Sherry

Train wreck I could t look away from

Revisado: 03-24-25

I live near Paradise Valley and remember the Die Hard article written about CeCe’s attempt to murder her fourth husband. She’s also an arsonist who set fire to his property, including priceless momentous and photos of his deceased son. (And she apparently attempted to hire a hit man to murder a previous husband.) In a bizarre Stockholm Syndrome reaction, husband #4 stayed with her and still constantly defends her and prevents her from facing or even acknowledging all the horrible things she’s done and the person she actually is.

Ronan Farrow does a masterful job of drawing her out in a sympathetic way without a hint of judgment. He simply allows the facts to speak for themselves: police reports and extensive, well balanced interviews with family members and others whose lives were nearly destroyed by this raging, wealth-equals-privilege narcissist who lives in her own alternate reality. Kudos to her younger daughter, who rose from the crazy-making, abusive childhood created by her mother to create a healthy happy life for herself!

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Delightful blend of fact and fiction

Revisado: 02-25-25

Loved this fictionalized story of real writers and their budding friendship as they work together to solve a true crime case of their era. Enjoyed the deeper dive into the personal life of Dorothy L Sayers. And the voice acting was flawless!

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Could have been so much better

Revisado: 02-14-25

Trite themes. (How many books do we really need about loving ourselves?) Predictable plot. Unlikable characters. And too many F bombs. A little of that language goes a long way. Also such a big part of the story was about weird sex. I really don’t get why so many people gave this novel a high rating.

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Outstanding

Revisado: 09-23-24

A story that needs to be told, flawlessly narrated! Loved the interweaving of the two time periods, 1909 and 1990. Lisa Wingate has done it again!

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Outstanding performance but plot’s a stretch

Revisado: 03-03-24

Excellent voice acting! The San Francisco setting and the grand old Victorian family home give this story a delicious noir ambience. The plot is ingenious, but the characters are such unreliable narrators that the ending feels contrived. Still, it was worth the time I invested in listening.

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Maudlin and unrealistic

Revisado: 01-07-24

I made a valiant effort, since the premise sounded interesting, but I could only get through about 40% of this book. The Taryn storyline showed some promise. But sorry to say, the Clara character was so unlikable and sappy, I just couldn’t waste more time on it. Also the narrator’s voice made the characters sound worse than they were written. Taryn’s voice (and occasionally others) made a distracting huff at the end of every line. And Andrew’s supposedly Welsh accent was extremely odd.

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Plodding recitation of facts

Revisado: 11-13-23

Not sure why some readers rated this book so highly. I am literally listening to it at bedtime as an antidote to insomnia! The story is a looong, boring “just the facts, ma’am” snooze-fest. And the narrator’s highly clipped recitation makes it even less palatable. I LOVE Beatrix Potter, so I’m really disappointed that I just can’t whip up any enthusiasm for this dry biography.

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Highly recommended

Revisado: 10-01-23

A story about a friendship that develops among four very different women as they each pursue their individual friendships with God, their families, and even themselves.

Based on my own experience of meeting with a spiritual director, I’d say this story is an accurate picture of how spiritual direction works. Sensible Shoes illustrates not only the various forms of prayer that are often utilized, but also how God woos wounded people into a loving, intimate relationship with himself and others. And it reveals the internal dialogue and mental gymnastics we Christian women often go through in order to hide from each other, our painful past experiences, and our sins that we often refuse to see as sin. And it does all this without the sappy characters that are often found in formulaic “Christian women’s fiction.” Yay! The characters here are well drawn, multifaceted, and true to their own natures, even as they grow. I could relate to each of them in different ways.

Can’t wait to read the other books in this series!

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Beautiful!

Revisado: 08-22-23

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Ann Patchett’s novel, narrated by Meryl Streep, is as heartwarming, poignant, and memorable as Thorton Wilder’s Our Town itself. I have always loved that play, (which I directed many decades ago.). This book brought me back to the beautiful lines of the play and its big-as-life story arc.

Tom Lake is a multifaceted novel filled with complex characters and relationships. It’s about the choices we make in life, the paths we take, and those we don’t. It’s about love of family and love of the land. It’s about fame, as well as the beauty of an ordinary life. And so much more!

It starts off a tad slow, and at first I found it difficult to understand when it was switching from past to present and back again. But as it gains momentum, these small problems fade and the story soars! One of the best Audible books I’ve read in years.

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Compassionate, Funny, Wise

Revisado: 07-09-23

I appreciate Lori Gottlieb’s humor and vulnerability about her feelings, her relationships, and her own foibles. She, her clients, and her own therapist come across as charmingly real and interesting characters Even the clients who were utterly unlikable and frustrating at first become sympathetic by the end.

Brittany Presley’s highly nuanced performance is spot on! I felt like she WAS Lori Gottlieb, as she told this remarkable story. A great read/listen!

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