Jim L.

Horrible performance

Revisado: 07-27-24

Terrible performance! I tried to hang either it based on some other reviews but the narrator is terrible. The voices for characters are irritating! Her Danes sound like a South African accent. The main character sounds like the voice men make when they are making fun of a girl voice. The story is slow with way too many details that bog it down. Ultimately I just couldn’t stand the narration. And returned it.

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This book is medicine to my soul!

Revisado: 04-16-24

I loved this book! It is truly medicine to my soul! I grew up in the Fingerlakes. My childhood was a bizarre mix of horrific trauma and Idyllic snapshots of beauty. Nature in the forest, meadows, and finger lakes was the beauty. Nature in the finger lakes was the mother that kept me sane. Literally. I love that the author read her work herself. He love of nature come through so strongly in her voice which for me felt like a balm. She is so adept at bringing the personhoods of animals, trees, grasses, waters, and even fungi to life, I'm there! For me, it takes me back to beings that both held me during the trauma and saved my life. If you have not been held by a tree while it dances in the wind mending your heart, don't judge. I learned a lot and the book and all she shared made me more aware and more thoughtful about how I can both stop injury and give back. To say this book is beautiful is an understatement! Highly recommend you listen. In this case, I think listening is even better than reading because you get the added meaning, gentle tone and healing balm of the authors loving spirit coming through in her voice.

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Loved it!

Revisado: 04-16-24

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated it staying true to the known parts of history while giving writing the book from Eliza's point of view. I liked the story and points of view imagined for her. I found them to be plausible, interesting and well developed as she grappled with the challenges of both her personal life and relationships as well as the cultural challenges of the day for women, mother's, persons coming to grips with the evils of slavery. In addition her unique perspectives of being pivotal person in her own right as well as being a part of two families that were foundational in our nations infancy. (Her family of birth and of marriage.). The performance was fantastic bringing life to Eliza's grace under pressure, moral character, forgiving nature, courage and iron will to press on, while leaving room for her to be human with real struggles from within and without. I enjoyed learning about a time in history that has been so idealized that the real mess, violence, corruption and dangers in our history has been lost. It's shocking how similar politics are today. Sadly we have not come so far. But in a way that gives me hope since we have survived this long as a country. It's interesting to see the roots of the parties we have now. I enjoyed the notes from the author to clarify what parts of the story were historically accurate and where the story had been imagined or compressed for brevity. This is my second book from this author and I've thoroughly enjoyed both of them! Will look for more!

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Imaginative but disjointed

Revisado: 04-16-24

I liked parts of it. I love great quotes and my favorite thing I walked away with from this book is a great quote. "In a place called lost, strange things can be found." The Lost Bookshop itself was my favorite character. I found the story of the other characters disjointed and unbelievable even in the stories own universe. Like really? Tattooing a whole book on your back? Sewing an entire book into the hem of a dress? The tiny words of a book in focus and visible in an old old photo? I have family photos from the 40's, 50s, 60's, 70's and so on and even by the 80s they were not high resolution enough to see that kind of detail. I liked the magic but it didn’t fit with elements that seemed more reality based. The relationships read like a young adult romance novel. I found the two heroins exasperating. Instead of really addressing an early sense of female agency and women's lib (it felt like the author was shooting for), it read more like a cautionary tale of self destructive behavior that, at least, in the end got ironed out. Not that the characters can’t be messy humans. It just felt like that part was written by someone in high school. Though the book seemed intriguing at the start, to me It felt like it was an odd combo of several unrelated books. Only one of which I might have liked to read if it was developed in a manner that stayed true to its own universe. That being the magic of the Bookshop. I like the concept of the Lost Bookshop and the generational thread. But in the end, for me, it ended up less than the sum of its parts. The performance was fine though.

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This book rambles

Revisado: 01-17-24

This book rambles at nauseam.. I stuck with it longer than I really cared to since I didn't have any other books in my cue and I wanted to figure out the connection the author was going to make. Though I assume the author gets around to the connection.. of water eventually, it rambles with no purpose for far too long. The author definitely writes from a man's point of view, as he forms the opinions of his female characters. It felt to me as though he wrote from his own fantasies. Though I was trying to keep an open mind since these stories are from another time and place, he takes liberties with how females feel about the things that at best make my eyes roll and at worst make me question his moral compass. Maybe one has to have had experienced something of the kind to bristle at these things. Im at a loss. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this book has 4.7 stars. I guess I am the exception. But here is my honest opinion.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Great story and well written!

Revisado: 01-17-24

I loved this book! Great character development including the dog. :). I love the thread of mystery. I listened to this book before the show came out. As is usual with books that turn in to movies or shows, the book is WAY better than the show. I envision totally different people to play the main characters. Certainly not a doodle to play a dog that failed to have enough courage in the 50s! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Writing was perfect for the characters. The performance was enjoyable and I missed the characters when I finished it.

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Loved this book!

Revisado: 10-03-23

The characters are warm, real and deliciously ordinary. The author leads you into a story that you believe might just possibly be able to be true cause you want it to be true. And in the end the warm feeling the story leaves you with IS real. So settling on the very real fact that we really have no idea how beautifully intelligent many creatures are is more than enough. I loved the character development, and details that create feeling, scope and presence without being boring and losing pace. I loved the sheer uniqueness of the story. Loved the bit of mystery. I loved the tone and superiority of Marcellus. Fun, entertaining book! Fantastic performance of characters and accents on the part of the narrator! Really portrayed the characters well with great inflection and timing. :)

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Not for me..

Revisado: 09-29-22

I could not get past the performance! I felt she was “overacting”. She read with tone and inflection appropriate for small children or the senile. Sing-song and over emphasized emotion as if the listener isn’t going to “get the joke” or perhaps miss the author’s insinuation.
The good reviews didn’t help me out in choosing this title. Maybe this helps someone. Clearly many people enjoyed this book. So take this review as just one person’s opinion.

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Raw, vulnerable, strong and beautiful.

Revisado: 04-15-22

This story was therapeutic to read. When telling my husband about it, he asked why I was reading it since it seemed so sad. I told him I related and there was solace not only in not feeling alone, but also in the beautiful descriptions of ugly situations. As she describes things, it slows time nearly to a standstill, like the time between heartbeats. Stunning. Beauty. Strength.
Thank you Carrot Quinn. You put words to things I have not. You allowed me to feel things that I’ve only recently given myself permission to acknowledge.
You are a talented writer and a remarkable human.

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Haunting, compelling, inspiring and heartfelt!

Revisado: 06-22-21

Erin French reaches through and touches the heart of the reader with her deep and vivid descriptions of both her defining experiences, and the food through which she both receives love and shares it. I feel as though I have sat at her table and taking in the flavors, scents, sounds, beauty and fellowship of other beautiful humans. She writes like she most surely cooks… with love. Some books change you. I am deeply touched.

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