Tee

Childish and empty

Revisado: 09-15-17

I doubled the speed so at least the voice sounded funny. The story is shallow, predictable and clichéd - a kids' story told from the perspective of an adult who must have thought kids see the world this way. No insights about what children really are. The protagonist has no merit at all - cowardly, lacking integrity, with neither brains nor brawn.
I know some schools have this on their reading list for students. And there are kids I know who devour books in this series. I wonder if librarians / teachers know this series is about.

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Difficult to follow at times, but a good story

Revisado: 09-07-17

The story itself is woven along a tight mystery plot, suspenseful and exciting. This is set in a tumultuous time in church and European history, which makes for a rich context. However the pace tends to be slowed down by history commentaries, numerous theology discourses, sermons, and even a long-windy dream. I would still recommend it given it's richness. But just be aware that it's not easy to follow at times.

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Awkward Teenager's Story

Revisado: 08-21-17

This is a unique story told from the perspective of an awkward teen with rather low self esteem. I find the storyline realistic and the accounts unpretentious. It's a good story, with many funny lines and warm moments (Greg Gaines would rail against me for saying that!).

However I have to say that I find myself preferring the movie's ending ...

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Slow Buildup, but worthwhile

Revisado: 08-17-17

The four threads of the story are intertwined and build towards the climatic end. Some parts proceed slowly, and patience may be required. I am stumbled by the names of various who's who during that period, and especially lost momentum during the second narrative. But the buildup for me really started in the third narrative, culminating in the final "a-ha!" In the fourth narrative.

This is well worth the read. The readers are all of top quality.

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Harrowing theme yet somehow uplifting

Revisado: 05-26-17

How can a story about electrocution, with all the harrowing and gruesome details, be uplifting? Yet it is so. I was saddened and moved by turns, and yet there are moments of human courage, cheer and warmth. And also moments of hilarity interwoven into the story. Stephen King no doubt is a master story teller.

Frank Muller is an amazing reader.

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Hilarious and thought-provoking by turns

Revisado: 05-24-17

I finally got down to listening to this audiobook. The 40-hour length was intimidating at first. But as it turned out, this translation is lively, it's conversations pithy and full of vitality. There are archaic vocabulary, a smattering of Latin and Spanish, various historical notes and more than a few convoluted proverbs. I would recommend a companion e-book to follow along, so as to better understand the book. All the various footnotes, absent in the audiobook, would greatly help in enjoying the book.

George Guidal is an amazing reader. His voice for Don Quixote comes across as wise and measured, or crazed and passionate, or sad and resigned... as the situation calls for. Most of all I love his expressive voicing of Sancho Panza - his indignance, exuberance, joy and dismay all done right with the perfect accent! Awesome.

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Insufferable character

Revisado: 05-06-17

I wanted to like Pippi but find her brash and obnoxious. Maybe many find her charming as a little girl, but I don't.

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Mesmerizing reading

Revisado: 05-03-17

The reading by Kenneth Branagh is mesmerizing! The melancholy and memories of Marlow are brought to life.

The story is itself not always easy to follow on audiobook because of the many long rumination of Marlow. But it's not a long book and I could finish it in one day with some concentration.

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Animal research from the animals' perspective

Revisado: 04-27-17

I fell in love with Snitter within 30 minutes into the audiobook; his innocent ramblings and wandering mind stole my heart. Rowf, gruff yet loyal, reminds me what a gift dogs are to human. I ached with their suffering and rejoiced when they triumphed.

My favorite part of the book - the link to Wordsworth's poem Fidelity (I won't give away more). The author has captured Lake District as a beautiful and magical land.

The Lake District dialects and vocabulary are difficult to follow. I had to go over them several times and even then it was hard to make sense at times. Eventually, in order to better keep up with what the tod was saying, I purchased the e-book. Seeing the words helped.

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There are travel tales and there are travel tales

Revisado: 04-18-17

I find the stories quite enjoyable at the start, with the discovery of Lilliput. It got more predictable with the second tale, then increasingly got quite bizarre and less thought-through.

By the last tale, it got quite insufferable. Gulliver was so taken with the noble Houyhnhnms, which was fine... but his allegations about the baseness of human were just too exaggerated and way off. I don't mean that human beings are noble - far from it - but to generalize all as worthless and stinky (even his own family) seems too damning.

I enjoyed David Hyde Pierce's reading. His pronunciation of "Houyhnhnm" is simply hilarious, as are his take on the other sounds of the horses.

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