Debbie Ann

Unfulfilled Potential

Revisado: 08-18-24

The themes of this book (exploding the princess myth, female empowerment and agency) and the popular culture tie-ins (how a modern princess such as Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle can survive while adhering to the crushing norms of a monarchy) are made for me. Unfortunately they were presented in a pretty boring story. I never bought into the great love story, liked but did not love the protagonist and hence didn’t feel much as the story progressed. The first half was pretty hard to stick with, and I only really felt compelled to continue reading in the last 15%.

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Great Summary of an Older Crime

Revisado: 06-17-24

Interesting to hear all the details of this horrific crime which I remember. I did not know most of the story and how the capture of the perpetrator unfolded. Liked hearing the specific information regarding forensic techniques. If you like true crime this is a really great book

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Too Much of a Good Thing

Revisado: 11-03-23

Such an interesting story, beginning on the streets of Baltimore with drug addicts as parents, and ending in the Hollywood hills. Despite financial and professional success, Jada was plagued by severe depression and fought for years to overcome it, through therapy, substance use, and spiritual seeking, while trying to be a good mother and wife. This plus a healthy dose of celebrity tea should make for a great read. But it was entirely too long! Her stories became repetitive, and her enlightenments bordered on preachy. I like and understand Jada more now than before, but this book needed to be 8 hours instead of 14.

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Very, Very Good!!

Revisado: 09-13-23

I just loved this story of working class communities of different races and ethnicities, and the necessary but wary alliances they build with each other. The characters are deep and well-constructed, the language is beautiful, the relationships are complex. Somehow I have never read McBride before, and I was completely caught up in this world that he built. I acknowledge two criticisms from other reviewers: there is a fairly slow start to the story, it takes about 20% of the book to really get going; and there is a lot of untangling of/backstory of a myriad of characters (many of whom are secondary)--these did not influence my overall rating but I understand how some would not be happy with this. I thought the accents for the Jewish characters was a little off. I will say that I thought this was a somewhat difficult book to listen to; the storytelling is dense and the many relationships are very complicated. I had to listen to many sections two or three times to be sure not to miss anything. But I will definitely go back and read all of the author's previous work

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Didn’t Draw Me In

Revisado: 07-31-23

I so looked forward to reading this book — I love stories set in Ireland and am greatly interested in the Troubles, but I thought it was just ok. Set in Northern Ireland in the 70s during the Troubles, tells the story of a Catholic schoolteacher who takes up with an older, married, Protestant barrister, and how their worlds collide. There wasn’t a lot of momentum in the story, and I never felt the chemistry between the couple. The last 25% of the book picked up considerably, but not enough to make the first 3/4 worth it.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Solidly Good

Revisado: 02-24-23

This is my first Maeve Binchy book. I love how authentically Irish it felt, and really enjoyed the sense of community it created. I felt very bonded to most of the characters. Maybe I’m used to more modern novels with a little “edge” and thus found the happy endings a bit unrealistic. The premise of the book, that the American relative could be the impetus for everyone’s u-turn in life was also hard to believe. The narrator was great for all except the American’s accent. Good but not life-changing. Also could have been a bit shorter.

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Good Characters, Interesting Story, Fair Narration

Revisado: 02-04-23

The premise and overall arc of this story were great. I loved the characters of Olivia, Ashton, and Lily-they were well fleshed out and I wanted to know them. Lily was lovable and interesting, and her story taught me a lot. Asher and his mom broke my heart as I empathized with both of their plights. The courtroom scenes were compelling. However, I did have a few issues. First of all, the reverse chronological timeline (and the flashbacks within a given time) did not work for me in audio format--this may be because I am kind of compulsive about the sequence of events as I read, and I had a difficult time keeping track of what happened when--I would have been able to do this if I could flip back and forth in a physical book but could not do so on audio. Second, I really did not like Lily's narration--it was too flat and almost sleepy. I found myself not wanting to listen to the Lily chapters because of this, and I was invested in her story! And third, I did not find the final twist plausible.

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Wanted to Love It More

Revisado: 08-30-22

The subject of this book is fascinating: a black young woman who passes as white, and becomes both the indispensable librarian to JP Morgan and a celebrated woman around the world during the early 1900s. Somehow, Belle never grabbed me; perhaps it was because there is so little known about her actual thoughts and feelings, but I felt no emotional connection to her. I wanted to love and be proud of her but my connection to her was intellectual only. This feeling was only deepened by the narration, which I thought was a bit stilted (although perhaps appropriate for "society" folks of the time); I also thought Belle came across as kind of haughty in her reading.

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Entertaining but Overrated

Revisado: 08-21-22

The theme of this book, how difficult and limiting the choices were for women in the 1950s and 60s, is an important one. And I understand the idea of inserting those themes into an entertaining story in order to point them out to those who may not be aware of quite how difficult it actually was to be a woman at that time. However, I thought the tone was somehow off--the main character was quite serious and probably depressed, but the overall tone of the book felt lighthearted and sometimes humorous. It seemed almost a Disney-fied version of a serious story. I was put off by the very modern language in the book--Elizabeth and Miss Trask spoke using terms and expressions which you would hear in conversation today--I'm not saying that their thoughts were before their time (which they were, but that's not my complaint), but rather their actual language was very much not like that used in 1960. The narrator was good with the exception of the oft-mentioned mispronunciations. This was an enjoyable, quick read, but I really do not understand all of the 5-star reviews. Maybe I'm too tough a critic

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Amusing

Revisado: 07-16-22

I purchased this on a whim because as a child in Catholic school I was obsessed with St Sebastian. This book has little to do with him! The superficial story regards 2 men who share a lifelong friendship and obsession with a work of art. On a deeper level, it’s a satire on academia, art criticism, and intellectuals. It is a bit repetitive and a bit pompous; both of these qualities are part of the point and I was not annoyed by these. The reader sets the perfect tone. I found it funny and interesting. It’s the perfect length.

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