Arielle

Nonsensical Drivel

Revisado: 01-04-22

I hated this book. The narration is very well-done, but the story is nonsense. The names of the nations and inhabitants are contrived. The situations are unenjoyable and silly.
I know racism is common in literature—especially older literature. I’d even argue racism can help move a story along or contribute to character development or story. This was the own author’s racism shining through. Of all the people and creatures met, the only ones with darker skin are described as being so malodorous it is nausea inducing. They are completely uncivilized and repugnant. They are lower than horses, and when Gulliver leaves, he makes a tent out of their skins. It was at that point the story went from boring and me disliking it, to hating it.

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Perfectly Narrated Well Thought out

Revisado: 11-08-21

Informative and interesting. Perfectly narrated. Wonderful, factual storytelling. Plenty of examples illustrated to present ideas supported with facts. Beautiful and so well thought out. A lot of care went into this book.

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Strong start, slow burn.

Revisado: 08-16-21

The book starts off as a page turner. It’s suspenseful, interesting and well written. After that initial zing, the story devolves into information. You know, the part in books around chapter one or two where it’s starting to pick ups speed, but hasn’t gotten there yet? That’s what the rest of this book is. It’s a permanent chapter one. The story is interesting and I kept waiting for it to get as good as the beginning, but it never does. It goes the line on boring without ever crossing directly into boring.

There’s no real climax, which makes the end of this story somewhat unsatisfying. The ideas and concepts were interesting. The characters were mostly developed. It has an intentional voyeuristic feel to it that comes through pretty clearly. The saving Grace from boredom was how well the story jumps through characters, time, and location.

I would call the book pretty ok. Almost good. I don’t think I need to read it again, though.

ETA: For listeners of the audiobook, there was no real performance. The author reads the book. That’s it. No extra flair. Almost monotonous, but not exactly boring. Expect no bells and whistles. Whatcha see is whatcha get—an author reading her book aloud.

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Smooth And interesting story.

Revisado: 07-31-21

One of the markers of a good book is connection to and investment in the characters. The characters were so well written, I felt like I knew them. The villain was villainous, without becoming a caricature or a cartoon. He was relatable. We all know someone like him. We all hope he never has any power. The different ways love and strength are manifested is exceptional. The descriptions of the culture is interesting. The passage of time flows well and naturally. It never feels disjointed. The red is ever shocked out of the story to pursue other parts of the story—even though there are other parts and sections in the book. The flow is pleasant. This book is about overcoming differences and loving anyways.
It was a lovely story that I couldn’t put down!

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Need to Sleep?

Revisado: 06-30-21

This book was uninteresting. I was bored and had a difficult time focusing on the book. I kept waiting for the moment I get into it and want to know what’s happening, but it never came. I wanted to know the answer to the mystery, but this book felt like a chore.

It is really well written and the concept is kind of cool. My dislike is likely just taste and preference.

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Blown Potential

Revisado: 06-22-21

I wasn’t expecting a book as great or as fun as Harry Potter, but I was expecting better. The socks of tries way too hard and falls way too short. It’s poorly written. There is very little development or growth. There is no emotional connection with any of the characters. I didn’t care about a single one. It seems like not a lot of care went into writing this book. It feels like it was scrawled out on a napkin at lunch between bites while she was watching a game on tv. Disappointing because the story had so much potential!

The narration was good with what he had to work with. It wasn’t memorable in any way. It wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t great. Just good.

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Quirky, but no heart

Revisado: 02-03-21

This boils down to personal preference. I don’t like nonsense books. Catch-22, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Alice in Wonderland are all what I consider to be nonsense books. I didn’t like those either.
White a teeth has some funny dialogue, but the whole story felt disjointed. The characters all belong together and their stories are intertwined, but you don’t really feel that. I was not invested in any character or the story. I didn’t like any character or the story. I only became vaguely interested more than halfway through.
It is clever writing, but not for me.

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Worth the read—all 40-something hours of it

Revisado: 05-06-20

I avoided this book for years. It was intimidatingly long. I’d read Ayn Rand has political leanings that don’t quite match up with mine. People have called this book propaganda, and I don’t want to be preached to regarding someone’s bias.

That said, this book is so good! It’s surprisingly accessible. It moves right along and is interesting with zero slow parts. The ONLY exception is near the end. There is a particularly long monologue that lasts about an hour. It’s like Rand saved up for this. It’s the same thing said over and over again in different ways

The climax and ending are not as good as the rest of the book. It was a small bit of a letdown, but it’s still good

The characters are strong. I love the lead is a strong woman. There are great comebacks and one liners and downright admirable characters. Every character has layers and depth—to a degree. The villains are not overly evil. They are ridiculous without being over the top. I will listen again.

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Classic tale

Revisado: 04-08-20

Anne Hathaway has diverse voices. A tad over the top at times, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The children loved it. It was fun

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Unique Solution

Revisado: 02-11-20

At first, though entertained, I felt like it was a repeat of 1984. Not a whole lot new. I was wrong. It has characters that carry great symbolism. It has extra drama and the same amount of danger and suspense. It has a unique solution to the problem that requires a level of finesse. It was wonderful.

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