Katie

Five Stars For A Story Everyone Should Know

Revisado: 10-06-23

I remember first learning the story of Hedy Lamarr when she was honored for her discovery in the 90s, and I think about it often. This book is a glossy retelling, but it brings to life the possible inner thoughts of a woman too long unremembered as a great scientific mind and inventor. I appreciate the author’s commentary in her end note, reminding us that to remember and celebrate the past contributions of women, too often unsung and unremembered, is to change the climate of science and tech for women now and coming after us, which will be as important as the cell phone, and as vital to our future as Lamarr’s inventions and her art as an actor has proved to be in the past. Glad to listen to this story, so elegantly brought to like by the narrator, and remember her mind and work with joy.

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Interesting idea, but half baked and badly narrated

Revisado: 02-04-23

This is a thoroughly mediocre book, not helped by the narration. When I say it’s a slow burn, know that it takes 7 hours to get to the weird plot twist that makes it somewhat interesting, and after that it proceeds so quickly that there’s not a lot of time for the satisfaction of exploring that weirdness. That’s not helped by te fact that the narration is flat and somatic, never quite matching the minimally applied tension of the story, and sounds amateurish in its inability to capture believable tones and temperament of the characters. It comes off as a poorly thought out romance novel without a believable romance, and the last sentence made me want to throw it in the fire too. I completely fail to understand how this book has fascinated so many people, other than the fact that it’s laid out fairly perfectly for a really bad sci-fi series, probably coming soon to a streaming service. Hopefully they’ll trim the fat if so and make something of it. Until then, save your time.

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Delightfully devious to the very end

Revisado: 12-28-20

This is my second listen to this book after a few years’ hiatus, and I’m pleased to report it stands up to the second go-round as well as it did the first time. An incredibly interesting book and a delightfully eerie finish that still gives me the creeps even knowing the secret this time around. Very well performed and paced, an excellent listen.

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A good graphic novel redux

Revisado: 09-06-20

I enjoyed it, but I am couldn’t help thinking that the visual version would carry so much more meaning (I’ve never read it as such, so I’m not just having a “the book was better moment”) This was a great dramatization, but I’ll be seeking out the book so I can see it in its full glory.

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Sound listening

Revisado: 01-24-20

What a delightful listen! Jessica Khoury has created an engaging story for anyone who has ever practiced toward perfection on a musical instrument, capturing the trials of practice and preparation of getting into music school with remarkable capability, with the added whimsy of making music the source of magic in her universe.

Anyone who has ever worked hard toward music school admission and excellence will recognize the travails and anguish of the characters in the story, and more than once I nodded my head at Amelia’s insecurities and thought processes as she navigated the story. As a musician, hearing the background music was really fun (if distracting, because we can never hear that sort of thing without devoting more than the usual portion of attention to it 😂) and bravo to the NJSO Youth Orchestra and other musicians for their excellent playing in support of the story. Highly recommended.

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Great concept, fragmented execution

Revisado: 05-30-18

While I enjoyed the book very much, and it’s definitely worth a listen, it really could have benefited from a better editor, because many of the storylines and characters are partially fleshed out, and the ends left hanging by the end are less artistic than they are simply half-finished. The ending left me feeling less than satisfied, as if I had been enjoying a two-dimensional painting rather than a fully realized story. Much of the imagery was great and the setting was atmospheric, but I think the real issue is that there’s just too much here for a single book.

The narration was excellent, and did a good job drawing me into the story and setting.

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Harrowing and incredible

Revisado: 06-09-17

I was very simply completely unprepared for the journey this book took me on. After finishing Shanghai Girls, the first part of this story, I jumped directly into this book eagerly interested in finding out what happened to Pearl, Mei, and Joy. With mounting horror, I listened to the narrator's expert performance of the horrors of the famine and the Great Leap Forward, which I can unabashedly tell you is absolute nightmare fuel. Worth pursuing to the end though, as See holds your attention and the suspense until the very last moment. Highly recommended, just make sure you have someone you love to hold you tight as you pass through the story.

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Epic, beautiful, and expertly read.

Revisado: 08-26-16

This book is a gem. By turns beautiful and bleak, this book takes you on a journey that you will never, ever forget. Through the slums of Mumbai to the rich palaces of the Indian mafia to the terror and hardship of war, there was hardly a minute that I wasn't riveted.

Humphrey Bower does an excellent job with the narration, expertly shifting accents and inflections so quickly that you almost immediately cease to hear anything but the characters.

Five very enthusiastic stars.

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Generally good, but with a few irredeemable flaws

Revisado: 07-31-15

Docking two stars simply because of the rationalizing of Henry's poor behavior. Generally a lovely story, but after spending all of that time schooling us on how capable and independent Amy was becoming, that was just a long slide backwards down the hill of character development turning her back into a simpering marshmallow. Better and more believable if she'd gone back to Bath or London and tried to do better. Also, the epilogue was annoying and unnecessary, at that point who cares and the story would have been better without it.

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Beautiful imagery, slightly weak story

Revisado: 09-26-11

The Night Circus is a beautiful book (in more ways than one if you can get your hands on a physical copy) and contains some incredibly rich imagery. The only problem I have with it is it's pretty obviously a collection of images tied together with a story after the fact. The images are incredibly beautiful. The story serves as a delicate connector to all of the vignettes describing the places and people of the Cirque, but it almost feels like it would work better as a graphic novel than a fully executed work of fiction. Still, it's a great first outing for Erin Morganstern, and her PR machine is incredible to get such a stellar collection of deals for her based on this book.

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