LDenely

Shocking and educational

Revisado: 04-24-25

It’s difficult to see how anyone can read this book and remain Catholic. The greed, ruthless machinations, egoism, moral blindness and grotesque crimes of the hierarchy are damning, but hardly surprising. I now understand so much that seemed inexplicable to me when I was growing up Catholic, I was following Christ’s direction to love, serve, forgive, lift up the lowly, shelter the vulnerable whoever they may be, and to deal with the log in my own eye before condemning my neighbor for the splinter in his. Meanwhile the men leading the Church were doing anything but. They were busy destroying my Church, my country. and my faith. There were many moments in this book when I gasped out loud at their extremely heinous behavior. The Church needs cataclysmic change to cleanse itself of its sins. It will never be put right until it addresses the intrinsic evil and tunnel-vision of an all-male and celibate priesthood. And after reading this book, I realize that is just the beginning of the change that is needed.

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Mesmerizing triumph of language and thought

Revisado: 02-11-25

Fantastically well-narrated, great understanding of the text and characters, with only a little to be desired in differentiating the female voices from each other and from the men. My favorite of all the LeCarre novels so far. I’ve read about 6 including Tinker Tailor. Great study of one man’s psychology—based on the author and of 4 men’s psychology (Rick, Pym, Axel, and Brotherhood) and how they and class and borders and politics, ambition, necessity, betrayals, and lies interplay. I just kept saying to myself, "this is so good." So good.

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Excellent and delightfully British

Revisado: 12-27-24

Stephen Frye brings the Britishness back to Hogwarts. Love his reading!! Highly recommend. Only criticism is that his voices for Harry, Hermione and girls in general need some work, but Hagrid and many others are perfection.

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Worthy read for faith seekers, church-minded, etc.

Revisado: 11-14-24

I’m a non-theistic humanist, but I was raised in a religious and contemplative family, very active in social justice. COH reminds me of a community I belonged to as a teenager, which imploded in similar fashion. Like others, I found this book harrowing but engrossing. I have not much to add upon other reviews except this: Rod, along with his faults, turned out to have prescient wisdom about a few things. His absence for a year or two might have made things a bit less tangled, but it seemed to me—in the end—the younger pastors who shunned him made their own misery by not heeding his advice and by straying far afield from too many of the church practices he had helped develop over 3 decades of experience. However, in the end, it seemed to turn out for the best. I do hope Rachel returned to pastoring. Of the four, she seemed uniquely gifted for it,

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Neat spy novella.

Revisado: 07-20-24

Neat little novella. Easy listen. Simple plot with a well laid out twist. A bit cleaner than the Slough House series but you still get peeps at Lamb, Taverner, and a couple current or soon to be slow horses.

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Should be required middle school reading

Revisado: 09-17-23

This book and the series it belongs to is very similar to the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder in its realism, historical detail, basis in a real-life strong family full of faith and wisdom, and its target audience of younger readers. It ought to be as much embraced and cherished as Ingalls’s series. Unlike Ingalls’s series, it does not reflect some people’s cherished image of a pure and godly America where freedom and equality makes it possible for anyone to live the American dream through hard work and determination. Rather Mildred D. Taylor faithfully depicts the Black American experience of racism and a bigoted culture determined to prevent Black people from being free and equal. In other words, she writes her truth, which is as real and honest as that of Ingalls Wilder. For this reason some seek to ban this book and prohibit young people from reading it and learning about the truth of Black experience. And for this reason it ought to be required reading in every middle school in America.

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Ian Carmichael!

Revisado: 08-18-23

Best reader of Wimsey I’ve heard so far. Second book in series, Sayers really rolling now. Only gets better as series progresses.

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Good book, Good reader

Revisado: 08-18-23

Sayers is a fave author. This, her first Lord Peter mystery, is not as good as the many truly great novels that followed, but it’s a high bar. Still, a good book and can’t be skipped if taking in the full spectrum of Lord Peter’s story. The reader does voices well. My only complaint is that he, like past BBC TV versions, interprets Lord Peter’s voice as that of an insufferable prig and stuffed shirt, which this and all the following books prove so clearly that he is not. He is a hopelessly romantic adventurer with an hilarious, dark, sometimes silly sense of humour who even embraces the ridiculous. As far from a priggish stuffed shirt as one can get. One day, I hope some performer will interpret him correctly, so that I can a enjoy his depiction as much as I have enjoyed Ms. Sayer’s books.

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Billy Porter has claimed his seat among the masters

Revisado: 03-23-23

Billy Porter, with his memoir of the Black Queer American experience, from surviving childhood and the AIDS epidemic to helping lead the way toward a new era of humanity and acceptance, has claimed his seat alongside other great witnesses to the Black American experience: Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin. And like them he did it by telling his story his way—with attitude and style! I have never seen Billy Porter perform. I came across his name in a film review which caught my attention and led me to this audio book. I’m so glad it did.

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The real deal

Revisado: 01-19-23

I can’t speak to Emily’s experience as a person with autism, although her story is fascinating, but I do know what it’s like to raise an atypically abled child. Valerie pulls few punches here. Chapter 9 is appropriately scathing about what it takes to get our children their right to a basic public education—like squeezing blood from a stone month after month, year after year. Chapter 9 should be required reading for every elected public representative in the U. S. We already have kids that take 25 times the work and 100 times the commitment of neuro/physically typical kids. Why does the public education system fight to make our work there 1000 times harder too? Don’t they see the payoff down the road is lots of people who are less dependent, less disruptive, requiring fewer lifetime resources, incurring fewer injuries and lost workdays, etc. even transforming as Emily has into wealth producers and influencers who inspire and educate the typical students who share classrooms with them.

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