J. M. Hiraga

Brilliant World Building and Perfect Narrator

Revisado: 05-02-25

I finished this audiobook over a month ago and it’s still stuck in my head. The images of life on a colonized Mars are vivid and detailed, but not annoyingly so. The two main characters are both endearing in their own way, and Daniel de Bourg has a gorgeous voice that creates their distinct and very different personalities. His performance of the book really put The Mars House over the top for me. I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting this one in the future.

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Read it for “The Weller”

Revisado: 05-23-24

I can’t remember a supporting character that made such a lasting impression on me. This story would be completely lost without The Weller. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and hopeful. I finished it days ago and it’s still with me. Big kudos to Corey Brill for a fantastic reading. He brings all of these characters, especially Sean Weller, to brilliant, vibrant life.

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Surprisingly entertaining

Revisado: 05-03-24

This novel lies somewhere between page-turning mainstream fiction, and more “serious” literary fiction. The four main characters are extremely well-developed, particularly the protagonist, Adam. At one moment you’re on his side, the next you’re thinking what a dumb-ass he is. But the story is so perfectly paced and exciting that it’s easy to just jump on board the boat and enjoy it. The ending was a bit abrupt, but this is still a book that I’ll enthusiastically recommend.

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Definitely not for everyone

Revisado: 04-23-23

But I loved it. Mr. Quinn sounds like a bit like Morgan Freeman, and I thought he was terrific. Don’t read this if you equate being “woke” with being educated, empathetic, and aware of some of the horrors of American history.

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A solid, interesting story

Revisado: 10-03-22

I’ve read reviews calling this book “profound”. Yeah not so much. But this is a very well written story, especially for a debut novel, with well-developed characters and a plot that doesn’t stall out. The driving force here is the character Isabelle, who starts out as a blank canvas, and by the end she is entirely and beautifully fleshed-out. She triumphs over the events that have occurred around her, despite the obstacles and setbacks, making for a very satisfying and hopeful ending.

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Didn’t get past 2 hours…

Revisado: 09-28-22

Sorry, the voice casting here is so awful, I couldn’t listen to it. I tried. I really did.

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Way Better Than Expected

Revisado: 09-27-22

I have to say that I’ve never been interested in gay fiction, but for some reason I gave this a listen. And it was GREAT! Mr. Greene does an excellent job recreating the time period with his descriptions of the clothes, the dialog and lingo, and the gender roles. And, of course, with the pressure and fear that gay men faced if their orientation became public. Kale Williams does a terrific job bringing the characters to life, in both this book as well as the sequel, The Shadow’s Voice. Anxiously awaiting a third installment!

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Interesting enough to finish…

Revisado: 08-02-22

…but there were times when I almost stopped listening. The story is interesting, but the dialog is poorly written, and there’s a lot of it. Robert Petkoff’s performance comes off as robotic, which is unusual since he’s usually excellent. I was happy to finish this one and move on to something else.

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Packs a Punch

Revisado: 07-15-22

This one hit me so hard. When I finished, I felt like I had lost two really close friends. Yes, they do both die in the end. But some of that is left up to the reader, and that is exactly how it should be. All three of the performances are spot on, as good as they could ever be. The writing is actually pretty simple, at least while dealing with some fairly weighty, profound themes. It all comes together as a small miracle of a book.

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Mindless Fun Summer Read/Listen

Revisado: 07-07-22

Steven Weber does a great job elevating this story from an average beach read to something more enjoyable. The plot straddles the line between plausible and ridiculous, but the author propels the action forward so quickly that she doesn’t give you too much time to overthink things. Just sit back and enjoy!

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