Blakely Pete

Spectacular narration, startling history

Revisado: 04-28-25

The narration of this story was so good that I regretted the book was ending. How odd that a prime minister would behave as H.H. Asquith did as World War I was breaking out. It captures a different time convincingly.

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Well paced narrative

Revisado: 04-28-25

I enjoyed this tale which moved along at a fresh pace with good narration. Undecided if I will read Book 2.

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First 75% is good, then author loses focus

Revisado: 04-28-25

I found the first 2/3 to 3/4 of this book to be educational, well-researched and worthwhile. Then in the last few chapters, the author digressed more and more from the topic, spending far too much time on the history and adventures of a Soviet built cruise ship that was scrapped in 2022, a personal trip to or near Svalbard, etc. This seems more of an editing failure than anything else. The narration was good throughout. I learned a fair amount from this book but regret the several hours wasted at the end.

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An early effort that has its moments

Revisado: 03-22-25

This is an interesting early effort by a fledgling mystery writer. It has its moments. The English-accented narration was too fast for me and slowing the speed to .85 or .90 made for better listening. The female characters were the most assured, confident, and interesting. I hope the author’s future efforts feature women as the main actors.

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Push thru narration; there be content buried here

Revisado: 08-26-24

The perplexing narration almost caused me to return this book. Even slowing the speed barely helped but the content was worth the ride. I stuck around because of the poker and professional gambling aspects but what I will remember undoubtedly will be the ai material and the crypto information. Silver is very smart and a good interviewer and he has access to truly interesting people with unexpected and remarkable things to say. For his next book, however, I hope he employs a professional narrator.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Too long!

Revisado: 11-17-23

I've read all the Cormoran Strike novels and this one is simply too long by twice. The draw, of course, is the relationship between the two detective partners and, yes, it progresses but only slightly in over 34 hours of narrative. Robin's ordeal inside the cult adds appreciably to our understanding of her and might merit a book of half this length but, even with a typically sterling narration, this book dragged on and on. If faced with another of these novels requiring more than 20 hours of listening, I am going to pass.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Returned because of male narrator

Revisado: 06-15-23

My ratings on overall and story are meaningless because I had to return this title. The male narrator was so annoying that I could not endure more than the first few pages. Seems like this would be a good read but not a good audible book.

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Fascinating

Revisado: 05-19-23

Enjoyed this listen enormously. Her public image while First Lady (when I was beginning high school) was misleading in too many respects to list. While the narrative ends with her marriage to JFK, it is well-paced and the events of her youth are sufficiently diverse and unusual to be of genuine interest even today. The story is well researched and told. In my view, JFK married her for her intellect and character, not her beauty. He is quoted as saying he never met a woman like her and this book explains why. An excellent listen, highly recommended.

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Dreadful listening experience

Revisado: 09-27-22

I made it through this book but only as a tribute to the ongoing saga of Strike and Robyn. The endless recounting of on-line communication was dreadful to listen to. Had I been reading this, I would have skipped all but the content or, more likely, even that. The relationship between the two detectives progressed significantly, so I am glad to have that background under my belt, but the plot, the needless detail, and the identity of the villain did not make the exercise enjoyable or worthwhile. Why were the readers subjected to such large amounts of on-line abuse, even as observers. This book should have been half the length or less. If you must digest it, read it and skip major portions. They will be self-explanatory. Yuck!

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Excellent history and good story

Revisado: 08-30-22

Goodness but I enjoyed this book. I have been traveling to Hawaii for almost 50 years now and I learned so much history from this book. I had no idea about the Maui swim club's success nor how important swimming and swim meets were on Oahu. The research was thorough and added important detail to the story as it unfolded. Anyone interested in a good story or Hawaii, let alone swimming, should enjoy this book. Hats off and mahalo to the author. The narration was excellent throughout and mispronunciations were few and far between.

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