Jeff Warner

Great story; irritating narrator

Revisado: 12-23-18

I think this is my first experience with the author’s work and what a lovely story it is, especially for a Dickens aficionado like myself. Unfortunately, the narrator’s style of reading was odd to the point of irritating and irritating almost to the point of being a deal-breaker in terms of my being able to recommend this book (I looked on Audible for another version but they don’t carry one; perhaps another source does). The narrator has this very off-putting diction habit where she sort of slightly holds on to and falls off of the last syllable of the last word in each sentence (think “Cher“ and her singing style); it was like listening to a woman do a bad imitation of the character Uriah Heep from David Copperfield. It actually made the shortness of the story a plus instead of a minus. :(

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A classic high jacked for the purpose of proselytizing :(

Revisado: 12-02-18

Disappointing. Due credit: the piece is pretty well written and the narrator is a really good actor, but, basically, it uses a tried and true Xmas story as a buildup to what amounts to a dramatized sermon on religious (specifically Christian) philosophy. If you are specifically looking for a religious Xmas story, then you will probably enjoy this book, but if, like me, you are a Dickens/A Christmas Carol fan and are looking for a deftly crafted sequel that celebrates the original instead of riding its coattails for religious sermonizing, then skip this one and check out “Jacob T Marley” by R William Bennett, a truly imaginative, intelligent, and specifically respectful homage to Dickens’ Carol. Merry Christmas!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Walter Matthau and The Grinch do NOT make an Odd Couple! :)

Revisado: 12-23-17

I mean...c’mon!! Dr. Seuss? How the Grinch Stole Christmas?? Walter Matthau??? Fantastic!!!! Merry Christmas! :-)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Another audiobook falls victim to bad narration

Revisado: 12-23-17

Lesson for authors: when it comes time to turn your literary work into an audiobook, please put aside your egos and ill-advised ambitions toward acting and hire people who ARE real actors to do the narration. This narrator’s style of delivery was so affected as to come off as not only odd but irritating and gave the impression of a sort of cartoonish pomposity. I would not be at all surprised to learn that he showed up at the recording studio wearing a tweed jacket with elbow-patches and hornrimmed half-spectacles, smoking a pipe, and lugging in his own antique leather wingback chair. At only a quarter of the way into the introduction I was already so put off by his delivery that I found it a bit hard to stay open-minded to the stories themselves. I intend to do myself the favor of looking for other versions of these stories so as not to miss a little-known gem of classical literature, but I suspect that, in a bit of a contradiction to the author’s own claimed goal of separating the rare and little-known “good“ from the overly-abundant and surplus “bad“, the adjective “little-known“ was the guiding criteria with which to put together a selection of stories meant to impress us more with their obscurity than their ability to captivate.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A brilliant and loving homage to the Dickens classic!

Revisado: 12-21-17

What a wonderful Christmas present R. William Bennett has given those of us to whom Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been not only enjoyable but so very important. I could tell within the first 15 minutes that the book was not simply the result of a random, clever idea that takes advantage of the classic tale, but, instead, an homage, a celebration, a gift...not only to those who love A Christmas Carol, but to Dickens himself, in gratitude for his gift to the world. It is clear that this book was inspired by the author’s own love for the work on which it so cleverly, lovingly, and respectfully expands. In a work like this, there’s a great danger of trespassing on hallowed ground and, through a carelessness attempt to embellish the original, actually unravel cherished bits of it so that the new piece not only fails to add something worthwhile, but actually tarnishes and takes away from the original. But this doesn’t happen with Jacob T. Marley; Bennett manages to give us a backstory (AND a follow-up!) that is simultaneously intriguing, respectful, and, most of all, satisfying; he tells something we WANT to hear without having to tinker with or adjust the original and without marring our treasured memories of the parts of the tale that are so important to us. I urge every lover of Dickens to give himself the gift of this book this holiday season; I hope it delights you as much as it did me. As for me, I’m off to research what other works R. William Bennett has written! Merry Christmas!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña