Ms. Gray

Engaging but not enough time on beloved character

Revisado: 09-06-23

The story was very engaging. It is set in the height of the pandemic which offered fascinating insight into the all too real limitations of investigation during that time. Holly though wasn't offered her best time to shine with this. Her anger that every character that was anti-mask wanted her to stop wearing hers seemed the most genuine considering how her mother died and with Bill gone, this was a missed opportunity to let Holly truly engage in her anger. Even the ending was more calculated than a raw Holly moment. I felt the loss of Bill from the Hodges trilogy all the more for it and was really hoping for a Lisey arc for Holly. I've loved her since I met her in the Hodges trilogy. Also, Holly is a hypochondriac, rendered that way thanks to her abusive mother whose love is big enough to allow Holly to forgive far too much. So the mask angle wasn't explored fairly for Holly.

It also lends to people who are fine with right wing narratives in fiction crying about preachiness. Holly was right there to make the point and I feel King wasn't at his best this time. He definitely makes points well and has done so with Susannah, Lisey, Jake, and Ben in previous stories. He could have been better this time. Holly needed better. A more odd and quiet Lisey arc might be too small a box for her but this wasn't enough.

I've also seen people complain about the rushed ending and I think those might be new readers to King. His more real world setting novels in trilogies or the recurring characters absolutely end very quickly. But that is because we will meet them again. His other novels are giant epic tales that have the first domino to the ending fall in chapter 3 or 4. So if this is off-putting to you, read one of the Hodges trilogy or The Outsider to get a feel for how these recurring crime novel style works move and flow.

Classic overall build up to dread and terror and sadness. Which is always expected for King. Overall a good entry and Holly remains one of my favorite characters despite how much I miss Bill.

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Kristin Hannah

Revisado: 12-12-18

I'm honestly very tired of WW2 stories. As a military veteran, the barrage of heroic exploits & the brave but dull stories of men bludgeoning each other while the world burns, ring hollow & false to me. The women's stories are filled with tragedy & a human pastime of forgetting the women themselves while robbing their tiny acts of rebellion for yet another narrative of war mongering propaganda. I'm heartily sick of all of it.

But occasionally, the mangled stories of secretive & defiant women & children leak out. Sometimes, the forgotten & the slaughtered get to lend the clues to a story of quiet subversion tactics & spirited women using the things men fear the most to defeat them. This is one of those rare stories.

Hannah doesn't waste time with the lurid habit of only caring about women when they are saints or tragic, violated heroines. She just gathers the facts of real life inspirations & weaves them through her tale without apology or exaggeration. In her novels, women get to tell their stories without the ridiculous notion that they must suffer to be worthy of their stories. And she let's these women keep the secrets that make us who we are.

Another solid contribution to her work.

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Beautiful

Revisado: 03-24-17

I truly enjoyed listening book. the story is beautifully crafted and the way each character "sees" or experiences light makes the audible version even more enchanting. I definitely recommend this book!

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Large scope yet focused

Revisado: 12-02-16

This textbook subject material reads like a fireside suspense novel. I felt like I might have been a young merchant quietly entering an enlightenment era salon or coffee house to see what the fuss was all about. Enjoyable and accurate in current data but a bit speculative in what is to come. I'm under the impression that the author placed this speculation in the text to encourage an open mind and to fire the Homo Sapien imagination he clearly admires. I recommend this for long commutes or to listen to while knitting or working with your hands.

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Well written

Revisado: 11-25-16

I've heard several of these arguments before but there are still additional hypothesis that add to the scientific response to theism. I also applaud the insistence that science does have something to say about God. I've always found it incredibly foolish (and hypocritical) for theistic elements to stomp on science with their money, politics and dictatorial fear mongering but then insist on seperation from scientific fact when those facts disprove their own authority and do so calmly and with a decorum the religious seem to lack. Stenger insists that the nature of the God Hypothesis means it CAN be disproven with science and he does so beautifully.

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esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

Should be a required read in every School

Revisado: 11-24-16

The hidden nature of aristocracy in our country's founding, and subsequently the failure of our 1776 Revolution, is exposed, analyzed and detailed to great extent by Nancy Isenberg. She proves that we have never freed ourselves of that old British view of the world and the poor. She highlights each aspect of this paradox with incredible stores of evidence and a deep understanding of history and it's relevance today. I highly recommend this book!

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

A fantastic listen!

Revisado: 11-06-16

Many audio books struggle to give the mental layout provided by a visible text, which can mean listening to the audio book 3 or 4 times to organize the information in an everyday situation or in order to reference the material again at a later date. This book does not suffer from this disconnect at all. The information is arranged in a way that can make quick references for friends or those pesky "soul winners" possible and efficient. The material evolves logically in tandem with not only personal understanding, but also the chronology of human knowledge and how it came to be. On a personal level, I too was raised in a religious home. Intelligent Design was our gospel (often at the expense of the bible itself) and every thinker or scientist in history was part of a massive conspiracy that involved bad angels that resembled alien stories, rogue dinosaurs, Nazis and supernatural zapping of good guy angels or true believers. the earth was flat (or a disc) and the flood was recited as a foundational pillar of faith. Oddly enough, it was the bible and the psychologically abusive tracts that led to my deconversion but texts such as these have both confirmed my childhood doubts and have given me new perspectives (other than the political or humanities disciplines arguments) that I have been using in the past. I highly recommend this book!

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esto le resultó útil a 35 personas

Marvelously Entertaining!

Revisado: 06-26-16

This was an amazing story! I usually listen to audio books that I've already read to keep my mind occupied while working or doing childcare tasks. This is the first fiction I've listened to first and I'm so glad I did! The narrator, Martin Jarvis, brought the entire story to life. For those who appreciate sardonic humored and satirical prose tackling theological dilemmas, I highly recommend this fantastic romp!

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In-depth yet personal

Revisado: 03-09-16

This book was very thoughtful and inspires reason as a daily lifestyle. The surprising aspect was that it managed to utilize a method of storytelling and personal history that made the entire book feel like an inspirational biography so indicative of the successful christian narratives infecting the checkout aisles of bookstores today.
I will admit that for about two chapters I was deeply annoyed with the author's voice. It was soothing, deep and should have been very easy to listen to, but something about it almost had me giving up on the book. Then I realized that I was annoyed because it reminded me of the calming and methodical voices used by preachers in the church I went to as a kid. As soon as I recognized that Dan Barker had that quality, I was able to relax and drop how annoyed I was.

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

A Wonderful Satire

Revisado: 02-24-16

A fantastically fun satire needed in an real of religious stupidity! A great book to listen to or read!

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