H. Anderson

An Adirondack Mystery

Revisado: 10-05-24

I was attracted to the Adirondack setting, which is why I chose this novel. Unfortunately, neither the characters nor the story intrigued me, making this a slog to finish.

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Not Much New Information Except at the End, and Badly Written

Revisado: 12-27-23

While I dispute the importance of the “Swans”, the book gives a good portrait of Capote and his times. Unfortunately the writing is repetitive and circular, and at times just bad—I never thought I’d hear “ride to the hounds” and “kibbitzing” in the same sentence, but I did here. The narrator has a lovely voice, even though she pronounces Caroline as “Carolyn”. (I’m always amazed that audiobooks have directors, since they do such a bad job on pronunciation.) All in all, “Capote’s Women”
was a waste of time.

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Brilliant and Encyclopedic

Revisado: 11-15-23

I’m always trying to learn more about music, and David Byrne has furthered my knowledge in ways I never imagined. The fact that music was composed to fit the venues in which it was performed, had never occurred to me, nor had the features and limitations of recordings on the composition of music. Byrne explores music’s history, philosophy and science, but he also provides a thorough examination of the music business, including the different kinds of distribution contracts available to recording artists. The only thing that would have improved this book would have been if Byrne had read it, instead of just the preface. Although the reader was good, his repeated mispronunciation of Eli Broad’s surname—it’s Brode,, not Brawd—was irritating. David Byrne knows better.

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Good Novel; Stunning Narration

Revisado: 09-02-23

Can a reader be too good? I wouldn't have thought so before Tom Lake, but Meryl Streep's performance is so astonishing that "perfect" doesn't do it justice. Not just every word but every pause, every breath, is amazing, so much so that I had trouble concentrating on the story. Patchett's juxtaposition of summer stock, cherry orchards, "The Cherry Orchard" and "Our Town" is admirable, and I found the novel more compelling as time went on. Unfortunately, it doesn't match the performance--although what book could? I look forward to whatever Meryl Streep decides to read next--phone book, dictionary, it hardly matters what.

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A Wonderful Discovery For Wharton Fans

Revisado: 05-15-23

Having read all of Wharton’s major works, some more than once, I was delighted to find this one. I loved Nick and Susie’s story but not the performance, which was stagey, sing-songy and uneven in loudness. If the book hadn’t been so good I would have abandoned it in annoyance.

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Masterful and Full of Surprises

Revisado: 02-16-23

I’ve been reading Ian McEwen since Enduring Love and have always been impressed by his ability to weave the quotidian with huge historical events. This is a big, satisfying book with a span of 100 years, yet at its heart it’s the story of one man, Roland Baines, and his struggles with life, love, work and family. Though I found it hard to listen to the parts about his sexually abusive childhood piano teacher, the relationship set him on his path and made him the man he was.

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Wharton’s Masterpiece, Perfectly Performed

Revisado: 01-20-23

I’ve read The House of Mirth twice, but found new things to love about it in Eleanor Bron’s performance. The novel is profound, and her reading captured its complexity and beauty.

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Superb In Every Way

Revisado: 01-01-23

Rebecca Hall is one of the best performers I’ve ever heard. She made A Room with a View into a new experience, even though I knew it well.

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I Disliked This Book Intensely

Revisado: 12-21-22

Having enjoyed the TV adaptation of Olive Kitteridge, I thought I’d enjoy this novel. I found it dull, maudlin and badly written, with prose so flat it resembled a fifth grade essay. I tried to sympathize with the characters but found them insipid at best, and horrible at worst. The performance matched the writing style, which is appropriate

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An Illuminating Read

Revisado: 11-29-22

Will and Testament begins as an inheritance dispute over two vacation cabins, and methodically progresses to the real subject: the protagonist’s childhood sexual abuse by her father and her family’s denial of it. Both the prose and the performance are flat, which is fitting: abuse victims suffer from “flat affect” because of their trauma. It wasn’t an easy listen, but I found it compelling.

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