Mari

The Total Lackluster of the Narration

Revisado: 08-10-24

I simply could not listen through to the end. The narration lacked warmth and demonstrated no comprehension of what was being narrated. The words were simply spoken as though the words before gave no hint to the storyline itself. It didn’t drone. It just was…devoid of that human touch. I hope this isn’t the future for narration.

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Kept Me Guessing

Revisado: 02-24-23

As I read murder/mysteries I try to determine 'who dun it', as I am sure most readers do as well. The great thing about Ellis' books is that I'm 3 for 3 in NOT identifying the culprit correctly and that makes for good reading. The recurring characters, Jackman and Marie, make an interesting team. Jackman is tough yet sensitive to the emotional needs of both his male and female team members. Marie and Jackson know each other like the back of their own hands which, of course, makes for a strong partnership. Ellis is good at giving her characters depth and she avoids throwing in sappy, sacharin relationships. All the characters are believable, even the bad guys.
Finally, the narrator of an audiobook can make or break a story. Armitage gives each character an easily identifiable accent or speech pattern which makes listening to his narrations enjoyable.

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Doing All the Right Things Doesn’t Always Work for You

Revisado: 11-23-22

Messenger, right from the first page, gets you inside his head which is where you want to be for his story about a grizzly bear attack during a wilderness canoe trip.
Messenger recalls this horrifying event with meticulous detail leaving you with no doubt: what the attacking parts of the bear looked like, what thoughts occupied Messenger’s mind just prior to, during and after the grizzly’s pounding and how his body physically responded to each attack. An incredible story.

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Narrator Kills the Book

Revisado: 05-21-21

This review focuses on the narration of the stories.
I could not finish listening to these adventures. Why? Maryanne Wells’ choice of voice. It’s painful.
The stories, the few I did manage to get to, are light and entertaining; however, Wells’ attempt to sound like a Dumont aristocrat from a 30’s Marx Brothers film is, at best, cringe worthy.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Someone knows but you don’t find out until...

Revisado: 09-27-20

Not just a murder mystery but a well orchestrated series of characters whose lives have been profoundly changed over a 20 year period by a single event.
I do wish that Scottoline would have developed Sasha’s and Julian’s characters a bit more. (I don’t want to give away the plot).
Not exactly a nail biter but certainly kept my interest.

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For the Love of a Mother

Revisado: 07-19-20

Rising way above his circumstances Trevor Noah tells of his life from his birth, which was considered at the time to be a crime, to adulthood when he comes to understand the love of his mother. This could very easily have been a woe-is-me story but far be it from that. Trevor does not seek your sympathy. He does not apologize for the less than honest things that he did. He simply tells you the story of how he grew from a child born at odds with his society to a young man who comes to understand why his mother made the choices she made throughout his life and her own life. It’s an amazing story and one I could not put down.

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Kept my interest

Revisado: 04-12-20

My only negative...ok. I get why the author titled this Sisters but I found that misleading for a novella. I would love for the author to turn this into a novel.; to develop the characters which I found so interesting. Even the members of the police force and whacky Laura.
All in all, very enjoyable.

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Please go on...

Revisado: 04-12-20

Bravo. Well written, well performed. The two actors worked beautifully together. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Maria’s vial of radium is discovered by Hertha (sp?) and Maria explodes in anger at Hertha’s insistence that Maria remove the vial from the house. Hertha is Maria’s good angel; she is bright, sarcastic, humorous and compassionate. She is a suffragette and insightful. All these characteristics make her the perfect friend for Maria at this time in Maria’s life. (Also, can’t help thinking how much Kate sounds like Maggie Smith).
I didn’t want this story to end...

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Stories written solely for audio? Hmmm...

Revisado: 03-20-20

I don't know...Cut and Run was, at best, cute. The idea of good, sweet people doing horrific things for their livelihood in a comedic setting is nothing new (Mr and Mrs Smith). The idea of a spouse having a job that is radically different than the job he pretends to have to his significant other is not original (True Lies). Even the scene when Katie is recognized as an author by a Mexican bad guy and, consequently, she and boyfriend are provided a way to escape (sort of) is not original (Romancing the Stone).
It hasn’t escaped me that all three of my examples are not books but rather movies. That brings me to my final comment which connects with the title of this review.
The cast performed this book beautifully. If it weren’t for these pros I would have shut the story off about half way through. So here’s what I’m wondering: can you write a book that you know will only be heard on an audio app and performed by a cast and not narrated by one person without it sounding like a script for a play and not a manuscript for a book?

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You Won't Be Able to Put it Down

Revisado: 07-26-18

It was hard for me to shut off my headphones - I wanted to get to the end to find out who did it and why and to learn if my theory about whodunit was even close to the actual story.
This book had me hooked from the very first sentence. The plot: a woman suffering from agoraphobia brought on by a horrific experience witnesses an event but due to her mental health and a propensity to mix large quantities of alcohol with heavy psycho therapeutic drugs, is not believed by the authorities. As the plot develops the reader must make a choice: is the agoraphobic, Anna Fox, truly delusional or is something else afoot.
What caused the onset of agoraphobia was predictable very early on but that is my only criticism. Finn introduces all the characters quickly and all of them, at one point or another, can be suspect of the event witnesses by Anna. I found the depth to which Finn explored the condition of agoraphobia fascinating - how it halts the life of the agoraphobic but also how that person is viewed by those 'outside'.
A psychological thriller! A real whodunit! An intriguing read!

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