Skippy

This is the rubbish you end up with when people self publish.

Revisado: 08-08-23

I wanted to like this. I live in Florida, I was looking for stories about an easy going nomad and his adventures. Problem is, the author lacks talent. The plot was …ok, even if it was a bit Scooby Doo, but overall there is little creativity in the writing. The dialogue is stilted, the characters are wooden, and there are enough plot holes to strain spaghetti. Sadly, this is type of rubbish you get when someone self publishes.

As to the narrator: The slow pace. The poor character voices. That ridiculous laugh. It was too much!

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The recording of this is atrocious.

Revisado: 12-05-22

I got to chapter 4 before I had to return it. The recording sucks. The story itself seems good, but use of multiple voices so bad.

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Great story, but audio is ridiculously quick.

Revisado: 10-31-22

Been wanting to read this since seeing Brewster's Millions in the 80s. It is really good, even if it is dated. Such an original idea, albeit with echoes of Around the World in 80 Days. I live in St Augustine, so I really liked the reference to convalescing here. Amazing to think this was written back when the Ponce De Leon was still a thriving Gilded Age hotel.

As some have said, the performance is way too fast. I had to play this at 0.9, otherwise it was difficult to follow.

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Just dreadful all round

Revisado: 10-31-22

I got about 4hrs in and just had to give up. The story's main character is supposed to be English, so why is it voiced by an American? It's so jarring that it's difficult to listen objectively. But that aside, it's just not good. The story is so so at best and it's not well written. If it wasn't for the digital age, this would never get published.

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Heard it all before

Revisado: 10-27-22

I got a couple of hours in before returning it. A couple of reasons: First, I am way left, but even I found the Trump references to be tired. TBH, it felt like most of King's cultural references were tacked on. Second, the main character arch echoes Jake Epping of 11/22/63 in so many ways. - Has to try his hand at writing while waiting to kill someone, amongst other things. Maybe it get's better - maybe - but checking some of the more detailed reviews on Goodreads makes me think otherwise.

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A too long travel blog.

Revisado: 10-19-22

This is a classic example of how Audible's review system sucks (and why you should also have a look at Goodreads). I was eager to give this a go, but soon realised it was unoriginal and going nowhere. As with most modern travellers who come to writing from blogging or social media - which Audible should put in the description! - the focus is less about observing the world and more about narcissism. "Look at me!" rather than look 'Look at this!" And sadly, the digital age has given everyone the ability to publish. Not everyone should publish! Most of these insta-famous people need to stick to blogging or social media, and save publishing for those that have something new and interesting to add.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

The Life, or Tall Tales, of a Long Haul Trucker?

Revisado: 05-01-22

If I had written this review when I first listened to the book it would have been much more favourable. Now, I am not sure what I think. I’m not a long haul trucker. I can’t fact check it like some of the others. And even when I listened to it, my BS meter strayed into the red more than a few times – he liaison with the military wife, for example. Then again, that’s traveller’s tales for you.

It is well written. It is interesting. It is well narrated, although I think memoirs should always be narrated by the author. It is one man’s account of life on the road. I enjoyed it, but then I like nomad stories. I like to remember that time not that long ago before the iPhone, before ubiquitous wi-fi, before unlimited data and digital networks, before social media, when you really could ride off into the sunset. But the author’s politics do seem to lean left, at least by modern US standards, which means some of his observations are going to upset a few people.

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Perfect Gen-X time capsule.

Revisado: 05-01-22

This might not be for everyone - there is definitely a heavy dose of nostalgia. So if you didn’t live it, you might struggle. But it is perfectly written by someone who knows how to craft a story – seems to be an oddity nowadays. And while no Gen-X version of “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid’ – Rushin doesn’t have Bryson’s wit - it is genuine and often funny snapshot of life growing up in middleclass, nowhere special, 1970s America.

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Great insight into forgotten Florida

Revisado: 05-01-22

I’m biased. I live in Florida, albeit is transplant – isn’t everyone? I’ve been up and down the east coast more times that I can count. I can picture every town and place in this book, albeit as it is today. I have seen the hulking wreck of Henry Flagler's railway on the way to Key West. I wanted to know more. This book did not disappoint.

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A poor copy of Replay.

Revisado: 03-23-22

I somewhat knew what I was getting into when I ordered this. A time travel/time loop book like Mike Grimwood's Replay (My favourite book, as it happens). Honestly, this one is bad. Really bad. Without getting too deep into spoilers, the main character goes from his life at 65 to his life aged 15 - a nice difference from Replay. But, he is a bit of a fool, and not particularly well developed fool at that. For example: even with all the acquired knowledge of decades of events, he can't prove to his therapist that he has future foresight. Really? It's all downhill from there. A few tropes from other time travel stores chucked in, and then the author seems to realise that a story like this requires more effort than he has time for and gives up and ends the story abruptly. It's such a shame. The time loop idea is a cool one. I keep thinking that something as good as Replay is bound to appear, but they largely tread the same old ground and offer nothing new.

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