Shelley B.

I Love Megan Miranda

Revisado: 08-05-21

I don't write a lot of reviews but in this case I have to say that I love Megan Miranda. I looked at her reviews and am surprised to see so many negative ones. I suppose I can see why her books are not for everyone. As is true of all her books, this story is character-driven and unfolds a little at a time, like peeling an onion. Her writing is fluid and cerebral, the plot well-constructed and clever. If you're looking for an action-packed suspense thriller, this is not for you, but it is twisty, keeps you guessing, and the ending (again, like all her novels) is unexpected. She is a novelist for whom writing is a craft - a thing that is few and far between these days.

I also really love Rebekkah Ross as the narrator. She gives just the right expression and tone to her characters. As a side note, I've never heard a female narrator voice the male characters as well as she does.

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I Love Megan Miranda

Revisado: 08-05-21

I don't write a lot of reviews but in this case I have to say that I love Megan Miranda. I looked at her reviews and am surprised to see so many negative ones. I suppose I can see why her books are not for everyone. As is true of all her books, this story is character-driven and unfolds a little at a time, like peeling an onion. Her writing is fluid and cerebral, the plot well-constructed and clever. If you're looking for an action-packed suspense thriller, this is not for you, but it is twisty, keeps you guessing, and the ending (again, like all her novels) is unexpected. She is a novelist for whom writing is a craft - a thing that is few and far between these days.

I also really love Rebekkah Ross as the narrator. She gives just the right expression and tone to her characters. As a side note, I've never heard a female narrator voice the male characters as well as she does.

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I'm obsessed!

Revisado: 07-09-21

This is the best audiobook I've listened to ever because I've listened to it 3 times in a row. Seriously, who does that? I adore Fern and the way the narrator voices her was perfect (I relish the way she says "library" in Fern's voice - it somehow sounds differently than the other characters). Fern is delightful. Ms. Hepworth wrote her so cleverly - I found myself laughing several times and although Rose's character was also compelling, I found myself looking forward to Fern.

It's a great story about the push-and-pull relationship between sisters and falling in love with just the right person. And then it becomes very twisty toward the end (in a good way). What can I say? I love everything about this book and will probably listen to it a 4th time at some point. Brava, Ms. Hepworth and Ms. Kreinik!

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Narration Ruined This For Me

Revisado: 07-09-21

This is only the second time that I have quit a book before finishing it after paying for it/using a credit. The narrator ruined it so much for me that I could barely concentrate on the storyline. Her voice for every single character is so breathy, almost like all the characters are whispering. I tried to stick it out, but finally just said, "I can't." Literally said that out loud.

The story might be a good one, so apologies to the author.

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ANNE'S GRATING VOICE

Revisado: 02-19-21

First off, don't expect the book to be like the movie. They are so far apart, they should have been stand-alones. Both are good but if you're hoping for an extended written version of the movie, be prepared.

I enjoyed listening to Mary's perspective throughout the book. For some reason, I thought that the perspectives would alternate between Mary and Anne, but of course, this is Mary's story. Because of that, the reader gets a diversion from time to time away from Court which adds richness to the story. All the same, it is factually incorrect but it's a novelization so I expect creative license, and that's fine with me.

I have one major issue. The narrator does a good job with all the voices. . .except for Anne. Anne sounds like a man; in fact, she and George have almost the same voice. Anne is constantly hostile and you know that from her words, but I guess the narrator felt she had to put more into it. Anne's voice is so grating, it sets me on edge. Every time she speaks, I almost jump from the sharpness. It makes ME feel hostile. Several times, I considered stopping but kept going. I still have 4 hours left and hope to power through over the weekend. I've already invested 18 hours of my life. Yes, the book is 22 hours long.

Alternatively, if you want a really great listen by Philippa Gregory that relates to this story, choose "The Boleyn Inheritance," told by Anna of Kleves, Kathryn Howard and Jane Boleyn. Story and narration are fabulous!

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So Much Potential

Revisado: 01-18-21

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and was engrossed until the end started to unravel. It was just plain messy. I didn't feel like any characters' story line was resolved. The author took such a left turn that was blind-sighting but did not feel like a twist at all - it just felt random. Disappointing. I almost recommend it because it was so good up until that point, but I'm not sure the last 2 hours are worth it.

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Good but strangely written

Revisado: 10-07-20

I have mixed feelings about this book. At first, I was slightly put off by the writer's style. The chapters are super short (there's about 130 of them) and interspersed with "Memories." Eventually I got used to them. The plot is told through three POVs which doesn't bother me, except the female narrator does not do a real great job at differentiating the female voices so that I had to rewind a couple of times to know who was speaking (there are only 2 narrators, one male, one female). It's a good story, lots of twists, but the pace could have been faster. I did find myself gasping aloud a couple of times in surprise or repulsion, so that's good. All in all, I guess I'm glad I listened but it was not one of my favorite psychological thrillers.

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Not What I Expected

Revisado: 10-01-20

This was not what I expected, but not in the "oh, my god" kind of way. It took 4 hours into the story to find out the twist and when I did, I was not so much disappointed as I immediately figured out how it was going to end with 2 more hours to go. This is NOT a psychological thriller, mystery or suspense story as I assumed from the description. The Jesse Before and Jesse After dialogues were repetitive which, after 4 hours, became exhausting to listen to. The narration was fine. If you like stories about family relationships and major life events, then this story is for you.

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I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE GREAT REVIEWS

Revisado: 09-18-20

I haven't finished this yet and am on the fence about doing so. I don't really understand why everyone finds Jane so fascinating. I'm not the kind of reader who has to find something likeable or redeeming about the characters, but Jane starts to become SUPER annoying somewhere around chapter 7. She is so repetitive; I keep waiting to learn some new aspect to her, but she just goes on and on about her husband/daughter/in-laws and their betrayals. Hopefully, it will get more interesting.

The narrator is fabulous, though - one of the main reasons I keep listening!

And now I've finished. It was as bad as I expected it to be.

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Started out okay...

Revisado: 12-03-19

I liked Bowman's other 2 books in the series but this one was hard to finish. Kate, understandably was distressed when she thought she would hang, but she continued to be such a victim to the very end. Medford's character needed to be more developed. Instead he was just "Lord Perfect" throughout. There was not any depth to his character. This book just felt like a throwaway to finish up the series. The narrator was good but she did inflect a lot of whining into Kate's voice which lent to her seeming like a martyr.

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