Aphrodite

Don't Bother

Revisado: 04-24-23

I didn't like this dramatization at all. I've always liked historical fiction, but this was way over the top. The guy who pretends to be Frank Sinatra is annoying. I'd listen and end up having to go back and listen to the same chapter again to only learn there wasn't anything worth listening to. Nope...not for me at all, I returned it.

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Meh....

Revisado: 07-05-20

I found the first half of this book so unremarkable and unfocused that it was extremely difficult in staying interested in the storyline. The opening chapter was intriguing, but after that, I completely lost the idea of the "Secret Letter". It felt like the characters spent hours doing and saying the same thing over and over, never moving forward at all. I had to back up and re-listen to sections because I found my attention wandering. I often wondered "should I stop listening and return this book?" It was only because of the shear brilliance of the narrator that I plotted through it. Well over half way through, the story finally took life and held my attention. It may be a true narrative, but the writing did nothing to honor the story at all.

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Magnificent!

Revisado: 06-20-20

I LOVED this Audible short story and didn’t want it to end. Listening to these two fabulous ladies tell this story was like traveling back in time and listening to the real characters. Mulgrew and Gunderson were outstanding – they captured the essence of each woman and the story as if it were their own. When I finished listening to it, I immediately listened to it again and thought “these two ladies should make this story into a movie” …and then I googled it and found that they were doing it on Broadway! Brava, ladies - you are awesomely powerful in your performance, and I await seeing you memorialize this story on the big screen!

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Frustratingly Disjointed

Revisado: 06-20-20

This author is usually known as an excellent historian, but she missed the mark on this book. The way she lays out the information in this book causes the reader to lose the essence of each president and how their life experiences made them great leaders.

Listening to this book is like watching four different movies all at the same time. Just when you settle into the essence of who Lincoln is and how his modest beginnings molded him into the man he becomes, she changes the channel and launches into a half hour or so of Teddy Roosevelt, then changes the channel again for a half hour or so of FDR, then a half hour or so of LBJ. Once that cycle is completed, she goes back to Lincoln for some time and then proceeds through the other 3 presidents. She does this multiple times until she reaches their death. If these men all lived at the same time, I can see how you might proceed this way to show how the conditions of the time impacted their thinking and presidential decisions, but it makes no sense over a period of 160 years.

By not telling the stories of each president from beginning to end, she does a disservice to each president. You lose the thread to why each man, all born in different times with different world events, took control of a national dilemma and became a powerful and exceptional leader of his time.

I was very frustrated with the format and disappointed in this selection. In truth, I don’t remember a thing about any of the four presidents outlined in this book. Doris Goodwin’s over-shadowing presentation was more powerful then the four great men of history. It’s that bad. I cannot recommend this book.

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Love Prevails in the Darkest of Places

Revisado: 04-04-20

This is a heartwarming true story from such an evil time in our world history. With death and darkness all around them, two unfortunate prisoners in Auschwitz find love and dare to dream of the day when they can share a future together. As the story unfolded, I became invested in them – I wanted them to live, to survive this hell-hole, to beat the odds and walk out of that miserable nightmare of a life into one that they deserved. I loved this book – listened to it in one day and cried my eyes out. Made me think about how superficial our lives really are – we are consumed with designer clothing, highlights in our hair, alluring perfume, and the brightest possible teeth, and yet these poor souls had none of that – most likely hadn’t seen it in years. They only had kindness, encouragement, and love. It’s a journey you will remember long after the story is finished. Please listen and remember.

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Deceiving Title - Really About Politics

Revisado: 03-30-20

As I began listening and then got deeper into the book, I kept asking myself, what about the fire? This book is not really about that factory fire on March 25th, 1911, but about the politics of rallies, strikes, intimidation, and unions in New York City surrounding labor laws. This book went on overload for hours about labor leaders, immigration, and Tammany politics - everything but the fire. And when it finally appeared (6 hours into the narration), it disappeared just as quickly. This was a very disappointing boring read by a narrator who sounded as uninterested as I was. I struggled to get to the end. If you are interested in learning about the humanistic side of the Triangle fire, find something else -this is all about politics. I do NOT recommend this book.

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Too Technical To Enjoy

Revisado: 03-21-20

I am a scientist and bird enthusiast, but I found this too technical to enjoy, I often listen to Audible on my way to and from work, on my work breaks and lunch, but it seemed like every time I tuned in, the topic of discussion was about regurgitation to feed the young. Other discussions explaining bone structure were so descriptive that I felt I needed a diagram to follow his narrative. The author is clearly knowledgeable, but this is more of a reference book for graduate students specializing in ornithology rather than someone who delights in just being a backyard bird watcher.

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About the Dutch - not Audrey Hepburn

Revisado: 12-29-19

This was very disappointing. I expected it to be an in depth account of Audrey Hepburn's early life but it is not. It's more a historical offering of how the people of Holland were affected by WWII. It goes on for hours about the fate of people who knew Audrey's family, but not about Audrey herself. In this book, she is only an afterthought, sprinkled into the conversation in minuscule doses of insignificance (e.g., she was considered tall for a ballet dancer). Here in the US, Audrey Hepburn was always known as a very private person and someone who chose not to discuss her life or the repercussions of the war. Because she remained tight-lipped about those early days, there is nothing this author can offer to the reader other than what Audrey has already told us herself - she helped out at the hospital, and she taught ballet to local children. The only thing I learned from this book is that Audrey's mother was enthralled by Hitler and remained his supporter into the Occupation. Perhaps that is why Audrey chose not to speak of those early days, and the reason this author has nothing to offer us in this book. If you are looking to learn about Audrey, you will be sorely disappointed with this selection.

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A Piece of Music History

Revisado: 03-20-19

This is the first Audible Original that I really enjoyed! I had known for years that Johnny Cash had a connection to Folsom Prison, but since I am neither a Cash fan nor a country music listener, I did not know what the exact connection was - until now. I never knew of the contribution of Folsom inmate Glen Sherley in the career of Johnny Cash, but it was significant. Sherley helped lift Cash’s career, and Cash helped to give Sherley a second chance in life. There were tragic events that happened in this story, but life isn't always a happy ending. This was quick-paced and easy to listen to, and I had no problem with the British narrator as others have stated. To me, the narrator added life to the story and made it compelling to listen to. I’m glad I listened to this story and learned about the historic “At Folsom Prison” album.

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Shameful

Revisado: 03-16-19

This audiobook is shameful. Marie Curie was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, and the contributions of her life’s efforts have been realized by millions throughout history and continue to this day. It was Marie Curie who first developed radiographic techniques for the treatment of neoplasms, and it is she who discovered the elements of radium and polonium. During WWI, she created mobile x-ray machines to be used in the field, yet this book portrays her as a "tag-along" in some man's life. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win a Noble twice in two different fields. Our lives would be so much less without the contributions of this brilliant woman, and this book did nothing to honor her. And to think...Madame Curie did all this scientific breakthrough work at a time when woman were property - not intellectuals. This audiobook fluff is nothing more than a junior high book report at best. If I were this author, I would be ashamed of myself for taking a historically scientific giant and diminishing her significance to create a mere 1.15 hour audiobook to comment on how Madame Curie liked a crisp tart apples.

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