SLW

Disjointed and overblown

Revisado: 01-28-17

Parts of this were very well done but it felt like discrete slabs were being forced into a mold and they didn't coalesce into a unified whole. Some of it was way over the top, which at one point the author seemed to acknowledge, but then just dismissed. The ending, to me, didn't follow from the preceding narrative. A massive effort that might have benefited from more editorial input.

The narrator was good overall but made some odd pronunciation mistakes (confusing the verb and noun forms of "lead" and mispronouncing "vise" for example).

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Charming

Revisado: 11-14-16

Where does A Gentleman in Moscow rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Upper middle, lower top

Who was your favorite character and why?

The title character, because he adapted so well to his circumstances

What about Nicholas Guy Smith’s performance did you like?

He was suave, like the main character

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Well not all at one sitting but I did listen to it for long stretches at a time

Any additional comments?

Very enjoyable

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Mind-boggling account of Chinese upheaval

Revisado: 11-14-16

Would you consider the audio edition of Wild Swans to be better than the print version?

Not necessarily. I have the print version and consider both valuable.

What did you like best about this story?

Although I was familiar with the outlines of this period in China, I found the personal story of the family that goes through the experiences of drastic changes riveting.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Maybe something like "adapt or die" or "what seems to be true isn't" or "you can't always get what you want and sometimes you can't even get what you need"

Any additional comments?

Amazing story, well told.

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Novel not historical novel

Revisado: 11-14-16

What would have made The Last Days of Night better?

More closely following actual events.

What was most disappointing about Graham Moore’s story?

The book is marketed as historical fiction but it's really too far from actual events to fit that category. It's more accurately characterized as being a novel.

Any additional comments?

Although many elements of the time period and Tesla and Edison's personalities and life stories were portrayed well, I couldn't get past the huge liberties taken with actual events. I worry that casual readers take this as an actual portrayal of historical events.

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A Mess

Revisado: 09-03-16

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

A teenage boy with an interest in criminal investigation.

Has Surrender, New York turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Surrender, New York?

Too many diatribes about CSI-type forensics being faulty. We get it. Too many sex scenes between the protagonist and a woman half his age.

Any additional comments?

I picked this up because Michael Connelly, whose books I like, recommended it so highly in the NY Times Sunday book review. Never again will I follow his advice. The only reasonable women characters were a cheetah and an elderly woman (stereotypically of the crusty sort). Here's yet another middle-aged author who creates an attractive woman half the protagonist's age who throws herself at him. Most of the female characters were deceptive schemers. Most of the characters were cardboard cutouts. The most significant emotional relationship involved the cheetah. Please. Stop. Ugh.

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Ugh. Strictly for teenage boys.

Revisado: 02-04-15

What would have made Zombie Rules: Zombie Rules, Book 1 better?

Characters with some depth. This was strictly paint by numbers.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something nonfiction for a total change of pace.

What aspect of Graham Halstead’s performance would you have changed?

The performance was fine. He didn't have anything inspiring to work with.

What character would you cut from Zombie Rules: Zombie Rules, Book 1?

Ugh, all of them. It was really bad.

Any additional comments?

This is strictly for teenage boys though I hope they don't listen to it as it is disturbingly misogynistic.

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politcal ax-grinding

Revisado: 10-28-14

What did you like best about Edge of Eternity? What did you like least?

Best: terrific narration. Least: wildly unbalanced politics.

What was most disappointing about Ken Follett’s story?

The US politics were SO heavy handed; for example, the Democrats were gorgeous and sexually adept; the Republicans dull, evil, physically unattractive, and could only get sex by paying. Likewise, the Dems are always right and the Repubs always wrong.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

His female voices are great-- so often it is hard for a narrator to perform roles of the opposite sex without sounding so awful as to be distracting. John Lee also differentiated a mass of characters. Well done.

Could you see Edge of Eternity being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Oh, of course. A mini-series. I can only hope the politics becomes a little more even handed in the transition. It's a caricature as it stands.

Any additional comments?

I lived through this era ant the world was not as clear cut as this--it never is. I am not a Republican--indeed I protested the Viet Nam war back in the day--and this book is dismayingly slanted. A true liberal thoughtfully considers all sides--not just slams the opposition as ugly sex-starved idiots who are always wrong about everything.

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Stellar performance

Revisado: 06-23-12

Would you consider the audio edition of Gone Girl to be better than the print version?

Yes, this was an extremely well done audio version. The structure, with two main characters alternating their stories, made this a good place for male/female performances. Too many audiobooks suffer from a man doing a female voice or a woman doing a male voice. This was pitch perfect.

What did you like best about this story?

The way Amy figured all the angles. I also liked that the police dectective realized Amy had gotten away with it--none of the tiresome "dumb police who don't get it."

What about Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance did you like?

They inhabited the characters and expressed them quite convincingly. Julia Whelan conveyed the different Amys extremely well and Kirby Heyborne did the everyman and angry man equally well.

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Absorbing memoir, wonderful narration

Revisado: 10-27-11

Roger Ebert has astonishing recall, memorably evoking his childhood, his career, the people he has met, his alcoholism, his marriage to the spectacular Chaz, and his current doings. This is a warm and humorous (yes, I laughed out loud) story that has its serious side. It also boasts an excellent performance by Edward Herrmann, who often sounds a lot like the people whose conversations with Ebert he is portraying. I really enjoyed this.

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