Billy

Beautiful but Slow

Revisado: 04-06-24

This book is beautifully written and brilliantly narrated. My only issue is how slow the story was. It felt like the conflict in the description was secondary to descriptions and inner thoughts. At points it dragged. I recommend this book if you are very invested in character studies but not if you are one who anticipates plot.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Ok but not Christie’s Best

Revisado: 12-03-23

This book was fine. There are some antiquated situations (misogyny and racism) that may be chalked up to relics of her time. The performance is of course amazing. The audio has several areas where it skips/muddles, like maybe the narrator hit the microphone with paper. But it doesn’t disturb any important details.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A gem of a book!

Revisado: 11-15-23

Cozy mysteries aren’t always my thing. They are very hot or miss. This one was a solid hit! Engaging story. Well-paced. Superbly narrated. The character work is great, and the mystery is good. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Wow! It’s a Masterpiece

Revisado: 10-25-22

The last few BK books have not been to my taste, so I hesitated on this one. Boy was I wrong! This book is a masterpiece. It’s right up there with Poisonwood Bible. Some people say it’s too sad. What they mean is it’s too realistic. I have family in these mountains. I know this landscape, the physical and emotional. Kingsolver hits both perfectly bringing you the story in a raw but tender way. And this narration is a solid gold 10/10. Kudos to both author and narrator. I laughed. I cried. I got angry. It was everything promised and a lot more.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 216 personas

Strongest King in a While - Still not his best

Revisado: 09-20-22

I'm one of those who has been super disappointed by King's work recently. This one was a nice surprise. It's really kind of two books. The first is about a teenager upholding a promise. The character work in that part is excellent, but there isn't much in the way of plot. It's mostly character driven. The second is the titular fairy tale. It was okay. Nothing too earth shattering, though the imagery is really well done. I still feel like King's editors need to be more forceful. The book was too long, and there were so many references and inside jokes that it kept pulling me out of the story. Some of it felt like that rookie author mistake of proving they've done their homework and properly researched a topic so they meander on and on about a fairly straightforward fact, kind of like this sentence. On the whole, would recommend if you like King's character work more than his plots. That said, the narrator was top notch. Definitely the right voice for the story. Will listen to more books he narrates.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Beautiful but the point…?

Revisado: 06-27-22

This is an incredibly well written book. The narrator does a super job. I was just left wondering what exactly made this a novel. Everything was loosely connected if connected at all. If this had been marketed as a short story collection then it’d be a solid 4 or 5 star listen, but my enjoyment was taken away by trying to figure out the central plot.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A Mundane Character Study

Revisado: 04-24-22

There isn’t much to the plot here, but if you are interested in a character study this may be a book for you. The chapters are like short stories put in chronological order. The best synopsis is this: the narrator’s family is poor and not many people like her. That said, the writing is very nice. The descriptions are great. The dialogue is very believable.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not one of her strongest

Revisado: 12-28-21

This was definitely an early work. It feels underdeveloped and overly melodramatic. A lot of conveniences get us through the plot. But knowing where it led (Tommy and Tuppence come to mind), I’m appreciative of its place in the canon. Naturally, the narration was superb.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Silly but Fun

Revisado: 11-28-21

The murder plot of the novel has a lot of coincidences and you will have to suspend some belief. That said, it reads like a collection of Miss Marples and Captain Hastings are in a retirement village together. It was a lot of fun. And while the murder plot may be a but too convenient, the characters are a hoot. I’ll definitely keep up this series!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not Usually a Richard Powers Fan

Revisado: 09-28-21

I am not a huge fan of Powers’ books. The author’s style and voice and topic rarely click with me. This book I have a chance because of an early print review. It was 100% worth every minute I spent listening to it. The writing is beautiful. The characters are carefully drawn as three dimensional beings. The science is explained in small snippets that get folded into the story as a whole. One once did I think “That was info-dumpy” but even then it was okay because it enriched the story that surrounded it. The main character and his son are dealing with very heavy life circumstances, but it was rendered in a way that makes you laugh through the tears. And the narration is top notch. Easily the best new book I’ve listened to this year!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 56 personas