M&M

A haunting, thrilling performance

Revisado: 03-08-20

Wow! What an incredible book and what marvelous narration. Listening to it, I felt transported to Poland during the 1940’s. Beata Pozniak’s slight Polish accent gives such authenticity and immediacy to Fusia’s tale that it seemed to me as if the real Stefania was sitting beside me telling me her story herself. One of the things I most enjoyed is how the narrator uses her vocal technique to show how Fusia grows and adapts as the story develops. In the beginning, as the very young Fusia, Pozniak’s tone is light and exuberant, her cadence fast and cheerful. As Fusia becomes older, more tired, frightened or defiant, the narrator’s pitch deepens and her inflection changes to movingly illustrate Fusia’s emotions. I was impressed by how the female narrator is able to do such a great job voicing the male characters, making them all sound individual and distinctive. The timber of heroic Max’s voice is completely different from that of the handsome policeman Berdecki. What I found even more remarkable is that the German soldiers and officers all have a distinct accent from the native Poles, and the Germans who speak Polish have a slightly different one from the ones who don’t. I think my very favorite voice is the child-like one of the precocious Helena, who is very young but astonishingly savvy. Pozniak’s dramatization of her is a delight.
To sum it up, this is an amazing tale of how a young woman and her little sister sheltered thirteen Jews in close proximity to Nazi and German officials, sometime with the enemy living in the same house they were hiding the Jews in. It alternately thrills you and then breaks your heart. I found this story of true heroism and love against tremendous odds to be very inspiring and uplifting, and the narrator’s dramatic, empathetic performance truly made it come alive for me. Pozniak is one of my favorite narrators and I’ve eagerly listened to all the books she’s done. This is definitely her best.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

A Haunting Performance

Revisado: 09-11-19

This is one of the most unusual and brilliant books I’ve ever read or listened to. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever encountered another book quite like this one before. Beata Pozniak’s dramatic yet subtle performance beautifully creates the haunting atmosphere this unique work so richly deserves. Her slight, lovely Polish accent lends authenticity and immediacy to the characters’ thoughts, enhancing the fable-like quality of the story. The narrator skillfully brings all the different characters vividly to life while still maintaining their sense of isolated individuality. She imbues each one with their own distinctive voice and rhythm of speaking. From the sweet, light tones of kind shopkeeper Good News, to the rough, authoritative barkings of the police commandant, to Blake-lover Dizzy’s anxious, scholarly ponderings, to Boros’ scientific patter, each character’s voice is perfectly adapted to their personality. Oddball’s slow, deep speech sounds exactly like how you would imagine a man who rarely talks would speak. The Mushroom Picker’s Ball, where the townspeople gather to celebrate Midsummer’s Eve, is especially delightful to listen to with all the different villagers’ unique ways of expressing themselves. No one’s voice is more compelling than Janina Duszejko’s, the main character who leads us through this journey. Alternately neurotic, frightened, lonely, or angry, but always impassioned and brilliant, her musings, delivered by Pozniak’s smoky, mysterious voice, weave together the eerie strands of the plot in such a way that you will feel utterly transported to another place, a bleak winter landscape where terrible and inexplicable things happen but you won’t want to leave.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 60 personas

Stunning, Beautiful, Passionate

Revisado: 05-02-19

This is a stunning, very powerful audiobook. Sona Van’s poems, which are mostly about the Armenian genocide, but also reference victims of other wars and genocidal horrors, including Darfur, Iraq, and Rwanda, are intimate, honest, at times brutal, and above all deeply sympathetic and intensely moving. Beata Pozniak’s smoky, deeply expressive voice is perfectly suited for these dramatic poems. Her powerful, intense, compassionate performance of Sona Van’s words deepens the listener’s understanding and appreciation of this significant work. I especially admired how certain images- sand, wind, a bridal veil- reoccur throughout the work, but are always slightly different and more weighted with meaning each time. After hearing the story of the author’s aunt’s tragic history, the poem “I am the Bride of the Desert” becomes especially dramatic and haunting in Pozniak’s interpretation of the poet’s voice. The narrator’s nuanced performance is supported by the moody, atmospheric score. In a world that seems at times utterly riven by war and despair, the words of the witnesses are more important than ever, and this is a beautiful testament to, and for, the survivors.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A book you won’t forget

Revisado: 04-30-19

This is an amazing, unique work that you won’t soon forget. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it, and probably wouldn’t have picked it up, if a friend hadn’t raved about it. It’s a tour de force of writing, that is matched by the spectacular performance of the narrator, who imbues the individual character voices with such personality and distinctiveness, it’s truly remarkable. If you’re in the mood for something different, and/or you have any interest in bees, you will find this book intensely enjoyable.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A Bruce fan’s dream

Revisado: 04-27-19

This is a wonderful autobiography, honest, searching and real. It gives a fascinating insight into the genius of one of rock’s greatest legends. It’s a special treat to have it read by Bruce himself; you can imagine yourself at one of his concerts, telling you (and an audience of thousands) his personal stories, shared but somehow still intimate and always affecting.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Good but not as "Great" as the first book

Revisado: 04-22-14

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed Eva Stachniak’s The Winter Palace and had been greatly looking forward to Empress of the Night. And while it’s certainly an enjoyable read, the sequel didn’t quite live up to my expectations. For some reason, Stachniak employed a completely different narrative strategy in Empress of the Night, trading in the lively first-person voice of Catherine’s servant Varvara for Catherine’s own death bed ruminations. The difference in narrators, along with a convoluted plot structure, makes Empress of the Night less immediate and far more confusing than its predecessor. While the action in The Winter Palace unfolded over years, in Empress of the Night it all takes place on the final two days of Catherine’s life. In order to span the remaining decades of Catherine’s life, the book relies on a muddled series of flashbacks, so that it is often unclear from paragraph to paragraph what event or decade is being discussed. While Stachniak’s prose is still lyrical and evocative, the book overall is not as gripping as the first.
The narrator does a lovely job with an almost impossible task, creating different voices for a huge cast of characters with widely varying accents. Her voice is very expressive and dramatic, which makes the audio version more compelling than the print. Her authentic Eastern European accent conveys an undeniable authority and makes the tale more coherent and enjoyable to follow.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

You'll feel like you're there

Revisado: 03-01-14

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, great book and great performance by the reader

Any additional comments?

Eva Stachniak’s The Winter Palace movingly tells the story of how a shy German princess named Sophie becomes the powerful Catherine the Great. The story is intriguingly told from the point of view of Barbara, also known as Varvara, a Polish servant who becomes a spy, or “tongue,” in the court rife with secrets. This unique narrator provides a fascinating perspective on the historical events going on around her. Beata Pozniak’s authentic Polish accent gives real immediacy to Varvara’s words, so you almost come to believe the young spy is whispering her secrets directly to you. Stachniak’s prose is passionate and evocative, lovingly detailed, and Beata Pozniak’s voice is the perfect complement. Her expressive delivery heightens the drama and emotion in this exciting tale and greatly enriches the richly atmospheric milieu, until you’ll almost find yourself surprised not to be in imperial Russia when it comes time to change volumes. Can’t wait for the next book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña