Proud Parents of Furry Kids

Great learning experience

Revisado: 11-18-24

Thank you for life time worth of wisdom and experience. I found John’s story valuable. I am sick with an incurable illness, in the hospital after, and his words spoke to me. It was an honor to listen and learn.

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I could not adapt to this narrator

Revisado: 10-23-24

The automaton-like performance with over-precision of articulation made it difficult to listen to this performer. My overall impression was AI attempting to sound human. I even tried to speed him up to 1.2 rate, but this fatigue the intellect. I very much enjoyed this author’s first book, and I will listen to it again instead of listening to this one.

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Worked with exercises and meditation

Revisado: 09-21-24

The sounds begin chaotically and then move into a harmonious flow. During meditation or yoga like exercises this track synchronized well with my brain. This is not a track for creative thinking, and I don’t believe it was not designed for that.

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Irritating dialogue performance

Revisado: 04-22-24

I enjoyed reading this book several times over the years, and I was hoping to find an audiobook. The performance of the narrative passages was good, but the reader performed serious roles with voices that were ridiculous and did not fit the gravity of the characters or their situation. I tried to ignore it and keep listening, but I had to abandon the book around chapter 5.

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Not What Hugo Intended

Revisado: 09-14-21

I have read the book unabridged in the past, and sadly I find that this audiobook is not a good presentation. I found it impossible to get past the excessive abridgment, which the performer attempted to disguise with clumsy music and sound effects. The ratio of story to silly, repetitive music was very disruptive; while the reading though well-done was too rapid. Hugo ought to be savored. His writing implements the highest abstractions in concrete drama, and you need time to take it in. I simply couldn’t let go and fall into the story. Though I was grateful that someone took on the challenge of recording one of Hugo’s lesser known works, sadly I could not get past the first half hour.

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Listen again & again to unravel layers of mystery

Revisado: 10-28-20

Armadale has always been one of my favorite novels. With this beautiful production, I've been given a chance to listen to it again and again and delve deeply into the complexities of this story. The author tells the tale of two remarkable people who began life with the worst sort of luck. No family to care for them as children, no formal education, nothing to set them up in life. Each was exposed to adults who abused them. Each had nothing but his or her intelligence to educate and polish them. But one strives to be moral, and the other flouts morality. Or so it appears at first. The greatness of this novel is in its complexity. There is a modern feel to it in that the psychology of the characters, even down to their irrational beliefs, determines their actions and their outcomes. There is no good or evil character; only characters that choose to do good or evil and may choose differently at any moment.

The heroine is one of the strongest female characters I have come across in literature. She appears wicked and yet at no time does Wilkie Collins let us condemn her as wicked. She is riveting. She is magnificent.

Like other Wilkie Collins novels, Armadale is peppered with letters. Imagine a scene intent on critisizing the prurience of society, but written in letter form, so that we (the readers) become part of the scene, eavesdropping on someone else's life as divulged in the letter...

There's even a subtle criticism of the unequal treatment of blacks. There are two men starting out in life with the same name, but each with a very different beginning. And the man with a black ancestry is the one mistrusted for his brooding nature, his apparent moodiness, his dark complexion. This man masters his inheritance of murder and heritage of superstition to save his friend, the best of men because his morality is expressed in deeds instead of social mores.

Character names, too, will tease you. Miss Lydia Gwilt...so reminiscent phonetically to Lady Guilt—but whose is the guilt? Her’s or society’s? And Armadale—Arm a dale—two concepts so strangely coupled into a beautiful name. As you listen to the story again and again, take the time to contemplate the phonetic meanings behind the names, as clues to the theme of the novel.

To express his theme, Collins uses characters that are foils to each other. This is not merely true of the main characters as they relate to each other, but of these characters in relation to lesser ones or even to the social backdrop as a whole. Once again, the letters not only make the story more intimate at times, but they force us to engage in this comparison, to unmask the subtle statements Collins is weaving through the events of the novel.

It's easy to read Armadale superficially, but the puzzle untangles so many layers of mystery the more you ponder this story. So I love listening to this production for this reason, because I cannot digest everything Collins did in one read or one listen.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Psychological literature, excellent narration

Revisado: 03-14-20

I enjoyed this book very much and have already began to listen to it again. The narration offered not only a clear voice for each character but the kind of voice that suited each personality. The overall experience fitted the story, allowing me to think as I listened, think about human motivations and the themes behind the plot. I was disappointed in the author's choice of denouement. I almost convinced myself that this novel will be well before its time, which it was in some ways but not all the way. Still, this was my first exposure to Goethe, and it was intellectually and spiritually stimulating.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

The Story that Began It All--Read So Beautifully!

Revisado: 03-09-19

I first heard of "She" from Rumpole of the Bailey, then seeing that B. J. Harrison performed the book, I had to listen to it. Indeed, the book has become one of my favorites.

As you listen to She, you will be able to trace the inspiration of many works of art, such as J. R. R. Tolkien's Galadriel and the ring of power, Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, even the Goa'uld of the TV series Stargate. The story is also deeply philosophical, making you pause and wonder about the power of beauty to beguile and initiate love, the true force of love, our mortality or immortality, and the nature of She herself, who beguiles us, the readers, even when she seems at her cruelest (notice, I say "seem" because what you think you know about morality seems to extend in her presence).

B. J. Harrison is at his best when he reads classic literature that requires high emotion to come across as believable. He achieves this difficult goal. Beyond his soothing voice, his performance of each character--and most especially She--is a treat to experience.

Highly recommended!

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

An Exquisite Performance of Wilde's Greatest Novel

Revisado: 05-22-18

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those rare literary feats that bridges the soul and body of a story perfectly. The painting is the conscience of Dorian Gray, and it is the spirit of the story, its raise d'être. For this reason, anyone can be captivated by the tale--but the more time spent, the more thought invested, the greater the reward (like diving to take a closer look at a seabed of corals.)

The performance is an excellent match for the depth of the novel. The narrator's voice is soothing and drew me in, allowing my mind to roam along the essence of events and descriptions. The character voices are exceedingly well-done. Dorian changes in the nature of his voice as much as in his actions and psychology. The same happens to the other influential characters. I think it takes a unique reader who loves and understands literature (true literature), to perform the novel in the spirit that befits it. Highly recommended!

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Beautiful Rendition of a Classic Adventure

Revisado: 05-09-18

I have listened to this recording twice. For the first two chapters, I found the story a little slow, but the reader kept me listening. I was later glad of it. This is a beautiful story. I have a new definition for the word "gentleman" imprinted on my mind. I can now imagine how the British came among savages. How they survived the encounter. How they changed the people they met for the better.

As to the reader, his performance is exceptional on several levels. I felt myself swept into the story immediately. I forgot that the reader was there. Harrison imbues the characters with emotions, as well as the narration. I highly recommend this book to lovers of classical novels set in Africa.

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