J. Miller

Fascinating look at a modern veterinary practice

Revisado: 07-26-18

This is a charming recreation of a day in the life of a veterinary surgeon. We get to see the difficult decisions, the interactions with pet owners, and the care taken in training new graduates of veterinary school. Dr. Trout manages to convey the drama, the pathos, and the rewards of his practice. He understands the deep bonds between pets and their humans and writes about them with compassion. His sly humor keeps the book light in the face of so much animal affliction. I know much more about what goes into veterinary medicine than I did before reading the book, not just in terms of diagnosis and treatment, but also in terms of why animal care is so expensive. The book is fascinating from beginning to end, and Simon Vance narrates it perfectly.

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Very poor translation

Revisado: 04-18-18

I don't know what language this was translated from, but whoever did it must have used a computer program for the bulk of it or sat with an English dictionary and laboriously looked up many of the words without understanding English grammar. For example: "Given that the old symbols were not easy to write, disfigured the books, and not collaborated anything for your memory. . ." Or, "Then the alpha particles not suffer much substantial deviations would return." Or "The atomic theory of Bohr was published between 1913 and 1915. She was able to explain. . ." The reading is full of awkward translations, some of them not distorting the meaning much, but others leading to confusion. The narrator sounds like an American English speaker, so I don't know why he didn't alert the publisher to the problem. But maybe the narrator is actually a computer generated-voice reading a computer-generated translation. That said, I was still able to garner useful information from the book. About 80% of it is standard English.

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Narration makes it impossible to listen to

Revisado: 02-27-17

I wanted to love this audiobook because I loved The Lady in the Palazzo and because I'm going to be in Sicily in a couple of months. But the whispered narration drove me crazy and I couldn't get beyond chapter one. My rating of the story is made up because I didn't actually listen to it, but I had to rate it in order to review the book. I would suggest to potential listeners to listen to the sample and see if they're comfortable with a quiet, breathy reading before they decide whether to purchase the book. Apparently some people are.

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Extraordinary narration

Revisado: 02-03-17

This book is hilarious, poignant, cynical, and wise. It resonates spectacularly with current developments in this country. The narrator's portrayal of each of the characters - the sleazy publisher, the tough Chicago cop, the obsessed video game geek, the self-serving college girl, and all the rest - is nothing short of wondrous. My admiration for the book and the performance grew with every chapter. It's a tour de force.

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Short guide to the basics of Vienna

Revisado: 05-20-16

What did you love best about Vienna - The Medieval City?

I liked the format, which was to walk the listener to a location and then pause to give us a chance to explore it at length. I also liked hearing the stories behind the people and places.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Vienna - The Medieval City?

I was interested to hear another hypothesis pertaining to Mozart's untimely death (that it might have been freemason revenge).

What does Simon Harry Brooke bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He has a very pleasant delivery and a good storytelling manner. He also has a lovely British accent that I wouldn't hear if I were reading the book.

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

No, it's not that kind of book. You listen to it as you walk and, whether you do the whole tour in one day or space it out is a matter of individual preference. I did it both ways because I wanted to hear parts again.

Any additional comments?

Reference is made more than once to a printed guide. The only pdf document I can find on Audible is the tour script - no guide. The script says, for example, "The detailed instructions showing how to use this tour are in your Printed Guide along with lots of information about museums, galleries, shops and restaurants." The guide would be really useful. Its absence is why I gave the book an overall 4 stars instead of 5.

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Heartbreaking Indeed

Revisado: 07-12-10

While the writer's sneering representation of Gen-X values and his obvious self-loathing make this book a difficult experience, they're also what set this memoir apart from autobiographical works of self-congratulation. Observing the author's furious, paranoid grasping for solid ground broke my heart, both for the narrator, laboring under a responsibility he's unprepared for, and for his brother, whose childhood is marked by loss and instability. The book made me remember what being 20-something was like. The reader's impassioned delivery is exactly what the author's voice called for.

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