Gabriel

Relevant for our time

Revisado: 08-06-21

This book claims, or at least is claimed by many reviewers, to describe disillusionment of the founders with the Constitution and the government that it created. There is a little of that here, but in truth most of the so-called disillusionment was factional fighting between the Federalists and Republicans over the scope, tenor and nature of the new Federal government. But in that light, it's a very helpful review of the partisan argument that has dogged American politics since the founding.

There isn't much new here, other than emphasis on disagreement, rather than on agreement or accomplishment. But it's a great listen and good refresher on the founders' struggle to find common ideology and goals to animate their new creation. Highly recommended.

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Good history, reasonably well told and read

Revisado: 06-20-21

Well researched and written history of people of the United States and the country's social and political evolution from the end of the Civil War through the end of the 19th century. The book feels a bit post-modern and critical theory-ish, but not overtly or distractingly so. Just understand that there is a bit of bias for what was wrong about the age, in it's treatment of anyone other than the white, anglo-saxon establishment, rather than what was accomplished. The author also has latched onto a theme - that the motivating principle behind people's choices was the sanctity and perfection of family life - to modest excess. It's a clear enough lens for selection and focusing of the author's historical interpretation, that one wonders that it doesn't appear in the subtitle or abstract of the book. Overall these distractions make this an ok, but not great, general history of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age.

It's reasonably well read, but with enough odd mispronunciations and cadence switches to be mildly distracting. Particularly because the reader not infrequently correctly pronounces a word once, then later mispronounces it (and I'm not talking about arcane technical words - I mean common English verbs and nouns. Again, not a reason not to listen, but one wonders that publishers can't find readers who actually know the English language well enough to read with meaning.

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Historical story telling at it's best

Revisado: 06-01-21

Hager's book combines scientific, social and political history into multi-generational tale that is captivating and informative. If a few of the connections he weaves together are a bit of a stretch, nothing in this book is irrelevant, and all of it is worth knowing. Written in a fashion that would be accessible to a high school student, it nevertheless will be informative to an adult of any age. One of the best books on a scientific history topic for the non-specialist I've ever encountered. Highly recommended.

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Interesting listen, badly marred by poor narration

Revisado: 09-21-19

This is a stream of consciousness sort of autobiography of the life in medicine of a gifted neurologist, who happens, like many physicians in his age, to think physicians are gods, and should be treated as such. It's highly opinionated, sometime decidedly incorrect, alternately brutally honest about this god's failures, and self-aggrandizing about his successes. One doesn't get the sense they'd probably love Bernard Patten, but one might well love his company in measured doses. Raconteurs have an eternal appeal, and learned ones doubly so.

Unfortunately, the book is read by a boob who couldn't be bothered to learn to pronounce the vocabulary in the book - which is often medicial - and can hardly get through a paragraph without mauling some term. Often I had to stop and think hard to figure out what he was even talking about, so far from standard pronunciation was the narrator. In other cases it was, just, wrong - repeatedly reading "nephrosis" as enphrosis, e.g. In addition, the reader put a smart-alec lilt in much of his reading that, had he a voice suited to a narrative by a retired writer might have added to the narration, but which in this narrators case, combined with the butchery of the language made it sound like a teenager smart-mouthing something about which he was utterly ignorant.

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Great listen for anyone who likes medical reality

Revisado: 06-13-16

What did you love best about Do No Harm?

Its frank, opinionated view of British medicine, told with typical English humour.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Do No Harm?

Any of several when the author unburdens himself of a scathing thought about the NHS

What about Jim Barclay’s performance did you like?

Beautifully read and inflected. I don't know if he sounds like Marsh, but he sounds like the text makes you think Marsh sounds.

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

Dr. Marshes frank admission of his own mistakes and analysis of the reasons - not an easy thing for a top-drawer surgeon, yet done with humility and frank self-analysis here.

Any additional comments?

First class summer listen or read.

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Good history, disfigured by a terrible reader

Revisado: 05-05-16

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. While this is an interesting work of history offering a perspective on WW I and the Russian Revolution worth hearing, it is badly disfigured by a reader who woudl probably earn second place in a junior high essay contest reading his own words, but who has no business in a professional production. He imposes a terrible syncopation on well written sentences to the point that one cannot tell where the author's one thought end and the next begins. There are full stops in the middle of sentences between subject and verb, and completely egregious tonal signifiers for words chosen by the reader apparently at random. I could barely stand to listen.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Shaun Grindell?

Anyone who actually understands the spoken use of the English language.

Was The End of Tsarist Russia worth the listening time?

Time yes, mental effort to hear, no.

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Classic Clarke - Best SciFi; Crappy reader

Revisado: 01-24-15

Would you try another book from Arthur C. Clarke and/or Peter Ganim and Robert J. Sawyer (Introduction) ?

Clarke, absolutely. Ganim/Sawyer, very unlikely

How could the performance have been better?

Readers were simply incompetent - sounded like an 8th grade lit class read aloud.

Was Rendezvous with Rama worth the listening time?

Only because of the story.

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Complete waste

Revisado: 10-19-14

Would you try another book from Robert L. Shook and/or John McLain?

No. Had I been smart enough to look at what else he's written, I probably would have passed on this one. I wasn't, so I had no idea he was a corporate shill with no understanding whatever of his subject, and a drug-company sponsored agenda.

Has Miracle Medicines turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. The book doesn't belong in the Science section - it belongs under "corporate hagiography."

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performace was uninspired, but that's hardly surprising given the text. Also, the author badly mispronounced technical terms, which sometimes made discerning intent a bit hard.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No. You couldn't pay me to finish it - I listened to the two first (of a promised seven) profiles.

Any additional comments?

This book does not belong in Audible's collection - it's clearly a corporate sponsored attempt at cheerleading and image reclamation for drug companies. I would be surprised to learn that the author was paid by PhRMA to write it. And for all that, the writing is barely high school level. Shame on you for taking folks' money to promote this stuff.

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