M Shep

Bad narrator

Revisado: 04-13-23

Could not bear the narrator’s voice. Her voice was more scratchy than most. Sorry I bought it.

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Fascinating story

Revisado: 03-23-20

I've read all of Erik Larsen's books and many books about WWII. (One of my other favorites is the superb Citizens of London.) So I was curious about how Larsen would treat this subject and how he would find anything new to add. I've been pleasantly surprised. His focus is on Churchill himself. Larsen's reliance on deep description of Churchill's interactions with others, aided by stories drawn from the wartime diaries of those surrounding him, has brought fresh insights concerning what Churchill was going through during those dark days. John Lee is a superb narrator, and perfect for this story, since he speaks with the a dignity, clarity and phrasing that captures the way British leaders actually spoke during Churchill's time. He is a national treasure.

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Fantastic narrator

Revisado: 01-18-20

Really good, well-written story, made even more enjoyable by Karen Peake's clever, sensitive narration. There's a lot of nuance in the dialogue and she doesn't miss a trick.

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Couldn't get past intro because of narrator

Revisado: 12-27-19

I only listened to the first bit of this book. Since the introductory material was purely descriptive, I expected the narrator to use a neutral, descriptive voice.
However, the narrator's tone made me uncomfortable. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it wasn't neutral. Maybe she was getting into a role. If so she was playing a character I didn't want to spend a lot of time with. Her French pronunciation was also poor.

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esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Wonderful book!

Revisado: 09-07-19

I loved listening to this. Boyle is a marvelous reader and a marvelous human being. He got an atheist thinking about the value of faith and grace in an entirely different way.

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Could listen to this again and again

Revisado: 01-05-18

There's nothing more delicious than Graeme Malcolm reading this novel, especially when character Tracy Waterhouse is in the scene. I am stunned by the humanity that Atkinson and Malcolm together create -- with her amazing writing and Malcolm's ability to capture every nuance of meaning. The plot is complex, but it's the individual moments that are so rich.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Returning book because of narration

Revisado: 03-18-17

My problem with the book is with the narrator -- her approach just rubbed me the wrong way. Many words are given a little explosive pop, so rather than a smooth low key delivery one has to pay attention to Each. Word. Separately and Emphatically. Felt like a YA storytelling style.

My rating is purely based on the narrative performance. Unfortunately Audible makes me also rate everything just to write this review. Having insufficient info, I put in two stars but I didn't read past the first chapter.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Fascinating! Hated questions at end.

Revisado: 06-19-16

Other reviews will describe the merits of this book. I found it fascinating read. My favorite reader Edoardo Ballerini did his usual talented job.The author has woven together three separate interrelated storylines, and did so very successfully. The conclusion is poignant.

However I can't understand why the publisher decided to give NO ROOM for the reader to muse, breathe, reflect after the novel ends--within three seconds we’re jarred by the voice of a new speaker, followed by the author (poor author!) mechanically reciting a list of questions for your "reading group." It really detracted from the experience of what is otherwise a great read.

I've never liked reading group questions but if they must be included, producers need to realize that there must be a meaningful space after a book concludes before someone uninvited starts to blather on about the experience --even the author. Give us a chance to turn off the tape if we don't want that sort of interference. Surely Audible can help make this a standard for audiobooks it includes?

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Superb!

Revisado: 08-03-13

Excellent, complex, beautifully written story about the Bethnal Green bomb shelter disaster of 1943, focusing less on the event itself than on the lives of people involved in it..

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This is when Audible's return policy shines!

Revisado: 07-03-13

I wasn't sure how I'd like this book but knowing that as a member I could return it, I bought it and downloaded just one section. I agree with other listeners:the narrator is not up to the job. Her voice was okay, but she too often read sentences awkwardly, with unnatural pauses. I also found the novelist's language overwordy and awkward. Toward the end it got better, but there were many places where she used fifteen words where five would have been much better.

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esto le resultó útil a 8 personas