Pearly Girl

An Unexpected Gem

Revisado: 02-23-25

Frankly, I didn't expect much from this book, but I couldn't find anything on loneliness/solitude that resonated with me. Then I saw this one: Authored by a retired RN, written in Q&A format, narrated by virtual voice. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill self-help book. Listening to the sample, I could tell Ms. Alter has experiential wisdom to share, so I jumped in.

What I really liked is the author's advice to face the reality of loneliness, and the hope of transforming it into healthy and joyful solitude. Oh yes, there is some advice about ways to reach out. However, I found the words about knowing one's own self and embracing acceptance when reaching out and trying to form relationships that don't work as hoped to be what I needed and wanted to hear. The focus shifts from loneliness, depression and anxiety to solitude, acceptance, and peace.

The Q&A format results in repetitive information at times, but I found that to be reinforcing rather than annoying. The questions allow similar information to be presented from different angles, which I also found to be helpful. The writing style is clear and straightforward, and we become acquainted with the author's story from time to time as she passes on caring advice. No psychobabble at all. It's like having a conversation with a kind and wise friend.

As for the artificial voice, there were only a couple of blips; otherwise it sounded naturally friendly and soothing - not robot-like or over the top. Having listened to hundreds of audiobooks, I've heard much worse many times from human narrators.

Thank you, Ms. Alter for sharing your wisdom.

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Changing my life, tiny step by tiny step

Revisado: 04-10-21

Fogg's method and his step by step instructions along with the reasoning and examples have been working very well for me. Yes, it takes thought and effort and is not magical. I have found the impacts *are* magical. The tiny habits I've put into place have indeed spurred me on to expanding them, trying others, and building confidence, just as he said. The PDF is very helpful and kept me from wishing I had purchased the print book.

Knowing the story of his narration of the book helped me to find the performance inspiring rather than feeling mildly annoyed at the minor oddities in his speech.

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Love the Content, Hate the Narration

Revisado: 02-08-11

Great, practical advise if you're a writer, real nuts and bolts. The author narrates though, and her narration is monotonous and irritating. Sound quality is also poor. I'm less than 25% of the way through and heartily wish I had bought it in print. Listen to the sample before purchasing to help determine if the content more than makes up for the bad narration.

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Humorous and Witty, Delightful Narration

Revisado: 09-22-10

This fun historical mystery novel comes alive with Simon Vance's narration. Ruth Downie's writing puts a sometimes amusing face on life in the Roman Empire despite its darker aspects. Downie created engaging characters with distinct personalities and a decent mystery plot. Honestly though, I enjoyed the characters and their dryly humorous interactions well highlighted by the stellar narration so much that the plot felt more like a side show. A very pleasant listen.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Painfully long; couldn't finish it

Revisado: 09-01-10

The author draws out this dark story so much that I kept losing interest. Long, detailed, repetitious descriptions of the characters, their environments, and frequent sex scenes dulled the plot movement. The somber and monochromatic tone provided no relief. For the small number of major characters in the book, there was a lot of sex, and unbelievably, it became boring. No joy, no hope, not a spot of brightness for anyone. Once I happened across a review containing a spoiler on another site and realized more of the same lay ahead to the very end, I stopped listening. If it had been a short story or novella with less repetition, I may have finished it.

Also disappointing, the narrator never varied his tone from serious and sneering, nor did he make much attempt to give different characters their own unique voices.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona