Tashaskye

Stunningly honest, vulnerable, and inspiring.

Revisado: 11-29-24

The author tells a not especially enjoyable story, but it is still a beautiful and important book that serves as a cautionary tale that is particularly relevant in our current world. Her story is riveting and she does a wonderful job of narrating in a frank and engaging way that breaks your heart and has you cheering for her all at the same time.

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Obnoxious narration.

Revisado: 06-22-24

At first, I thought the narrator had a nice enough voice, but as the book went on, each character became more and more obnoxious. I had been told I absolutely HAD to read this classic, so I bumped up the speed to 1.5 and pushed through, but I wish I hadn’t. I understand the horrible slurs are left in from the original publication, but they’re heavily peppered throughout the entire book, which is hard to listen to, as well. I also wish I hadn’t known that the characters are rumored to be loosely based on real people, because the author made them all come across as horrible people, and the ridiculously overdone affects from the narrator make it so that in the end, there’s not a single character left to empathize with. Many of the themes definitely shed light on the industry over the years and that part of the story was interesting and in the end that was all that made me finish the book… that and the hope that the ending would somehow have a redeeming quality if that there would be some character growth. Neither of these things happened and I wish I’d just returned the awful book when it started to be clear that it was terrible instead of hoping that it had been designated a “classic” for a reason.

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A fiction that pulls you in and tells real truths

Revisado: 06-17-24

This wasn’t easy for me to listen to because even though it was a riveting, brilliant, and often beautiful piece of storytelling, you can hear the undertones of ugly, raw truths that are often easier to pretend weren’t pulled from very real situations. In the end, a testament to the strength of love, hope, and the human spirit. This book really brought me a better understanding of the Vietnam War that had been poorly taught to me as a child in the 80’s and I am grateful for that.

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Good premise, but falls flat.

Revisado: 03-25-23

The author sets it up as a journey of some sort. Self-discovery, growth, enlightenment? Who know. He did seem to gain a little perspective and maybe a little humility, but his judgy commentary runs from start to finish, and he missed some of the best lessons he could’ve picked up in these places: That people have the same value in any walk of life, that hard work and tenacity matter, and that your circumstances don’t define who you are. I really hoped he’d lose some of the entitlement by the end, but he really didn’t.

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Heartbreaking, beautiful, real.

Revisado: 02-12-23

From beginning to end, I wanted grab ahold of little Viola and just hug her and protect her, then cheer her strength, then tell her what a beautiful, valuable woman she is. What a testament to human strength and resilience. Just a heartbreaking, gut wrenching, inspiring story. I also thoroughly enjoyed her narration. I’d love to hear more powerful works authored and/or narrated by her.

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Not like the 1st book

Revisado: 02-04-23

The first book in the series was sweet, funny, and genuine. I was looking forward to continuing once I saw that there were more in the series… but the familiar characters were less lovable as they continued to make the same mistakes from the past, and the new characters were all contrived, rude caricatures of stereotypical Americans/New Yorkers. At some point, I wondered if the author had ever been to the States at all. And then I wondered if she wasn’t just insulting Americans on purpose. The accents, the repeated digs at American food, American baked goods… and root beer floats made of lemonade. I’ve read AI copy that hit the mark more accurately. So disappointed.

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Raw, honest, illuminating.

Revisado: 01-28-23

The author shares so openly things that are so often hidden, but healing, growth, and understanding are all things that require us to see the whole reality. One of the biggest problems with mental health is that mental illnesses are stigmatized, so it’s kept quiet. Experiences are toned down, minimized, or dismissed because it may be uncomfortable for us others. I am so grateful for the raw, honest, and comprehensive way these experiences are shared here. Books like these can make a real difference. Also, I enjoyed listening to the author share her experiences with humor, compassion, and insight and learned things I can do to take practical steps to make my own life and mental health better.

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Outdated

Revisado: 10-11-22

Lacks understanding of mental and behavioral health disorders. I’ll be gracious and assume that he’s operating with old information.

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Ok, if you can get past the mispronunciations.

Revisado: 11-10-20

An interesting perspective on the relationship between Donald Trump and Giuliani, if you can just ignore the many name mispronunciations.

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Not as amazing as anticipated

Revisado: 05-20-19

I was really excited about this cast, and individually, they were great, but overall I was unimpressed. The storyline wasn’t as original as I would expect from these stellar performers, and the humor was driven more by shock value than truly funny material.

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