Marjee

Great performance, prescient story

Revisado: 07-22-21

I ordered this book after hearing a synopsis in The Great Courses Utopia/ Dystopias. This is a YA but I really enjoyed it as a not Y A, because it really anticipated where social media is going. It’s a very fun, fast-moving story and the performance (especially the commercials and broadcasts) really enhanced this already clever story. I recommend this heartily!

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Great refresher

Revisado: 11-19-14

I've skimmed many of the topics covered in this lecture during my graduate school days, but Professor Fischer's passion for this topic enhanced my understanding of the cultures mentioned here and his framing of Anthropology as a discipline added enormously to my understanding of the subject matter. Listening to this course gave me exactly what I had hoped for: a fascinating, globe-trotting escape into the lives of other people I will never meet and an opportunity to marvel at our shared, human experiences.

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What an enjoyable lecture

Revisado: 11-19-14

I'm a vegetarian and a foodie and I adored this course. There are so many connections Albala made that I had wondered about before. For instance, I've noticed that preparing Middle Eastern cuisine uses many of the same spices I'll pull out for when we're making Mexican food. I *just* made the connection that this has so much to do with the Arab presence in Spain. I also loved learning about the changes in diet and cooking habits from the time of ancient Greece throughout the Middle Ages and thinking about cuisines I don't normally think about, like what the Vikings ate and where in the world those foods persist.

This lecture is a blast and I've already started to re-listen to it and use what I've learned to regale colleagues and make small talk at parties. If you love food and enjoy cooking, you'll love this one!

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esto le resultó útil a 56 personas

Great story, writing is rough around the edges

Revisado: 04-23-13

I really enjoyed this story and was eager to get back to listening to it. It is a great premise. I love a good sympathy for the devil story. That said:

1) I only tolerated the narrator. Maybe it was the director's fault. His reading of the protagonist's lines didn't resonate with what we know about Ig. Ig is kind of a big wimp, and nothing makes him seem otherwise, except for the narrator's intonation. The acting didn't match the writing.
2) Hill is a better storyteller than he is a writer. He is still early in his career and I want to read more by him, but he was often too "on the nose."
3) I didn't like any of the characters to really root for them. Sometimes that is OK in a book, but with this book, everyone was so terrible that I wanted someone, anyone, to be vaguely likeable.

Those are a few caveats about what was ultimately a fun listening experience.

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Tim Robbins was amazing

Revisado: 03-07-13

There isn't much to say regarding the content here as this is America's novel for the 20th Century. I did want to mention that Tim Robbins was one of the only male narrators that totally pulled off reading as a women. There have been a few narrators where it was really hard to take the falsetto, but Robbins managed to be endearing through and through. Even if you've read Gatsby several times, I recommend listening to Robbins' performance.

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Pleasant company on a business trip

Revisado: 10-31-12

Not much to add to others' rave reviews. This is a classic for a reason, after all. I had this with me on a recent business trip. It was a pretty intense one, with tons of meetings, red-eye flights, and I'm a nervous flier as it is. Both Carnegie and MacMillan were wonderfully reassuring and empowering in every way. I'm sure I'll revisit this file often.

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Ended too soon

Revisado: 10-31-12

I heard this book reviewed on NPR and was happy to see that it was available on Audible. The NPR review mentioned Attenberg's unflinchingly honest character portrayals and that piqued my interest. During several of the first chapters, I wasn't sure if I really liked the book, or if I was easily delighted by the amazingly accurate portrayal of life on the North side of the Chicago metro area. I'm originally from there, and the detail the author paints on that setting is so realistic, I felt like I was home for the holidays.

But as I got to the end of the book, I can confirm that it was the story in its entirety that charmed me. To be sure, I was left wanting so much more. It felt like it ended too soon, I wanted to know so much more about the characters past and present. That is bad news for me, but a credit to the author. Speaking of credits, I usually download really long tomes to get my credit worth in Audible, so this was an usually short book for me.

Ringwald did a nice job narrating. She was a little bit stilted at times, but it did not interfere with my enjoyment of this book and the sound of her voice likely contributed to the overall nostalgia I experienced visiting Superdogs on Milwaukee, Wicker Park, and Polish nail salons in Skokie.

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esto le resultó útil a 14 personas

Surprisingly enjoyable

Revisado: 03-30-12

What made the experience of listening to The Robber Bride the most enjoyable?

I went outside of my comfort zone with this book. It was turned into a Lifetime movie, definitely not my thing. But it was so much fun! I really cared about the characters and could not wait to hear more as their individual mysteries unraveled.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All three protagonists were wonderful in their own way.

Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard Ms. Dunne read before, but I really enjoyed her. I forgot I was listening to a single person, but she wasn't over the top. Pretty flawless.

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

Absolutely, I was antisocial during this story. I had my ear phones in all the time.

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esto le resultó útil a 24 personas

Timely story

Revisado: 03-30-12

Where does The Bonfire of the Vanities rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a riveting story about terrible people. This is my first Wolfe and it won't be my last. The portraits of his characters are among the most vividly rendered I can recall any author pulling off. The narrator was quite skilled in pulling off the accents. His weakness was little Campbell, he sounded kind of crazy voicing a little girl, but that is an infrequent issue.

Who was your favorite character and why?

They are all terrible people, let's be honest. Even little Campbell was annoying. Anyway, that is the fun of the book!

Which scene was your favorite?

The society dinner party was a great opportunity to peak at and giggle at how the

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I happened to be listening to the story when there was a very similar story dominating the news. It is interesting how little has changed in the 20+ years since Wolfe wrote the book.

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