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SO GOOD!!!

Revisado: 06-22-24

I absolutely loved this character. Narration was perfect. Can't wait to read the next book.

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HOT MESS EXPRESS - but entertaining enough for being free

Revisado: 04-05-22

Oh boy.
Let’s start by saying that I’m not easily offended - sex, cursing, etc - none of that will ever be enough for me to clutch my pearls and give up on a book.
That’s not the problem here.
The problem is that I couldn’t tell whether this author was actually going for a Twin Peaks vibe or if it was an accident. And if Twin Peaks vibe isn’t done REALLY WELL, and isn’t fully committed to…it’s just bad. You can’t half a$$ something like that. So I still really don’t know what the author was going for here.
I kept wondering if this book was actually written in the 1980’s and then just updated a bit to make it fit with modern times (cell phones, etc). Because I’m sorry, but no one talks like this. No 30 something person says “that’s queer” constantly, meaning “that’s weird” or “that’s odd”. No 30 something says “that’s vexing” all the time.
And there’s no way a person like the main female character in this book would be sooooo ignorant to the point that they have literally never heard of Wicca and can’t recognize a Pentagram. What?

I didn’t pay attention to who the author was until after I finished, and I guess I’m not surprised to see that it’s an older man. The female characters were ignorant and vapid, for the most part. The main male character was a disgusting pig….yet by the end of the book it’s clear that you’re supposed to be viewing him as that guy who is just “tough on the outside but soft on the inside”….I mean….sure, that almost worked. Almost. To make it really work, there needed to be more character development and less of a senseless barrage of revolting, misogynistic, objectifying and obsessing sexual actions and thoughts. That also could have even worked a little better if it was actually interesting, nuanced, and well written. There needed to be some explanation for why Pink is such an animal with no redeeming qualities that are enough to make up for the rest of him. And some acknowledgement by his mother as to his character…instead it’s like she barely notices he’s such a garbage human. Make it make sense.

There were a lot of plot holes or places where the author relied on extremely vague explanations to avoid having to really properly create the existence these characters are inhabiting.

I can actually see this working well as a film script where solid acting and directing would sort of fill in the gaps and develop the characters in a way that makes more sense. Like, I can kind of see what he was trying to do with Pink, but it just didn’t work.

It’s frustrating to me that this book was published the way it was when it seemed really obvious what needed to be re-worked, and it could have been so much better.

I would encourage this author to spend more time around younger people if he wants to write younger characters that are believable.

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Shameful, staggeringly shameful. Solid work though, very engaging and eye opening.

Revisado: 02-03-22

Listening to this as someone who has gained some perspective via distance from evangelicalism over the last decade, listening to this was profoundly disturbing and infuriating.

All I could keep thinking was “I cannot believe this is what evangelicals are spending their time and energy on. I cannot believe that THIS is where they invest so much of themselves. What good could be done in this world if only all of this unnecessary garbage was done away with? How can anyone think that any of this makes sense, or is wise, or godly, or in any way reflective of the heart of Jesus? Mega churches are a cancer. Period. PERIOD. And so is any institution that resembles anything about them.

This podcast also provided insight to the question I’ve been banging my head against the wall asking for years now: how did the church in this country become the horrifying abberation it has? How has it devolved into this monster that rejects everything Jesus was about and makes their top priority POWER and CONTROL, selling its soul to the highest bidder, worshiping political leaders who represent and propagate evil and harm?

Well, if there were/are THIS MANY Christians who were able to look past the obvious abuse, the glaring red flags, the openly vile behavior, the absolute rejection of the most important foundational elements of what Jesus taught…NO WONDER. No wonder we are where we are! How can we even be surprised?

Having myself been raised in the church, with shame and fear of eternal damnation being the biggest motivating factors in my life since toddlerhood, and having also been sucked into toxic and abusive church situations on a much smaller scale - I get it to a point. I empathize with the victimization of many involved - especially the women. However…I find it galling that in order for most of these people to realize how egregiously harmful this church, leadership, and belief system was they had to be personally affected at such an extreme level. It really seemed like a lot of them didn’t decide to walk away until their own livelihoods and reputations were at stake. And I think that says a lot about what kind of people the church has raised. I do have hope that many of those interviewed here have found true understanding of what they were a part of, and some are on their way.

I wish there had been a little more time given to perspectives that were sort of just brushed upon. Such as the fact that although big crises can be the tipping point for many, it doesn’t mean that their deconstruction or rejection of Christianity altogether is all about that crisis and the hurt that came from it. I have been deeply hurt in relationships (unrelated to the church) and have still reconciled and continued those relationships. But I chose not to do that with the church, or even with the Christian god. Not because I couldn’t overcome the hurt I experienced at the hands of humans, but because once I was able to get enough distance to gain perspective and be honest with myself about all the things I had actually always found reprehensible and doubtful about all of it - I realized that it just doesn’t add anything to my life that is worth the cognitive dissonance that it takes to believe and continue. I just simply don’t believe it. And my life is better this way.

I’m somehow still surprised sometimes that I have raised three children, two of whom are now adults, completely outside the church, and they are incredible, kind, loving, compassionate responsible human beings. But in addition to that, they also don’t live in the constant state of fear and shame I did, they don’t have the trauma that goes along with being raised in evangelical and purity culture. They are so much more well adjusted than I ever was. And I’ve learned so much from them.

There were a couple of things that bothered me towards the later episodes. One was the woman who was speaking from the perspective of, I believe, a mental health professional. I am very disturbed that “planting seeds” in hopes of bringing people back to the Christian faith is even a stated goal of someone in that position. And what is even more problematic is the idea that goes completely unquestioned, that if they “find God” again, that automatically means they find the Christian god. The assumption that THE God, the only real option, is the Christian god is so representative of the foundational issue here, elephant in the room that went largely unrecognized in this podcast. That no matter which way you cut it, in the end, it’s the foundation of evangelical Christianity that is cracked and dangerous. The fact that it is foundational to the belief system that THEIR God Is the only God, believing THEIR way is the ONLY way to a life eternal damnation - as long as that exists, it will always be toxic and harmful and abusive. Always. But if that belief is dealt with, what then? That belief is so untouchable, so taboo to question. Would so many people still bother to be Christians if they didn’t think it was the only way to God or heaven? What would keep them from exploring other ideations of God outside of Christianity or rejecting it outright? Ask yourself that question and you will know the answer as to why this isn’t being addressed.

And it is that sort of thing that confirms over and over again to me that evangelical Christianity does MUCH more harm than good. And that this world would be a much better place without it.
I know Christians whose actual goal is to be like Jesus in action and thought. And not a single one of them is a single issue voter, or willing to turn a blind eye to the obvious depravity the evangelical church aligns itself with politically in order to maintain and gain power. Not one.

The only Christian I have any respect for is the Christian who understands that their God isn’t the only way, and that it is in fact possible that even though they personally feel that God is real, the possibility exists that we actually don’t know so much and maybe, just maybe, not believing in God is entirely rational and valid. But how many of those Christian’s exist here in the US? I’m not sure. I just know I’ve only met a few, and those I have met attend Presbyterian churches, no church, or Unitarian churches. Even if I were to begin believing again, I would never ever ever step foot in a non-denominational church again. The lack of accountability is so dangerous. And certainly, I would never attend a church that aligns itself with the likes of the southern Baptist convention.

The tides are turning. I am watching people like Beth Moore and publications like Christianity Today, and I’m seeing it. I’m cheering them on. I used to feel so alone for so long, screaming into the void. Now I open TikTok or any other social media, and it’s FLOODED with young people and even middle aged people whose eyes have been opened to real truth.

The brand of Christianity that has been so prevalent in this country for decades is in its death throes. Good riddance, and please let the door hit you on the way out.

People like a Mark Driscoll may never experience the consequences they deserve, but they have to live with the truth about themselves. And when they are taking their last breath, they will know exactly what kind of monsters they really are.

As an aside - I’m surprised that there haven’t been allegations of sexual abuse against Mark, or if there have been, they weren’t mentioned. His obsession with sex, and with “guiding young men” seems highly suspect.

Anyway, thank you to all who participated in this. I would love to see this all explored on a deeper level that addresses the real foundational issues that ALLLLL of this were just symptoms of.

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Love the narration, good story, but hard to ignore some things…

Revisado: 09-27-21

This is a story about missing persons set in 2016-2018. I was distracted the whole time by the conspicuous absence of any reference to the missing persons’ cell phones, which would certainly be a key factor in any investigation. They never mentioned getting the location info from Google, getting cell phone records or copies of text messages, looking at social media accounts of the people who were missing, etc.
I listen to a lot of true crime, so maybe that’s why I had a hard time overlooking this. And it’s not like they totally left social media and technology out of the story. It’s there in many other ways, but mysteriously absent from the main characters’ storyline.
I also really wild have liked to get to hear more about one of the main characters at the end of the book. It felt a little bit unsatisfying.
But I enjoy the author’s writing, and Joanne Froggatt is an incredible narrator.

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Animal cruelty - through the whole book

Revisado: 06-27-21

This book should probably have a warning in the synopsis. I’m not easily offended, but nothing prepared me for the several episodes of animal cruelty, particularly as a major theme of the book. This isn’t just like a one scene thing done by a supporting character. The narrator was lovely and did a good job. But I found the book disturbing in a way that was just…disturbing. I was already wondering where the heck the storyline was going or if it was ever going anywhere when the animal stuff started. Also, there is a TON of fat phobia in this book. The local people of the village in Wales are portrayed as uneducated, superstitious simpletons with poor hygiene. The characters described over and over as fat were also portrayed as mean, greasy, smelly, dirty, and dumb. His could have been a much better book, as the concept and setting should have been a lot more interesting than they were. I would have loved less insulting stereotypes and more actual details about the town and its people. I would have been interesting to also learn about Welsh culture.

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Be prepared to feel torn, angry, heartbroken - but in the best way!

Revisado: 04-29-21

I almost stopped listening to this book about halfway through because I was so enraged by how some of the main characters were handling a situation with a child. I have a son the same age as the child in the story, and a good portion of the book was extremely upsetting and made me incredibly angry.
But by the time I was about 3/4 of the way through, I gained more empathy for some of the characters and I was very happy with how the author tied everything together and wrapped it up. It’s definitely one of those books that forces you to recognize all the shades of gray, and reinforces the idea that everyone is generally trying to do their best with what they have. That life is messy, our kids are not our possessions, and pain is often inseparable from love. Brilliantly narrated with the exception of the American accents - I really with they British narrators wouldn’t make every American sound like they are from a cheesy movie based in NYC or Boston when the characters are actually Californian or from the mid-west. I still gave the performance 5 stars because those were pretty small parts and the rest of it was so well done. I’ll definitely be looking to listen to more books by these narrators, and I look forward to what this author creates next!

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esto le resultó útil a 37 personas