Jones

Wonderful to listen to

Revisado: 10-16-17

I loved the narrator and how each character had a unique voice and conjured up an image all their own. The time flew by as I listened to this novel.

What I didn't care for was that one of the plot twists didn't make any sense at all. I don't want to give the story away, but one of the characters has a condition that would have been obvious to the wife and would have made it impossible for her to be able to hide something she did. I even replayed part of the story to make sure I hadn't missed something and I didn't. So one of the main plots just didn't make any darn sense.

If I excuse that, I enjoyed the bits of Nigerian culture that were woven throughout the story and it really hit home that we set ourselves up for misery and miss out on life when we pin all of our hopes on having a fairytale life that is imposed by the people around us. We have to find happiness in the true loves in our lives and stop wasting time pretending, lying, and covering it up to be something we aren't, especially when there are people who love us the way we are.

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Good story - Great narration

Revisado: 02-01-14

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

Yes, it is a uniquely written story of how differing cultures, religion, and politics are often at odds yet fundamentally similar.

Which character – as performed by Dean Robertson – was your favorite?

Ada was my favorite character. She sees the world from the sidelines but has a keen understanding of interpersonal relations that is more advanced than her age.

Any additional comments?

Very engaging.

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Good story

Revisado: 05-06-13

Would you listen to Someone Knows My Name again? Why?

I would listen to parts of it again because the story was very moving.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that the author intertwined real facts with a fictitious story to highlight the injustice of slavery. Surprisingly, the author did a very good job of showing all sides of the story - slaves, slave owners, people who think they are being sympathetic to those in bondage, abolitionists, etc. I enjoyed being able to Google some of the places and events that happened and seeing that, while the characters are not real, many of the facts are historical.

What aspect of Adenrele Ojo’s performance would you have changed?

I wish she had more emotion during the dramatic parts of the novel. Too much of the time, her voice was simply monotone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of Aminata's voyage from Africa was heart-wrenching. I thought it odd though, that once Mina is taken off the ship the author did not have her display much emotion over the events that took place. There was so much that happened to her in such a short time that one would think she would still anguish over it.

Any additional comments?

The last 15-20 mins of the story was a bit hokey, but I forgive Lawrence Hill, the author, because the rest of the book was so enjoyable.

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Fantastic Story - Even Better Narration!

Revisado: 03-12-13

Would you listen to The Book of Night Women again? Why?

First, let me say that if you cannot tolerate cursing (and a lot of it) then this book is not for you. If you can live with that, you will be in for a treat!

Second, I'm not an expert on the author and what he was trying to say, but this book brilliantly weaves a fictitious story that contains all the elements of real stories from slavery. Obviously, no one could have led the life that Lilith led. But her story was a compilation of all of the trials and tribulations that Blacks endured throughout slavery. In addition, the context and background information of her story was based on real events. You have a description of life on two different plantations - one that grows traditional crops and the other that doesn't grow a thing - a love story, a story of greed, a story of sisterhood and womanhood, a story of debauchery, a story of redemption, a story of unbelievable cruelty, a story of rebellion. All of these actually happened in Jamaica (and every other place where slavery existed) and Marlon James makes the characters come alive with vivid detail.

Some might think that the pervasive cursing (or should say "cussin'") is unnecessary, but it serves a very good purpose. Some people still think slaves were just hanging out on plantations, idling the time away while their owners sipped tea and played the piano. On the contrary, most life on the plantation was cruel and bitter. The cursing in the book is very jarring at times and serves to remind us that this is a story about a very inhumane practice that existed as an institution for hundreds of years. But through it all, people managed to live, die, learn, hate, and love.

The Book of Night Women is colorful and powerful, and should not be passed up

What does Robin Miles bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her inflection and pacing was excellent. Robin Miles gave each character it's own unique sound and that helped bring the book alive and kept things interesting.

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