R Means

Poorly-written pap performed like an insurance brochure

Revisado: 09-10-23

This is a terribly boring performance of a book that was merely typed. I’ve wasted less time sorting pistachio shells.

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A worthy performance of a less-than-worthy sequel

Revisado: 03-05-23

It was hard to live up to the first installment of this series. The sequel has some narrative problems and some cliche plot devices, as well as several characters that are more like caricatures. This production also has some obvious edits and quality changes that made listening distracting at times. Nonetheless, it’s a good listen and an essential part of the original trilogy.

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Weirdly bitter, occasionally racist

Revisado: 06-12-19

There are plenty of funny and interesting bits here, but a third of the book is devoted to tedious passages of Reiss complaining about the things that didn't work out in his career. This includes denigrating some of his former colleagues and network executives (some by name). In these parts, what could be interesting and juicy instead comes across as tacky and petty. There's also some problematic passages where Reiss shows he's out of touch with the modern era's cultural sensibilities. He mishandles addressing the Apu controversy by again being petty and dismissive of the criticism, and has a whole chapter in which he lists the countries nobody should ever visit. The latter is a punching-down, xenophobic rant about his awful experiences in foreign countries including Ghana, Algeria and Honduras. If you're looking for inside information about the Simpsons, buy the DVDs of your favorite seasons and watch them with the commentary tracks. Use your Audible credits elsewhere.

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Engaging mystery brought to life by a great reader

Revisado: 10-31-14

Any additional comments?

It's a fine story and a fine performance. Oddly, the production included quite a few bad edits and even some accidental commentary by David Thorn during difficult passages.

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A weak reader hampers the work of a legend

Revisado: 01-06-14

What did you like best about The Maples Stories? What did you like least?

The performance drags down the stories here. Updike is a master of prose and characters, but Van Norden's reading has numerous problems: Pacing (he's too fast, never dynamic); Accents (I'm from the North Shore of Boston, where the Maples live, and his attempt at the middle class accent of minor characters is cringe-worthy); Consistency (often you can hear when there's a re-recorded section spliced in, because his timbre and tone are noticeably different in such moments). Overall, Van Norden's flaws are too distracting and I plan to avoid his other work.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Van Norden?

Updike himself had a musical, lilting tenor voice, which he used to great effect in reading his own works publicly and in some recorded poems. For upcoming recordings of Updike's work, I suggest a similarly-voice, dynamic reader who can handle regional and class accents.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Exceptional performance of a gripping novel

Revisado: 01-06-14

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

One of the best audiobooks I've heard. Couldn't stop listening - finished in two days.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas