Georgia

Empty Promises

Revisado: 12-30-24

Disappointing.. Treacly, not up to Hawkins usual work. The first time I've been disappointed in a book. Should have muscle tested it!

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Suitable for teenagers

Revisado: 12-20-23

Although not well written, Ramona holds a place in the long story of the abuse of Native Americans. Those in California were a particularly peacefully sort. What has become of the area is a travesty of a civilization.

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The Fecund Queen

Revisado: 07-26-20

Somewhere in my formal study, I formed a desire to learn more about Eleanor of Aquitaine. Already familiar with Alison Weir, it was a slam dunk to purchase the book.
Early put off by what seemed an excessive amount of sex, I eventually realized that Eleanor was simply a highly sexed woman (11 pregnancies, 9 children with two kings) and had to be accepted on her own terms. Eventually, I came to admire her for tough physical and mental abilities. Many of her subjects must have felt the same way.
In the habit of reading several books at a time (Captive Queen being the light reading), I found CQ hard to put down and finished it rather quickly. A good historical novel organizes time in a way that straight history cannot, and this book put the 12th century (at least the last half) together for me in a way I am not likely to forget. Thank you, Alison.
I'd forgotten that Eleanor was the mother of Richard the Lion-hearted and the evil King John of Ivanhoe, which carries us (thanks to Sir Walter Scott) in another direction.
Finally, Rosalyn Landor gives us a fine reading, although some of the male characters might be more carefully distinguished in voice. I will probably listen to the book again. Would have appreciated a map or two.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Satisfying Historical Novel

Revisado: 02-17-16

An audio book to be enjoyed repeatedly. Fine story and character development, evocative imagery. Will be starting on Voyager directly.

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Satisfying Historical Novel

Revisado: 02-17-16

An audio book to be enjoyed repeatedly. Fine story and character development, evocative imagery. Will be starting on Voyager directly.

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Cinderella Story

Revisado: 12-09-11

A not-quite-modern Cinderella Story, but all the better for that. Some readers will be familiar with the film starring Frances MacDormand, and who better to deliver the charming story but she.

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Learn While Laughing

Revisado: 10-06-11

I was driving east with my daughter's family, Colorado to Pennsylvania, when I first heard Alexander McCall Smith's work, The Incredible Lightness of Scones, and no warning either. It was a while before I picked up on it, some nonsense about using moisturizer. Then I just relaxed into chuckling and laughter with the rest of the family; I was converted. As soon as I got on the Internet I ordered 44 Scotland St from Audible. And of course, it isn't nonsense at all, or just a funny story, more like an easy path to enlightenment. The play between Bertie, mother Irene and the psychiatrist is a gentle study of defective child rearing that should put us all on notice. Learn while laughing. Why not?

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Biddie Rather Than Estella

Revisado: 10-05-11

Convinced that Dickens must have worthwhile aspects that I have heretofore overlooked, since he continues to be read and admired, I determined to give him another chance with the excellent reader, Charlton Griffin. The listen worked painlessly and well. Griffin helped me to believe in the improbable characters (except for Estella, who is beyond hope), and between writer and reader, they wrung a few laughs and tears from me. Apparently, in the original serialized version of Great Expectations, Pip and Biddie were to be united at the end, but Dickens was influenced to opt for Estella. Bad choice for both Pip and the novel, but Griffin eases us over it.

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A Class Act

Revisado: 10-02-11

Whatever one may think of Ian Fleming and the 007 series, they are definitely part of the culture, and we must be grateful to Simon Vance for lifting the story out of the weeds. He makes us take these improbable characters seriously. An entertaining read.

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Children's Stories? I Think Not.

Revisado: 09-28-11

I read most of Kipling's Jungle Tales when I was eleven and enjoyed them thoroughly. Perhaps it was after listening to Kim recently in my Golden Years, catching the flavor of Imperial India, that I decided to listen to the Jungle Tales again. Good decision.
The descriptive color and exotic expression seem piercingly fresh probably because we are now so far away from them. It is as Aristotle has suggested, Art has a better way of describing reality than Truth. Listen to the stories with your children, but hear them for your self.

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