Mark

Brain science in memorable, plain English

Revisado: 02-27-25

The text is fascinating, useful and ultimately reassuring. The author reads her work beautifully…and memorably.

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Strange and wonderful

Revisado: 09-17-22

The story is engaging, the characters fascinating but familiar. The device of sharing the storytelling between the protagonist and the book itself is clever, and it works.
The narrator has a tough job here lots of very different voices to capture. It’s not perfect, but the narration does portray the essence of each character successfully.
Highly recommended.

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Enjoyable flash from the musical past

Revisado: 05-16-21

Utopia Avenue is an engaging chronicle of a unique, special time. It’s loosely based on real-life Fairport Convention, especially the great Sandy Denny, who is one of many real-life musicians who puts in a cameo appearance. But the characters are original, finding their own paths through 1960s England and America. For those who were there, the world they inhabit will ring true. And the depiction of the real people is passably good, and mostly not gratuitous.
I’m deducting a star for a dubious plunge into mystic psychiatry. It’s entertaining, and the author weaves it into the story successfully, but it’s a stretch.
A word about the narrator, who has drawn some criticism here. If you don’t like British voices, you may not like the telling, But these are British characters, and the dialog voicing are exactly what you would expect to hear in 1960s London. It’s like listening to a radio play, no small accomplishment for a single reader.
This is a good listen if you like music and musicians.

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Tall truth

Revisado: 09-17-20

A lovely tale that branches into science, myth and hope. You will care about these people, because they care so much.
The reader is superb.

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Essential reading for our troubled time

Revisado: 07-05-20

This book is a well-researched, passionate telling of how America fell victim to a kleptocratic demagogue. In a time when each news cycle wipes away the outrages of the previous day, Kendzior connects the dots.
The telling is both journalistic and personal. She cares, enormously about what’s happening to our country. And she is not afraid to show us what’s hiding in plain sight.
Read this before the 2020 election. Afterward, it may be too late.

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For every musician

Revisado: 02-29-20

Listen to this book if you play music. Or want to. It’s a great approach to getting better, delivered well by the author.

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Great story, many voices...

Revisado: 06-02-12

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Keith's story is enjoyable and fascinating, richly detailed, and sometimes hilarious. There's more about heroin addiction than I care to hear, but otherwise it's a rollicking story.

The narration is a bit confusing. Depp has a great voice, but Joe Hurley totally nails Keith - perfect. The switches between the two are jarring. It's great when Keith himself comes in near the end, and you realize that everything that's been written is, well, just Keith talking. For an ex-junky guitar player, he sure is articulate.

I come away a bit amazed, wondering how someone could survive a life like this. Keith seems like an improbable movie character, who the bad guys can't seem to quite get. In fact, if this story was labeled fiction, it would all just seem too implausible...

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A masterpiece!

Revisado: 02-12-12

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This book is a lovely combination of music history, a wry look at American culture, and the story of how a master craftsman builds a fine instrument. It's all told with a clever narrative structure and a British sense of humor.
Want to know how a Conederate warship's sinking of a whaling ship near Hawaii led to the rise of blues guitar? This is the place. Want to know the difference between the finish on your guitar and a Stradavarius violin, and why one has cat pee in it? Read this book.
The author reads this book like he's sitting in your living room telling the story over a few beers. I want to meet him and see his new guitar.
I liked this so much I'm going to listen to it again.

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