Walt johnson

Excellent well written book, but I could hardly get through the narration. It was just so overdramatic..

Revisado: 12-20-23

The book itself was excellent, and I had no problem with it other than the narration, which was so overdramatic as to be comical. I had my grandchildren over while the book was on speaker, and we found ourselves all mocking the narration after a while.. a simple sentence would be followed by a long pause, and a dramatic, ... HE SAID.  even the narrators, announcing of the chapters was so overdramatic that the kids would mock it, taking a long, deep breath, followed by " going to THE STORE! "  So there was some comic relief in the recording after all however unintentional.
In fact, there is nothing light or funny in this book at all. That being said, I would highly recommend reading it. It is yet another example of Man's obsessive need for wealth, power, status, and glory.. and I do mean man's not mankind this time.
It illustrates the the training of the men in the military, to obsessively and sometimes blindly, adhere to the structure and letter of the law. As they perceived it, following the instructions of their superiors. (Think inspector, Javier) . This was often at great expense for the men under their command.. as is always the case, in all wars . This crew being unfortunate souls, who were mostly unwilling and often kidnapped and con-scribed to service, including the infirmed, the elderly, young boys, and formally incarcerated persons of questionable character. All in the name of glory and riches For England! These men were subjugated to and expected to accept unquestionably orders exposing them to life threatening danger and the most horrific extremes of mental emotional and physical challenges, while living the most terrible conditions imaginable, very often times, resulting in the most undignified and horrific forms of death when could imagine. This situation naturally bringing out both the highest most noble and lowest debased nature of the men.

The book is rich in historical information. information that I didn't know I didn't know or maybe thought I knew, but didn't really know.
It is a good example of the truth being more unbelievable than fiction at times.
Do bottom line is I would highly recommend reading it, but probably not listening to it.

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Just not in the same league as Ken Follett’s other books for me anyway

Revisado: 11-14-23

I wanted to love this book so much, and I was eagerly looking forward to it. but quite honestly I had a hard time getting through it and was anxious for it to end. i’m not exactly sure why, because as always, the history included all the
Impressive research and remarkable details details and educational opportunities that we have come to expect from his novel and everything was quite vividly portrayed, and the formulas seem to be the same as his other books but for some reason I had a hard time staying motivated to finish it. I probably would have returned it except it feels sacrilegious to return any Ken Follett book. I didn’t get attached to any of the characters. In fact, I had a hard time keeping track of them and I doubt that I will even remember any of them as opposed to his other books where they are forever engraved in my mind.

Another thing that bothered me was the frequent use of the F word. Please Believe me me, I am not a prude at all. But I have a hard time believing that people who were raised to behave and to speak the way the nobility, or even for that matter, the so-called lower classes, who are most often portrayed as more noble, and with better characters and more spiritual than the so-called nobility, would use that word, especially in regards to two people who actually love each other. I don’t think that was even part of the vocabulary in those times. So for me, it just feels vulgar and demeaning, especially towards the women and unrealistic, and I know these times it id such a common word that many of us have become desensitized to it And as Ken Follett is a genius and a master of his use of words, I was saddened to see that he succumbed to including this word so often in the book. It just felt lazy to me. Im sure as brilliant as he is he could have come up with a more appropriate and accurate word. Im pretty sure the people that lived in those times used other words for it. Ive never seen the F word used in any of the poetry or songs or plays or letters of those times.

Another thing that I felt might have compromised the book for me. Was the required portrayal of a gay couple. Don’t get me wrong. I have absolutely no problem with two people of the same sex loving each other, but it seems like today it’s some sort of rule or requirement that every movie, book, TV show sitcom, series and even commercial has got to have a gay couple represented. When that became apparent in the book both my husband and I just looked at each other and said oh my goodness even Ken Follett.. it felt so unrealistic to me that in those times where they hung people for arranging a gathering and little boys for stealing a ribbon because they were starving that two men can move in together and it’s clear to everyone that they’re gay and no one even raises an eyebrow over it. I would’ve preferred if he had perhaps, written about the difficulties, challenges and pain they must have experienced as a result of the repression and religious fervor , that was so common in those times, as opposed to normalizing it, These days it seems to be required , Regarding this situation in historical fiction I am absolutely sure was accurate , all the time, I’m also sure that it was kept very secret and gay people lived in fear of anyone finding out.
So for me, the story was sadly compromised for the sake of going along with the values we are striving for in this day and age because it is the popular thing to do right now, but at the expense if historical accuracy. Thisr relatively small have things would not have been much of a deal breaker if the character development had even been a little on par with the other books in the series. I cant believe I am actually critiquing, Ken Follett’s writing, like how many books have I written? That would be zero. And what do I know? And Pillars of theEarth Was among my very favorite books of all time , And thats s hard act to follow. So should he be expected to write a masterpiece every time? Im sure I will love his next book. But I do hope he finds a different narrator.
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Epic historical fiction that is so timely for now.

Revisado: 09-20-23

Wonderful translation! Very long but didn’t drag. I found it so interesting to note how many parallels there were regarding the challenges we are facing now in 2023 and with those faced in Italy in the 1600s. I noticed myself comparing it to Ken Folletts’ Pillars of the Earth. One of my favorite books. This is why I gave it four stars rather than five. An obvious unfair comparison. As this book is truly a classic in its own right. The story helps us, put into some perspective, the trials and tribulations that we face today. You will feel the suffering and anguish and utter hopelessness caused by the disparity between the very rich and powerful and the poor.
The impact of prejudice, against those who are different or foreign, or members of a different faith are given account of.
The story exposes religious corruption, while also acknowledging the power of true faith and emphasizes the astonishing selflessness and goodness of many belonging to the clergy who absolutely gave their all in service to the hungry, poor, sick and disadvantaged. Those characters are truly an inspiration. The all too familiar devastating impacts of wars on the common people, perpetuated by the greed and desire, for power and wealth of only a few members of the nobility will be familiar. Published in 1827 but set two hundred years earlier, it is sometimes hard to fathom the way Alessandro Manzoni, reports the reaction of the people to the plagues. Often denying and ignoring facts and the advise of the learned and experienced and instead embracing conspiracy theories and superstition as to the causes, resulting in massive numbers of deaths that could have been avoided. It may be too soon and a little too close to home however in reading you will feel the crippling devastation, and outer hopelessness and helplessness of those who lost loved ones and livelihoods as a result of the air born viruses that they could not see or understand. The impact of droughts, floods, fires, and famine are all themes addressed . In fact, often during the descriptions of the hunger suffered by so many people and the masses dying of starvation, I found myself going into the kitchen and making a snack to take a break . There are too many other parallels to even list, but the exploration of the nature of man, good versus evil, the power of redemption and of course because it is after all a love story, the power of true love against all obstacles makes this a novel absolutely worth the time to listen.
I would go so far as to say it is a must read for anyone interested in learning from history so that we may have a chance of not repeating the mistakes and therefore hopefully contributing to the nobility and advancement of mankind and society at large.

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Didn’t want it to end, enjoyable start to finish.

Revisado: 08-11-23

A nice escape book. Brought back great memories of Ireland. Not too heavy, but still thought provoking, Tara Road addresses serious issues with a diverse cast of characters you’ll love and hate and identify with. The young son providing enough humor to keep you laughing throughout. Made me want to clean my house and bake something. Then invite friends over for lunch, Then get out in my garden. Oh and made me want to hug my husband too.
I recommend it!

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Very well written, good narration

Revisado: 06-17-23

I enjoyed the book very much. It was well written, and an interesting educational story, and the narration was excellent as well.

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Great historical book!

Revisado: 06-15-23

I learned so much from listening to this book, it was often hard to follow and keep track of all the characters at times but in the end it didn’t really matter. I found myself looking up interesting facts and characters and it only made it more interesting. I would defiantly recommend it.
The narration was very good as well.

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Best book I’ve listened to in a long time.

Revisado: 06-02-23

Audible kept recommending this book based on my listening history and for some reason It didn’t appeal to me just based on the tittle and cover art. This is a great example of not judging a book by its cover. I’m so glad I finally downloaded it. It’s one of my favorite books of all times! I already have my husband (A brilliant scientist and Chemist) and an advocate of Woman’s rights, reading it. I’m also sending it to my daughter and granddaughter. I’m even pretty sure our brilliant dog enjoyed listening to it. I can’t recommend it enough.

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Brilliant, I loved this book so much, from the beginning to end.

Revisado: 06-01-23

Ann Napolitano is a master at character development. The story is exceptional. The narration was perfect. It is definitely one of my favorite listens of all time. An unforgettable book. It is so rare to find an author that can bring such a large and diverse cast of characters to life to the point that I felt like I knew them to the depths of their very souls. The insights and lessons gained from each character are so varied and rich. Even minor characters each have something to bring.
I was also very pleased that, unlike so many books I’ve read lately, the ending, left me feeling inspired, hopeful and happy. The only thing that was difficult for me was feeling a great loss due to not having any brothers and sisters of my own. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

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Very good book! Thought provoking

Revisado: 05-31-23

I had been looking for an uplifting book that still had relevance and was thought provoking and this fit the bill perfectly. I defiantly would recommend it!

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Important story, but hard to get through

Revisado: 05-28-23

This story is essential historical information and some interesting and enlightening facts about the FBI. But it was hard to follow, and the presentation was dry.
I kept thinking “ just the facts ma’am,” For such an important devastating and emotional subject, there was no emotion in the reading. Sad because it could have been great if the author had been able to bring the persons involved to life for us. I find myself wanting to learn more but from the perspective of the victims and their families.

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