Allegreek

Léelo

Revisado: 02-16-23

Un libro que no te deja soltarlo. No conocía a la escritora pero buscaré sus otros libros. Para los que le gusten el suspenso, investigaciones y perfiles psicológicos.

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Enjoyed it…for the most part

Revisado: 10-29-22

I enjoyed this book, the characters, the culture, history etc. but it was difficult to get passed the mispronounced words in Spanish especially Luz’s father’s last name. Chalkboard + nails scenario.

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Disappointing--Probably better if read hardcopy

Revisado: 11-03-20

Finished it. The plot definitely picked up on the second half. This book could have benefited from better editing efforts and definitely a better narrator, as Sutton consistently detracted from the story and never improved the experience. If you are a fan of the Owens women and their stories, you get small tidbits to fill in the back story...too much repetition and just not enough substance for my taste. My advice is to read the book rather than listen to the AB. Following is my experience as I read it...

Listening to the dialog of women in the 1600s with a contemporary, and obnoxious, American accent is off-putting at best and takes you right out of the story at worst. This is part of the magic of a period piece especially one we can HEAR. Also off-putting when the narrator varies between a flat affect where not appropriate (see below) and a strange halted sing-song rhythm like one would use when reading to a child. Had I listened to the sample, I would not have bought this as an audiobook; sadly, I preordered.

Update: Half way through and the story has improved, though remains far too close to a romance novel for my taste. More magic, less romance would have been a better recipe. Flat and insipid narration is making this listen a chore. Don't get me started on the pronunciation of foreign languages-especially, some of which I speak, just dreadful. Perhaps this story would benefit from being read rather than listened to. Will revise if/when I finish.

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Disappointed an the narrator finished it off

Revisado: 11-03-20

I love the aunts from Practical Magic; the prospect of an uncle and learning more about other Owens relatives was so tantalizing. I was looking for so much more substance than was on the "page"! I liked the tiny nuggets of family history and magic even though much was so predictable and at times repetitive. The rest was so tiresome. I agree with another reviewer that this is probably some young adult's dream. The narrator took away any enjoyment to be had. I don't know anyone who grew up in NYC or anywhere in the Northeast who speak, even to this day, like people from California. Maybe they were trying to make it relevant and contemporary? Wrong move. I listened to the end in hopes there would be some substance that would be worth the discomfort of listening to this narrator. It wasn't. This was disappointing. If this is the best book you've read in 2020, please keep reading!

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Listen to sample and read description first!

Revisado: 09-19-20

Listen to the whole sample first to ensure you can palate the narrator! I probably would have opted to read the book rather than listen if I had. The narrator's contrived articulation, diction, tone, and inconsistent/incorrect pronunciation of foreign languages were all distracting at best and made it almost unbearable to listen at worst. She treats the audience as if it were comprised of children whose attention must be captured and retained. This narrator confuses sophistication with pedantic enunciation and the "dramatic" performances were so over the top and out of place. I trudged through rather painfully only because I like AH and am interested in WWII history; so the book had the potential of being an interesting intersection of the two.

The book, as stated by many reviewers, could have been an article or a short. It goes into great detail about the Dutch experience during WWII, if you're unfamiliar and have the interest this will be new. The jumping around in chronology and repetitive details were not helpful. The author also makes some errors pertaining to Dutch and German geography which apparently no one cared enough to fix prior to publishing? For me, there was too little about AH herself, far more details about her mother and her various relations than her own experience. It does put her in context, but only makes the connection very late how the war likely affected her. The reality of this book is you can learn almost everything in it from the description. In short: narrator ill-suited for the material, not well organized, and too little substance about her actual experience during the war. Perhaps reading it would have been much better. Overall it was disappointing.

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I really wanted to like it

Revisado: 12-14-19

The book had all the ingredients, but it didn't quite come together for me. This probably would have been more enjoyable if these things had been present: a stronger plot, more "physick", a more self-assured protagonist and a different narrator. The storyline really needed more substance...still it might have been bolstered by a fabulous performance; but alas, it was not. The character voices were just OK, but the narration itself was painfully dull and monotone. She droned on and on--it was hard to take. I only finished it because I'd read the first book and wanted to see the story through to the end. It left me wishing it was better.

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I really wanted to like it

Revisado: 12-02-19

I really wanted to like it; but there were too many strikes against it. The writing style was odd and stilted in parts. This was not helped by the direction or production of the audio book. It was exciting to know an actor of Richard Hermitage was narrating the book. I’m not sure if it was in the editing or poor direction, but the inconsistencies in parts of the narration was jarring. Worst of all was the romance novel treatment of Lake and Gita’s story in Auschwitz. It left me wishing this couple’s real story had been told and not used as fodder for historical fiction.

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Pleasantly surprised

Revisado: 05-07-19

I love a good story about people breaking down barriers and shattering stereotypes. This seemed like such a story; it did not disappoint. I had not payed attention to who the narrator(s) were or that there were even two of them. The surprise here came in the form of Morven Christie and the reason for this review. She masterfully grasps the character’s voices and the tone of the book. She brought this book to life and I don’t know if I would have enjoyed the first half, let alone the whole book, as much as I did were it not for her interpretation. When the narrators switched, I almost quit listening; but I wanted to know what happens. I endured the second half’s narration. Lucy’s performance was spotty at best—it was as though her Maddie never realized where she really was or what was happening. Those 5 stars you see next to performance and most of the overall stars are Morten’s. If I could have her narrate all my favorite books, I would be the happiest person on this planet. Morven Christie is simply extraordinary.

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Death by Narrator

Revisado: 02-15-19

I wanted to like this book; I gave up after enduring 16 of 80+ chapters. I could not endure one more word uttered by this narrator. She can’t even get the gender of the teacher right...some times changing it in the same sentence! Maestra and maestro are not interchangeable. It appears the narrator was not well prepared with her grating and at times painful “Italian” pronunciations. Please, if you’re reading a foreign names of places, objects, phrases, characters’ names etc., either pronounce them properly in their native tongue or don’t bother at all and read them with an America accent. Perhaps she’s great with other types of books; but I get the distinct feeling the narrator completely missed the boat with this series of books.

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