tutorsybil

Best credit I ever spent out of hundreds from Audible

Revisado: 03-12-25

Utterly amazing! Very clever mysteries with engrossing character portraits. Bring us more novels by Tey, Audible!

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New narrator for this volume spoils it

Revisado: 01-06-23

The previous volume, Girl with No Name, was one of the most compelling books I've listened to in a long time, and the narrator, Anna Bentinck, is one of the best in the 300 Audible titles I've listened to. I really wanted to know what happened to the characters from the first volume, so I stuck with a very disappointing narration till about halfway, then decided it wasn’t worth the annoyance. Usually I check how many hours are left in a book, hoping there’s a lot—this time, it was how many more to slog through to find out what I wanted to know about the characters. This narrator, Justine Eyre, has a distinctive voice, which must work well for some genres, because she's done many Audible titles. The first problem is she has a very distinctive voice, but in a book with lots of different characters talking, every character has her unique voice mannerisms. It would be fine if it was just the narration but not the dialogue. The other problem is there were several different British or foreign accents done poorly and sounding too much the same, whereas the narrator of the first volume was better than average at several distinct British accents. In one conversation, a clever London conman tells a Londoner he has always lived in Australia, instead of only four years, and Eyre made no attempt at all for him to imitate an Australian accent.

The story itself is quite different and less compelling than the first volume, but I’d have finished it if the narration was good.

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Narrator is actually a talented actor

Revisado: 02-03-22

I almost missed out on this entertaining title due to the negative reviews about the narrator. I'm glad I listened to the sample, which led me to give it a try. He's actually very good, with a distinct, well-acted voice for each character. I agree the main character's voice could sound younger, but it didn't get in the way; I think the actor was showing the character's ruthless, gruff personality. I think this is only the 2nd review I've written of the almost 200 titles I've listened to--I didn't want listeners to miss out on this fun title as I almost did.
I very recently discovered Heyer. I love her combination of well-drawn characters, humor, romance, and accurate period detail. I'm very disappointed that most of Audible's selection of her titles are abridged, which don't interest me. As a feminist who likes regency romance, I appreciate her strong female characters' impact on men of that time.

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Wow! Where has this author been all my life?

Revisado: 05-01-21

A story full of suspense and wisdom, an unusual combination I couldn't put down. A pleasing romance, too. I've listened to about a hundred audible titles, and this is the first time I felt compelled to write a review. I tried this one after listening to Gilman's The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax and Thales Folly. Loved and impressed by them, too. The narrator was masterful, and I totally disagree with the review that said she didn't sound like the 22 year old protagonist.

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Loved Novice's Tale, this one less. Narrator issue

Revisado: 06-15-20

I thoroughly enjoyed Novice's Tale, the first in the series. This one less, partly due to the tragic element. Both give a very interesting look at the impact of the times on women. It was interesting in both to see a community governed by and composed of women. A nunnery was probably the only place this was true. And of course, it was fun to see a few strong, smart women in action during such a time, and how they try to circumvent those in authority who devalue their opinions.

The actress is very good at both male and female character voices, making each distinct even when there are several of the same gender, However, it was annoying and distracting that each clause, even phrase, of narration ends in the same four tones. With the exception of character voices, this is true through the whole narration. Sometimes it creeps into character dialogue, too. It gives the whole thing an overly sentimental tone. I don't understand why no director caught this. I was engrossed enough in the story to continue, however when I started to buy the 3rd in the series, I balked because it was the same actress.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas