George Knight

Another World

Revisado: 02-14-25

I like being transported to world I have never and could never experience, and this book does that very well. Excellent! A word about the narration; yes, it is wooden and flat. The only thing that could make it worse would be to have someone else narrate it. As it is, it is thoroughly authentic. You really feel like you are sitting in a pub over a pint with the author while he reminisces about his time as a submariner. Well worth your time to listen!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

FUN!!

Revisado: 02-04-25

If the brief story you’re listening to doesn’t grab you, wait three minutes; the next one will. It’s just loads of fun after a taxing day. Buy it!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Trust the title, not the blurbs.

Revisado: 01-07-25

For a book that was billed as a tug-of-war between Roosevelt and Lindberg, it isn’t that. Churchill gets more ink than Lindberg. It’s a bit disappointing that way. As a history of Roosevelt finessing America into position for its unavoidable entry into World War Two, it’s fascinating and well worth the listen. Trust the title, not the blurbs.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Distasteful

Revisado: 10-30-24

Very well written, very well performed, but so distasteful I can’t recommend it to anybody.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A British Naval Perspective

Revisado: 05-17-21

Barbara Tuchman produced a very thorough and understandable history of the American Revolution, told from a British naval perspective. As such she was able to relate the war to the much broader conflicts in which Britain became simultaneously embroiled. A very worthwhile listen. Kudos to the narrator, also.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The Best Part of Saturday

Revisado: 12-16-14

The way an audio book works is this: you listen to a chapter, maybe two if you're extravagant, then you put down your iPod and get on with what needs doing.

But Alan Cumming doesn't play fair. Not only is he a great reader (I mean, he's Alan Cumming, for crying out loud) but he's also an amazing writer. He has mastered the art of narrative and the chapter ending cliff hanger, and as a result I spent the best part of my Saturday not working, but listening. I tried to listen while I worked, but then I found myself just standing in the middle of my living room with a dust cloth in my hands, listening.

This is not your typical collection of show biz party stories, but a painful memoir of a man coming to terms with his very difficult childhood. This should be a real downer, but somehow it's not. It's a triumph. There is not only honesty in this story, but love -- love for his family, love for the reader, love for the craft of story telling.

Not My Father's Son is simply the most satisfying "listen" I've had all year. Buy it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 152 personas

Not a book

Revisado: 12-16-14

This is not a book; it is a list. Lists have their place, but they don't tell a story. Nor do they go into much depth. I get it that there are "list people" out there. If you are one, buy this book. If you want something with depth, look elsewhere.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 14 personas

Great Story, Wonderful Listening, But the Editor?

Revisado: 07-14-13

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend this book. Greg Bear does the best job of bringing hard science into speculative fiction of anyone I know. The story never subsumes the science, nor the science the story. VERY satisfying to the head and the heart.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Very satisfying.

What does Stephen Bel Davies bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The last third of the book is loaded with stuff that would not have changed the story at all if it hadn't been there. Sorry, Greg. If it hadn't been for Stephen's excellent reading, I wouldn't have stuck with it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wonder if this book could have gotten published these days. Every story now seems so addicted to "it all works out in the end" that true tragedy isn't really dealt with. I really liked the fact that Greg Bear acknowledged that sometimes the worst case happens. He has a silver lining, all right, but it doesn't eclipse the catastrophe of the event.

Any additional comments?

Honestly, the last third of the novel was full of things that covered in 20 pages what could have been covered in one. Perhaps when one is Greg Bear, editors are (or were) reluctant to intervene. In any event, one of the advantages of having a good narrator is that his energy can carry you through the slow spots. And I really appreciate that, because the last pages of the story were really worth getting to. I would certainly buy another Greg Bear book, as I've done in the past, and will certainly look for anything narrated by Stephen Bel Davies. Hurrah and thanks to you both. A great yarn.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 22 personas