Susanne M. Dutton

"Monsewers" In Egyot

Revisado: 01-14-25

This is a decent Christie story for as far as I read into it, but the narration was too poor. All characters sound the same, no matter their age, gender, nationality, etc. Repeatedly we hear of Monsewer Poirot and not only from one character, where it could be a funny quirk. Rather than "humanly possible," we get "humanely possible." I couldn't finish it.

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Not what I expected, but better!

Revisado: 09-14-23

At first I felt I'd somehow not bought the book I'd intended to purchase. But yes, I had. This was Ruth Rendell with a different kind of mystery, very different. Still, I did wait expectantly for each turn in the story, wondered what each character would do next. I finished it in one day. I was surprised time and time again and appreciated the mature wisdom and celebratory nature of the end. DARK CORNERS ticks all the murder mystery boxes while at the same time it's the most satisfying I've read in a long while.

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Second Hack in a Week

Revisado: 10-26-22

What a biography! Yes, I was entertained, mystified and sometimes repulsed. I wasn't looking for a role model, but a great story. Hack is fair, and I finished the book feeling I had been given a beautiful, just account of an amazing life, good, bad, and truly sad. Insights into fifty years of American history are part of the ride here, too. In fact, I came to this book straight from Hack's Agatha Christie bio, looking for more. It's true that Cashman mispronounces some words. I wonder. A long time ago, a friend of mine was made fun of when she mispronounced a word during a highschool history class. The teacher said, "Well! That's only a sign of someone who reads more than she talks!"

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Wow!

Revisado: 06-08-20

How stereotype-busting it is to read texts by real people waking up everyday in another time and place. This one is better than many, as Pruitt Stewart wrote what she believed to be private letters to a particular person, not to a vague future reader. Certainly I "got unstuck" from the 21st C for a good five hours--not saying I'd want to stay in 1909, but this seems a good way to take a look. If you've read deeply in late Victorian or Edwardian lit, work like this can shake your assumptions to the core.

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Like!

Revisado: 06-11-16

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Depending on the friend's situation.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I have to say the crazed druggie was most memorable, because he is the character most fully described.

What did you learn from A Spy's Guide to Thinking that you would use in your daily life?

I liked the comment as to the process being a "loop," and the distinctions between types of sum games.

Any additional comments?

I laughed out loud when the author asks himself about why he wrote the book and why we might buy it. I bought it because I'm writing a Holmes story and I might gain some insight into espionage. The biggest deciding factor was the knowledge that Kevin Pierce narrates.

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It's Dickens, but . . .

Revisado: 06-02-16

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

Yes to the book. No to this audio version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Had to quit.

What didn’t you like about Peter Batchelor’s performance?

I could listen to it without ear buds, in the next room, but not otherwise. It may even have worked on stage, but using an iPod and earbuds, this could actually hurt. Oliver, in particular, comes off as whiney and I looked forward to hearing from another character: Not a good sign. I have to say that when the narrator is speaking "the narrator" words, it's fine. Reminds me of Jim Dale's Dumbledore.But that doesn't redeem the experience.

Did Oliver Twist inspire you to do anything?

This version inspired me to buy one with another narrator.

Any additional comments?

You get what you pay for.

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An engaging, tightly written story.

Revisado: 04-18-13

Where does The Uninvited Guests rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top and that's saying something. I listen to many classics.

What did you like best about this story?

Sadie Jones writes about family here--how big it is. Who is in? How do people get left out--or maybe ejected? What happens that might enlarge our idea of family boundaries? The characters are distinctive and their attributes drive the story, as should it should be. I love the funny, dark aspect of the railway accident "blasted survivors" who are somewhere in the big old house as the family dynamic plays itself out. I kept thinking how I'd like to see this story on stage, or well-produced, on screen.

Which scene was your favorite?

The coaxing of the pony down the stairs by all the family and the travelers, too.

Who was the most memorable character of The Uninvited Guests and why?

Who can say Charlotte is more memorable than her neglected daughter Smudge? They are a memorable pair.

Any additional comments?

I will certainly look for other works by this writer. She doesn't skimp on character, but goes deep and real, so the story touches the reader in lasting ways.

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Now I need a hard copy

Revisado: 04-19-12

If you could sum up Howards End in three words, what would they be?

Important, beautiful and moving.

What did you like best about this story?

Characterizations, growth (slow and real) of characters, who move the plot.

Which character ??? as performed by Edward Petherbridge ??? was your favorite?

Margaret

Any additional comments?

Like many of the classics, I realized as I listened that there were lines in the book that I want to remember and think about, and as I only had the Audible version, I would definitely buy the book and keep it as a treasure.

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Cardboard people on cardboard set

Revisado: 05-01-11

I understand Harlan Coben is a good mystery writer. Maybe not my kind of mystery writer. I found the people silly, the plot unbelievable (except as lived out by these silly people, perhaps) and the dialogue predictable. You can poke a hole through any one of the characters by looking at him. I really wanted to find a good writer to follow, but perhaps I picked the wrong book.

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incomplete

Revisado: 05-25-10

The three parts of the book I downloaded are not the completion of the story as described in the summary on the site. What a let down. Otherwise, it's great.

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