Lee

Cozy story set on tiny pacific island

Revisado: 08-23-24

There are several story lines; the main one revolves around Charlotte, a young scientist (zoologist/vet) who leaves England, and travels to the fictional island of Tuga to study the native tortoises and to find herself. In the process, she sorts out some family trauma, seeks to discover the identity of her father, learns to care about other people, and falls in love with two very different men. We get a glimpse of island life and are introduced to a variety of sympathetic characters.
My spouse and I listened to this at bedtime, for which it was ideal. It seems to me (although I think this about most books I read) that this book could really have been improved by some strong editing. Not necessarily to cut out passages, but to better introduce characters and better present jumps in time. Frequently in the first half of the book I wasnt sure when things were happening or who were the characters being discussed. I recommend it if you are looking for a light read with a cozy island vibe. The narrator has a nice voice but the islanders dialects were inconsistent and a bit odd. Several sounded hispanic to me, although the island is in the middle of the pacific.

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Full of interesting ideas

Revisado: 04-01-22

If you like science-fiction or speculative fiction you should read this! While I do not read short stories often, the genre allows Ted Chiang to play with lots of ideas.

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why did we listen to the whole thing?

Revisado: 10-25-19

this book has lots of flaws, and the narration is often grating, but my wife and I were somehow compelled to listen through the whole thing. kind of like eating a box of candy even though you don't really like the candy very much.

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put us to sleep

Revisado: 12-25-17

brought this out Christmas eve, the Santa letters documentary was pretty good. the rest was boring and had most of us asleep half way through the dickens story.

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Captain Obvious, please tell me more...

Revisado: 12-08-17

Questions are useful tools! They work in many contexts! They are useful for discovering information! Doctors and other people who diagnose problems should ask specific, probing questions!
I just summarized the first hour of this book. Maybe the rest of the book is more useful, I stopped listening.

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Solid reading of a great book

Revisado: 08-22-17

One of my favorite books. Had to get an audio version. Enjoyed it, and would recommend this one, although I may look for a version with a stellar narrator.

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Multicultural workshop in space

Revisado: 06-20-17

This is fun, light listening. The story is OK, but the characters are really enjoyable. This story is really all about the crew on the Wayfairer, and how they interact. They are a group I would like to work and live with. A funky community of people and aliens with different personalities. A not so subtle message of respect for all cultures and species. I could understand how lots of people would not enjoy this book. But if you think having an alien named Doctor Chef (that fulfills both roles on the ship), is amusing, you may like this book. If you think it sounds cloying, best to skip it.

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I wanted fun time travel, got horror

Revisado: 06-20-17

I liked the first book enough to try this second book in the series. I liked the whole St. Mary's vibe, the characters, and the time travel. This book starts with a trip to see Jack the Ripper. Well Jack turns out to be some type of non-human fantastical creature of horror. The protagonist and a secondary character have a grizzly encounter with it, and it seems it cannot be killed. I don't know how long this story line goes on in this book, but I got tired of it real fast and stopped listening.

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Disappointing for a fan of the fool

Revisado: 01-06-16

Christopher Moore is so hit and miss! I really liked Fool, and also enjoyed the more recent Sacre Bleu. But Serpent is thin on ideas, plot, and characters. I have listened about half way and dont plan to hear any further. Moore could have written a much better book called The Fools Guide to Cursing. His cursing and insults are truly hilarious. Unfortunately, in this book, everything in between is pretty boring.

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Comforting Indeed

Revisado: 01-06-16

I am fairly new to meditation and Buddhist teachings. I found this book to be full of useful, accessible metaphors to begin understanding the teachings. I also found the tone to be full of kindness and compassion. I look forward to listening to it again.

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