking

Revisado: 06-13-22

I've read several other Johann Hari's books and always appreciated his mix of the personal with extensive research. This book is probably his most important to date and its subjects affects practically all of us. As usual, he has done his homework by interviewing a gamut of experts, but I especially liked his stories of going to Provincetown without a cell phone and taking his nephew to Graceland. I loved his voice which feels raw and real.

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Another Must Read from Murray

Revisado: 06-13-22

I'm a big admirer of Douglas Murray and this book was up there with his others. A deep dive into the assault on Western values and the hypocrisy and costs of this assault. Meticulously researched, as are all his books, and I loved hearing it read in his clear accent.

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So so story

Revisado: 01-28-22

This story shows that you can fulfill your dream of becoming a novelist and still lead a sad and lonely existence. I did not find. the author's life story especially interesting and certainly not enviable. I kind of felt sorry for her in the end because she is describing a kind of Life on the D list. She gets her novels published but is still overshadowed by the big names in the industry. She hinted at some mental issues and it would have been interesting if she had delved into those more deeply because the entire book was pretty superficial. Wouldn't recommend. But the narration was good.

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Very impressive

Revisado: 01-28-22

I flew through this book in about three days. It's an absolutely stunning meditation on the act of losing someone you deeply love and falling in love. I could feel al the author's emotions vividly, her love for these people in her life who during the book you also come to love. But she was also able to pull away and think about her subject in very thoughtful ways. The narration was also wonderful. Highly recommend.

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Didn't get the hype

Revisado: 01-28-22

This book seemed to get a lot of buzz and I have to say for me it was like the emperor has no clothes. I found the plot uninteresting, filled with lots of extraneous details and flat characters. The central premise, who owns their rights to a story, wasn't explored in an especially interesting way. And the narration sure didn't help. I don't think this was the right reader at all for this book.

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Mixed Feelings

Revisado: 07-10-21

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book because it is itself filled with contradictions. On the one hand, it's a look at the world at online dating that, among other things, details the exploitation of women. On the other hand, it's written by a middle aged woman who used these apps to engage in very risky sexual trysts. And how do we understand these trysts? As a form of female independence when so many times women get hurt emotionally and physically from them? Also, the book is shockingly frank in that Sales reveals all the details of her one night stands with a multitude of young men. On the other hand, she never explores why she isn't interested in using online dating to look for a serious and more mature relationship which so many middle aged women have found using them. Overall, I found myself entertained by her stories but also rather annoyed that such an intelligent woman couldn't do better.
The narrator was fine but I found her southern accent for one of the main male characters annoying and demeaning since there was no indication he was from the south

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Critical Read for Understanding Europe

Revisado: 01-02-21

If you want to understand the future of Europe reading this book is a must. A very frank and brave exploration of the implications of massive immigration into Western Europe. Murray is an excellent and engaging writer. The narration was perfect. Highly recommend.

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Unsatisfying

Revisado: 09-27-20

Sue Miller is a very gifted novelist who has a knack for fleshing out scenes and characters. Her novels will not appeal to anyone who likes a plot with suspense, mystery or action. This is a so-called character-driven novel where the reading enjoyment comes from getting into the lives of pretty ordinary people. In this novel, she takes us closely into the life of a married couple in which the husband cheated, but is otherwise a great guy, and who dies prematurely. I usually enjoy character-driven novels, but at a certain point, I found myself hoping for a subplot, something to justify the reading. All of the characters seem cold and unemotional, and overall I didn't feel anything big was at stake for anyone.
No complaints on the reading which was performed by the author. That was terrific.

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An intimate look at obesity

Revisado: 02-17-19

This book is an intimate look at obesity. The author admits that he really has it all -- wonderful parents and friends, a fascinating job and a loving wife. Yet he cannot restrain himself from overeating. He tells his life story with great humor and candor, blaming absolutely no one but himself for overeating. His voice, which is hoarse from a throat operation he had many years ago, is initially hard to understand but adds to the experience of the book. It's a good, albeit not super deeper read, and will make me look at all obese people a little differently.

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So So

Revisado: 02-09-19

I have greatly enjoyed the recent spate of memoirs about people born and raised working class such as Heartland and Hillybilly Elegy, which is why I was drawn to this book. There is no question the author had a rough life, but I found her lack of responsibility for her life choices to be a major problem and there's really little personal growth.

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