KMP

I enjoyed this work very much, and agree with the editor's comments about the richness and depth of the multigenerational characters and vivid settings (Greece, Scotland, New York and New England - not a bad travelogue!). The only issue I had was the abruptness with which new passages were begun. The narrator seems to have been hurried a bit, and since there are so many threads and characters to the story, it would have helped if he had definite "stops" between passages. (Maybe a bell, or some subtle tone.) This was particularly important because there is continual switching between the "three Junes" (three summer periods separated by many years). I was a little amused at the "American" dialects used by the narrator, but this is inevitable and even adds a bit to the interest in listening to the story (it helps that I found the narrator's Scottish burr appealing). I thought the story itself was richly drawn, multi-textured, and that several of the characters were very appealing - particularly Paul and his oldest son, Fenno (I might have favored the wistful ones, I think!). This is the second Audible selection I've tried; the first, "Devil in the White City," was wonderful, as well. I can recommend both if you're down with a protracted bout of the flu and tired of both reading and tv - something I hadn't thought of when I joined to make my long commute more bearable!

Tony Goldman's clear and dramatic reading of this fascinating book was a pleasure to listen to, and the story itself was riveting. I confess to paying closer attention to the depredations of HH Holmes rather than to some of the business dealings around the 1893 Chicago Fair, but the entwined story was quite well done, the historical period came alive in the telling, and I was sorry when the book came to a close, since I'd enjoyed it as a diverting story during long commutes.