MyDogBen

Wrong Reader for This Material

Revisado: 11-01-14

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

No one.

Would you ever listen to anything by Edmund White again?

It would have to be free.

What didn’t you like about Ken Kliban’s performance?

Like having your grandfather read you porn. The biggest mismatch of voice to material I've encountered. Furthermore, the narrator's hesitating cadence has nothing to do with the author's pacing. Too, Kliban makes no effort to differentiate the voices of Jack Holmes and his friend, Will. When these characters talk to each other, it's as one person talking to himself.

What character would you cut from Jack Holmes and His Friend?

The narrator. Someone more appropriate might have salvaged this audiobook - might have.

Any additional comments?

This was a distorted caricature of gay life. I could not tell you if the author was being satirical or was truly misinformed. If you want to know accurate information about being gay, ask someone you know in real life. Do not take this oddity as gospel.

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Catastrophically Bad

Revisado: 03-24-14

What would have made Torchwood: The Exodus Code better?

Writing the actual ending. As the story unfolds we learn that Capt. Jack Harkness must enter the earth to change Gaia's mind. The actual conversation between Jack and Gaia isn't written. The book ends as if the authors lost all interest and quit writing.

Has Torchwood: The Exodus Code turned you off from other books in this genre?

Only turned off from novels by these authors.

How could the performance have been better?

Everything the other reviewers already mentioned is accurate. The peculiar pronunciation of the word 'geyser' as 'geezer' takes you out of the story every time. And it only happens, maybe, a hundred times.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

There was one neat bit of Torchwood tech that appears after the first half of the book. No spoilers here, but it did make me smile.

Any additional comments?

I bought the book because I pine for another round of Torchwood episodes. If you long for them too, bad news: this book won't fill that need.

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Lost Cause, Indeed

Revisado: 09-11-12

What was most disappointing about Jussi Adler-Olsen???s story?

Like many Audible listeners, I was looking to find the next "Dragon Tattoo" series. "Lost Causes" isn't it. The story has no redeeming value. Keep the Audible credit, I wish I could get my TIME back. Believe the many people before me who labeled this as bad. They are right.

Any additional comments?

Spoiler alert: this book is driven by extensive descriptions of torture. I'm appalled it was ever published. And I'm against censorship. I'm not against good taste.

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OK, with reservations

Revisado: 04-19-12

Any additional comments?

Odd that Will Durant defends religion, even though he admits (paraphrasing here) that it is made up to give poor people hope. The book itself is spliced together with an extended interview with the authors. I found myself wishing the interviewer asked harder questions. But, it wasn't a debate. The book tends to repeat themes. It feels like an essay extended to book form. However, I am glad I heard it.

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There will be other books written...

Revisado: 02-17-12

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

I came to this book with such high expectations. Isaacson is out of his depth with his subject matter. I can only recommend it with serious reservations.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked best the unintentional glimpses of SJ that leaked through the cracks in Isaacson's narrative plan: glimpses of home life, Job's manic schedule. And regarding Steve Jobs vs Cancer, I predict a Broadway play, probably a comedy, before too long. This particular health crisis was tailor-made for examination before an audience. With laughter, and tears.

How could the performance have been better?

Dylan Baker's delivery is not suited to the material. Every time I returned to the book I thought, is he really the ideal narrator for this? Would Apple have approved this choice? His repeated mispronunciation of

Any additional comments?

Blogger Jon Gruber makes some excellent, detailed critiques of Isaacson's work at the website 'Daring Fireball.' Anyone interested in an alternate analysis of Steve Job's career should go read Gruber on the subject.

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Worth every minute

Revisado: 05-06-11

What a pleasant surprise, to be reminded that a classic book is classic for a reason - it's good. Don't hesitate to jump in. It's long, but I didn't want it to end. The narrator's characterizations are wonderful. George Eliot had me laughing many, many times with droll wit and insight.

Also, Middlemarch delivers perhaps the most elegant final paragraph a novel could hope for. Wow.

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Not for Beginners

Revisado: 06-09-10

A new fan to MLS Soccer/Football in the US, I wanted to learn about the history of the World Cup in time for this year's matches. However, "The History of the World Cup" is a only a relentless recitative roll-call, a tsunami of player's names, one after another, usually accompanied by an adjective. I forced myself to listen to the end. Perhaps for the veteran fan, revisiting countries and past contests will be rewarding because the reader's own memories may fill in the many, many gaps. New fans will be bored.

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What A Dud

Revisado: 03-29-10

Actor Jeff Gurner does a heroic job with atrocious material. If I could get this 7+ hours of my life back, I would.

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