Amanda

So much more than a vampire story

Revisado: 07-12-23

This was a fun listen but also infuriating. If you are triggered by the trope “the evil that men do”, you will also be infuriated at times. In my opinion, poetic justice is served in this book, if that counts for anything.

Much of what drives the plot are the dynamics that result in the upholding of respectability politics, how upholding these customs only benefits a few select people (and only for a short time). This could also be seen as an interesting take on the Faust legend. The men of the town sell the souls of the town (the children, elderly and women) for their own personal gain (success through doing business with the vampire). This is the book club’s story though. These women are empowered to use the respectability politics that allowed the vampire to penetrate the old village in order to manipulate the vampire into being destroyed. The surviving characters are left with internal and external wounds, potentially even genetic wounds.

Not only was this an entertaining and often funny listen, but the thematic depth left me fully engaged throughout the entire audiobook.

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A Summer Escape

Revisado: 05-01-23

I really enjoyed this. I would recommend this to someone looking for the beach-read equivalent of The Hours, but inspired by Mary Shelley’s cadre of Romantics in Switzerland and Fleetwood Mac in Sausalito. Is it more fictional than The Hours? Yes, but that gets covered in the book. Trust me, it’s a fun listen, if you find the macabre fun like I do.

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Could be cozier

Revisado: 11-30-22

So… I decided to listen to this for some light-hearted holiday cheer, and this one almost hit the mark. I think some clever editing could have fixed this. Some of the things said were a little tone-deaf, and ruined the positive vibe of the show for me. Some examples are: calling turkey as a festive meal weird (citing the strange descriptive names given to turkeys by other imperialist European countries /eyeroll), opining that a spouse’s disappointing Christmastime work trip to NYC as representative of the typical American Christmas. In short, I think the crown might have sponsored this podcast in order to spread propaganda that British Christmas is the only way.

So sad. I truly just wanted a lighthearted listen, but when a historian says ignorant things like this with a straight face it isn’t very entertaining.

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Historical fiction at its finest!

Revisado: 11-13-17

5 ✨'s! I loved this historical fiction rendition of this true crime story! It fully texplores the complications that arise due to the social constructs of the time, which may have led both to Grace's arrest, as well as to her ultimate fate. This is a MUST read for anyone who loves the Victorian hysteria trope. More please! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Audible 20 review sweepstakes entry

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Rebecca, meet Snow White

Revisado: 01-29-17

I loved this one! So twisty! The Stepmother is a mystery/thriller retelling of Snow White, complete with a dysfunctional family, a stepmother with a shady past, and pets that just keep dying off for some reason. Lots of tonal and overt references to Rebecca and Jane Eyre. Gothic, referential, and sharply written, this book hit all of my buttons! I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great marriage thriller.

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Better suited for a Lifetime Movie

Revisado: 07-31-15

I was pretty disappointed with this one. In many ways I felt that it lacked verisimilitude, and not in a suspension of belief fun way. It was more annoying than anything else. For example, when Becca goes to the police initially, the detective is agreeable with her when she makes claims of extreme coincidence and supernatural connections. I don't know if this has to do with the novel being poorly researched or not (at least in characterization, the information about savants and autism seemed to ring true), but I felt like many facets of the novel were not very believable.

Another issue I had was with the narrator. Her portrayal of Franny, the autistic savant, was offensive. It's as though she took the author's historical note about how autism used to be classified as "retardation" in less enlightened times, and ran with it. Her chosen voice for this character is reminiscent of a 13-year-old boy doing an immature impression of their concept of a "retard". It was offensive, and I don't know how that escaped the director or editor(s) of this production.

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Trigger warning!

Revisado: 07-11-15

Do not listen to or read this book if you are triggered by detailed descriptions of sexual assault.

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Totally and utterly disturbed

Revisado: 02-24-15

For females that listen to or read this book: it will probably disturb you. Welsh wants to disturb you though. However, for some survivors of sexual violence, this book may be triggering.

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esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Not for the typical Horror fan

Revisado: 04-27-13

What made the experience of listening to The Accursed the most enjoyable?

The story. It was incredibly multi-faceted, and made me feel more connected to characters that are otherwise unattainable in our present. Upton Sinclair, Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, Jack London, Woodrow Wilson are just a few people who appear in Oates' book. I loved that I was listening to canon-worthy gothic novel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Puss and Upton Sinclair were the stars of the book for me. Though, Puss doesn't last though the whole book. Upton Sinclair provides a sense of moral concreteness in line with what most of us believe in today, and acted as the voice of reason for the present day readers, as well as serving as a contrast to the conservative bigotry of the early 20th century.

What three words best describe Grover Gardner’s performance?

Odd, uncanny, imperfect

Who was the most memorable character of The Accursed and why?

Upton Sinclair, mostly because he is a powerful (yet meek) voice in the novel. Perhaps I just "heard" him more because I fall in line philosophically more than other characters.

Any additional comments?

If you are looking for a horror novel, this is not it. However, if you enjoy well-written literature that is rich with history and meaning, but also delves into the gothic, this is the book for you. To get through this book you must possess more than a desire to be frightened. If you are intrigued by dysfunction, love history, and get a kick out of the mystical (in addition to possessing some literary prowess) then read this book. I personally loved it, and even found myself frightened at times (like the violent scene featuring Copplestone). I implore you, if you are a true literature lover (not book lover, but literature lover) read this book. It is incredible, and worth the decades of effort Oates put into it.

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esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Interesting mystery with startling bawdiness!

Revisado: 10-30-12

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I felt that the author was slightly non-committal with his choice of genre. I enjoyed the mystery of the story but the bawdiness of the text was so sporadic that it startled me at times. It's a bit jarring when the text isn't overall humorous.

Would you be willing to try another book from Andrew Taylor? Why or why not?

Maybe. I'd give it a shot, but if I didn't love it then I would probably give up on this author.

What does John Telfer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He had amazing versatility with the characters' voices. It was as if I was hearing different actors for almost every character.

Did The Anatomy of Ghosts inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to look for better mystery stories.

Any additional comments?

This mystery was interesting, I was just hoping it would be more so. It isn't an awful book. It's a fun read, and should only be read as such.

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