mergra

Bit unbelievable

Revisado: 02-17-13

What did you like best about Not for Sale? What did you like least?

Best part - plenty of passion.
I least liked the transparency of the book - it really only has a slight pretense to a plot. Personally I prefer romance with more contextualisation of the characters, to make them more believable... e.g. at one point the female protagonist has to leave home to avoid being burgled/possibly attacked; she packs virtually nothing and then seems quite happy to stay with a man who she hardly knows for an unknown period of time. Practicalities seem to be forgotten.

Would you be willing to try another book from Sandra Marton? Why or why not?

Yes I would. I've read reviews of her books and they sound great. Maybe this wasn't the best one to start with (it's the first of hers that I've listened to).

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jennifer Woodward?

Hmmm.... not sure about that. Her voice is a bit... callow. I'd prefer a more mature voice.

Did Not for Sale inspire you to do anything?

Wait for other Sandra Morton audiobooks to become available for listening in my country. There are so many books off limits to us here in Australia.

Any additional comments?

Overall a light, unchallenging read. Good for indulgence in a world of passion. Not sure that I'll listen to it more than once.

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Hm... not too bad...

Revisado: 11-18-12

This is about two relationships - Kate & Dix and Leah & Brandon. The former is a 'normal' romantic-sexual relationship and the latter is about the development of a Dom-Sub sexual-romantic relationship, where Leah is the dom. Not sure how I felt about this arrangement. Brandon is quite a nice guy and I feel a bit sorry for him. Lots of sex scenes... the story seems like a bit of an adjunct to the sex. Not that I usually mind this but maybe this was emphasised because I'm not really into DS, even when the male is dom. Scully's narration is okay... sometimes not a lot of differentiation between character's voices, so you have to listen closely to work out who's said what. Somehow there's something contrived about this novel... possibly because the two authors overworked it in an attempt to get it just right. Maybe others will like it more than I did.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Oh my...

Revisado: 11-17-12

A brilliant combination of erotica, suspense (of the titillating kind) and romance. The narrator is OUTSTANDING. She makes the book a very personal experience, especially as it's written in first person. Not for the faint-hearted, i.e. if you like just a little bit of hotness in the romantic stories you read then this story might be too much for you. Portia and Imogen transport you, in the opening scene, directly to Gwendolynne's first letter from 'Nemesis' and it is... ...well, you've got to listen to it to see what I mean :) I love this book because it has just the right combination of everything for my taste in erotica and it is also very believable. Gwendolynne is not a perfect Barbie doll and neither is Daniel a perfect Ken, though his physical attributes are very adequate, even with his 'spectacles'. It's believable too because the core of Daniel's situation gives clear insight as to why he might choose such intensity in his interactions with Gwendolynne. Lovely ending too. A very satisfying book. A++++++++++
P.S. This book was published in 2008 so it precedes Fifty Shades of Grey by four years. It is far better, from so many points of view, especially the writing style, which is impeccable.

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One of the best!

Revisado: 11-09-12

This is the only audiobook I've listened to twice. In a row. Just to savour the story, the narration and the characters. Mick is such a lovable character, beautifully portrayed - a down-to-earth man who cannot resist drawing out the beauty hidden inside Winnie, while she works her magic on him, transforming his external self to match his interior gentle, personable self. Her innocence is portrayed sensitively and VERY believably. I like it that she is not the perfect figure of a woman and I also like Mick's preoccupation with her legs - bordering on fetish but soooo sensually described. Quite amazing how those legs tie up the whole story. Listening to this book was a sumptuous pleasure. Steven Crossley's narration is absolutely outstanding. I'm not much of a one for male narrators (Richard Armitage excepted) but Mr Crossley's performance of this book is consummate. I daresay I will listen to it again... it's like a really tasty dish, you want to have it over and over!

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Beautiful!

Revisado: 06-13-12

Superbly written and beautifully narrated. Brilliant story.
Ms Pilcher portrays the human character and its many nuances in such loving detail - she's a superlative storyteller with a profound understanding of how people tick.
Usually I'm not fond of a writing style that jumps from person to person and/or different times/eras, but this book is a perfect illustration of how this can be done without detracting from the story.
This is a gentle tale, enormously readable, positive and heart-warming. It ranks in my top 5 books and I'd give it 10 stars if that was possible!

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Atmosphere of a sad woman's mind

Revisado: 06-13-12

A well written story, though I found the end a little too abrupt.
Quite a dark atmosphere, mostly depicted via Anne/Ana's tragic past and her attempts, throughout the book, to work through this in the present with the two children she encounters in the Change community.
It's certainly an absorbing listen and well narrated too :)

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Engaging...

Revisado: 06-08-12

I enjoyed listening to this book as I usually do when Susan Erickson is narrating. It's an interesting portrait of the lengths to which a revengeful (very creative!) mind might go. It certainly raises questions about the power wielded by TV critics (or any media critic, for that matter) as well as the naivety, foolhardiness and self involvement of a sexually aroused male ego. I've given it fewer stars because there was something slightly disjointed about it - a kind of cynicism that I don't personally enjoy --> horrifically manipulative female vs self-absorbed, led-by-the-penis male. When I think about it, nearly every character in the book is portrayed unsympathetically. Perhaps that's why I didn't like it. Others with less need for warm-n-fuzzies might rate it higher : )

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Great insight into how hacking works

Revisado: 01-01-12

Being a bit of a computer geek myself, I really appreciated the insight into how hacking works, particularly from its early days. And it provides a clear view into the mind of an addict, as well as the fearful approach of a legal system that doesn't quite know how to handle a new phenomenon (a bit like how society handles ETs - major overkill). Yes Mitnick may have done 'wrong' in poking around into people's business, but it's a great shame that he was incarcerated for lots of things he didn't actually do. Perhaps this was because those who checked into what he actually DID do, didn't have the expertise to know the length and breadth of what he HAD done (only Mitnick, a pioneer in the field, could know this, thus the legal eagles would have to rely on HIS testimony for this information, which of course was dubious due to the incredible depth to which he had probed cyber technology... To believe that Kevin hadn't made $$$ out of the passwords etc in his possession would be an act of faith --> the legal system isn't exactly an upholder of that virtue :)

Mitnick's insights on Social Engineering are immensely interesting. I've always wondered about the ease with which one might pose as a genuine employee of a company. You'd only need to know the jargon/lingo specific to that company, and you're 'in', particularly if you're friendly and understanding when you deal with employees who are rushed, stressed and most of all, underpaid for the massive job they do. It happened to me back in 2000 - I worked in a secure environment and the receptionist put through a call to me from someone who was quite a dangerous character, but VERY charming.

Here's the thing: the level of security we now have in cyberspace probably wouldn't be as tight as it is without Mitnick's escapades. In many ways it's good that he was an addict - someone more focused on making big bucks would probably have done their damnedest to take the money and run!

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Rich insight into Indigenous life of the era

Revisado: 11-20-11

I really enjoyed listening to this story - more for the story itself than for the narration. For some reason I couldn't take to Peter Hosking's voice... it was okay at first but started to grate on me after a while. There's a kind of constant upturn and clipping note in each of his sentences - quite distracting. I did my level best to ignore this and eventually it didn't bother me as much.

The most outstanding part of this book is the detailed insight it gives into the customs, beliefs and lifestyle of Australian Aborigines. If you're interested in learning about their culture, Upfield's work is a great place to start. I'd be really interested to hear what today's blackfellas think of this book. Cheers to Arthur Upfield - what an amazing man!

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Nearly as good as Pillars

Revisado: 10-13-11

After listening to Pillars of the Earth (POE) I was avid to listen to this one. I think John Lee's narration is better in World Without End (WWE), his voice seemed more relaxed. I've read reviews of it elsewhere and these expressed a strong theme of the story being more like a soap opera, and objections to the frequent description of sex scenes, rape, violence etc. I can't say I agree with either of these criticisms, though I do agree that there is more of the latter in this book than in the previous one. There also seems to be more talking/scheming behind closed doors - I've interpreted this as a reflection of the changed times, after all, the book is set 200 years later and I'm sure that the level of fear about 'sinning' may have become more conscious, thus more verbalised than in POE. Further, the motivation toward accumulation of wealth and the justification for this (added to the growing distrust for the church) would mean that the scheming/scamming could be less 'secret' than 200 years beforehand. Anyway, all criticisms aside, I loved this book, just as I loved the previous one and I highly recommend it - particularly to those who have an interest in medieval history - it brings the period alive. Follett has a very candid and realistic approach to human nature; if you like that approach then this is the book for you!

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