Constance E. Bridge

A Pleasant Surprise

Revisado: 08-12-24

I usually don't purchase books with so few reviews but these books' pedigrees caught my attention. I know Mercedes Lackey as an author of rip-roaring adventures. check! I know Roberta Gellis is a competent author of historical fiction. check! I've enjoyed Jill Tanner's narration on a couple of books. check! So I took a chance and was not disappointed. The story was engaging. That is no small thing. I have dozens of books in my library (which I can't return) that I've never finished because they didn't hold my attention. I also have another 1 or 2 dozen that I haven't finished because I couldn't get past the narrator. Here Jill Tanner didn't disappoint. She engaged my imagination and brought the characters that Mesdames Lackey and Gellis created to life. I love it when this happens. Sometimes I read reviews from people who complain about how Audible offers books with weak narrators. This isn't Audible's fault. They purchase books from companies who employ their own narrators. A word to the wise: Recorded Books offerings are almost always excellent.

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Heather Wilds Ruins Another One!

Revisado: 10-16-16

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

I have loved this series since the publication of Sabriel in 1995. At first I was bemused that a man was used to narrate a story that had a female lead character but then I realized the author of the story was male so maybe it was appropriate. Anyway Tim Curry did a masterful job. When Clariel was released with a different narrator almost 20 years after Sabriel I was disappointed not to hear Mr Curry's voice but Graeme Malcolm did a very good job. However, Heather Wilds is abysmal as a narrator. I think I will get these books in hard cover and just read them. That way I won't have to cope with changes in narrator. Then I can imagine I hear Tim Curry's voice.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't say that I was able to identify with any character because I couldn't get past the monotonous narration.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Ms Wilds reads (not narrates) with the same depth and range of emotion as someone reading the New York City white pages. I went to the Audible website to read the reviews of other books narrated by her. There were 88 books in the Audible catalog read by Ms Wilds. In an effort to be fair I read all the reviews of the first 4 books listed. I read about 85 (skimmed another 20 or so) reviews. Only about 30 of them were favorable. Why does Audible keep employing this woman? It may hurt her feelings to be let go but you would think Audible would care about the comfort and pleasure of their customers.

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

Come to the Old Kingdom to see a different kind of magic. (I feel that Nix's take on magic is fresh and unique.)

Any additional comments?

This is the third book this year that I have listened to from Audible that I've returned due to inept narration. If this continues, I'm cancelling my membership. I have vision problems and can't read for long periods so this, for me would be a great loss.

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Cottage Tales: One More To Go

Revisado: 08-22-16

What made the experience of listening to The Tale of the Oat Cake Crag the most enjoyable?

I thoroughly enjoyed how Ms. Albert wove fantasy with reality and well researched history. The village came easily to life in my imagination.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

By the time I got to this book I pretty much knew how things were going to work out; that had been clearly stated at the outset of the series.

Any additional comments?

I'm not ordering the last book. I'm tired of how she carps on book after book about how shabbily Miss Potter's parents treat her - How do you spell hypocrite? Having read Miss Potter's biography I know she and Mr. Heelis will marry. I've lost interest in the series. Virginia Leishman's narration was brilliant.

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Into the Swamp with Carl Hiaason

Revisado: 08-22-16

What made the experience of listening to Skink - No Surrender the most enjoyable?

How to rate this, how do I count the ways? This is Hiaasen at his usual excellence. The moments of comedy and pathos most poignantly dramatize the battle of one visionary against humanity's mindless destruction of the natural world (one Budweiser can at a time). I just loved reading how Skink took on battles - big and small.

What other book might you compare Skink - No Surrender to and why?

So far I can only compare Hiassen to himself. I think some of the themes explored in this book Hiaasen also explores in "Skinny Dip" and "Lucky You".

Which character – as performed by Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

I was amazed at how well he portrayed Richard. This character is one of the most complex characters I've seen in Hiaasen's writings. He ably shows how Richard grows from a timid middle school kid to a very brave and determined young man. I don't remember meeting such a character in Hiaasen's writings before. Someone who CHANGES.

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

This would take several readings. I'll get back to you.

Any additional comments?

Hiaasen's characters are always well developed believable human beings - crazy sometimes but believable. I just don't remember meeting who goes through some personal growth in the course of the story.

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'These intentions are well meant'

Revisado: 01-25-16

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No it was agony. I couldn't listen for more than 30 minutes. If the book is set in upper-crust England could Audible please - PULEEAZE use a narrator who is a native speaker from that sceptered isle? Some authors are competent narrators of their own works and Ms. Kowal is compentent, but she would have better served her books if she had allowed a native Brit be her narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

I'll tell you after I check it out of the library and read it.

What didn’t you like about Mary Robinette Kowal’s performance?

HAH! You read my mind did you? Well, read the answer to the first question. She is "sing-songy" too. A more experienced narrator with maybe some stage background and who has a good sense of timing and pacing would be an improvement. This book needs a female narrator who knows how to bring out the low tones in her voice to make the male characters more beliveable. This is really sensitive because when you have English characters speaking English, there are nuances Americans may miss and that messes up the whole project. Is Barbara Rosenblatt still performing?

What would have made this romance irresistible?

I'll tell you after I check it out of the library and read it.

Any additional comments?

This author came to me highly recommended. The reviews Audible posted are all positive. Perhaps I just have an overly sensitive ear. I would dearly love to listen to this book because my vision isn't that good. I have seen other books in the Audible inventory that have more than one narrator. Please give this book a chance.

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The King James Version and all the details

Revisado: 12-24-15

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Time well spent? Well maybe for you. If you are one of the faithful you perhaps would enjoy it, but I found nothing new or compelling. It was true to the Good Book and I got the jokes but I was looking for Monty Python and I got Laura Ingals Wilder.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Absolutely not! It was well received/reviewed by many people so I gave it a try. It just didn't tickle my funny bone as I hoped.

Have you listened to any of Fisher Stevens’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've heard one of Mr. Steven's performance and it was pretty good. I think I would like to hear him narrate some different kind of material.

Was Lamb worth the listening time?

I only listened for a couple hours and then gave up. Nice book, nice narration. Just not nice enough to make me want to finish it. I like books that take me in and transport me to a different place. These books I listen to again and again. This book is a one-timer, not worth a credit for me. I want my audible library to be filled with books that I will listen to more than once. I re-listen to Garth Nix and C. J. Sansom all the time. Oh! I forgot Carl Hiaason now that man writes FUNNY books that are based on true stories too.

Any additional comments?

I suggest Mr. Stevens get some coaching from George Wilson, Chad Lowe or George Newbern.

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Learn of Early Life of Abolitionist & Suffragette

Revisado: 08-20-15

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this audiobook to those who enjoy reading and learning about the pre-Civil War history of the U.S. Very well researched story. Very well written historic fiction. Typical Sue Monk Kidd

What did you like best about this story?

Ms. Kidd brought this antebellum period to life. She portrayed the social mores and laws of this time in history believably. The author gave a poignant contrast of the life of a young white girl and her enslaved servant. Although it wasn't exactly pleasant listening, Ms. Kidd's narrative gave an unflinching portrayal of the brutality of slavery as well.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Unfortunately, this is where I feel my audible experience fell short. The narrators were both competent and equally matched in talent. I don't know if they intentionally underplayed some of the passages or simply couldn't connect emotionally to the book's many messages.

If you could rename The Invention of Wings, what would you call it?

There is no need to rename the book. The reasoning behind the title is made clear in the book's first pages.

Any additional comments?

I've enjoyed every thing I've read by this author. However I rarely read her books more than once; the exception being The Secret Life of Bees (italics omitted due to lack of editing ability). This book in particular didn't hold my interest because I am already familiar with Sarah Grimke's story. I would have been wiser to check this audio-book out of the local library. All of the books in my Audible library I have listened to or plan to listen to numerous times. For me this was a waste of a credit.

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Great Outcomes for Foster Children

Revisado: 12-23-13

What did you love best about Tale of Hawthorn House?

Although my age indicates that I'm undeniably an adult, I have never given up my belief in fairies. I believe Fairies exist because I still need them. Ms Albert provides believable eveidence of their existence and how they might interact with the human world. Ms Albert also gives poignent portryal of the role of children and how the adults who should care for and about them often fail to look out for their best insterests. Compare the treatment of Miss Potter by her own self-absorbed parents, the red-haired Irish orphan taken in by the vereinarian and his family (a British Anne of Green Gables?), and baby Flora. In this writer's mind these three individuals are unvalued children who comprise a major theme in the book. Ms. Albert skillfully resolves each character's plight at a different pace; Flora's by the end of the book, Miss Potter's and the orphan's by stages by the end of the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

What truly delights me about this series is how Ms Albert succeeds in including Miss Potters characters and making them as substantive as the human characters. Ms. Leischman's superb narration is crucial to this success.

Which scene was your favorite?

I have two favorite scenes. The human scene is when a squirrel (or was it a dwelf?) wakes up Miss Potter from her nap in time to learn some crucial evidence. The animal scene is when Jemima Puddleduck's eggs hatch.

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

I like to listen to Audible as I'm working around the house. I love it when a book lasts from laundry time to dinner.

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