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Carol

us about yourself! I'm a retired English teacher and ardent reader(more because of physical disability than from job).

Kirkwood, CA, United States | Member Since 2007

15
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 5 reviews
  • 575 ratings
  • 787 titles in library
  • 30 purchased in 2013
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FOLLOWERS
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  • Fear of Flying | [Erica Jong]
    Fear of Flying
    UNABRIDGED

    Fear of Flying

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 45 mins)
    • By Erica Jong
    • Narrated By Hope Davis
    Overall
    (69)
    Performance
    (21)
    Story
    (20)

    Originally published in 1973, the groundbreaking, uninhibited story of Isadora Wing and her desire to fly free caused a national sensation. In The New York Times, Henry Miller compared it to his own classic, Tropic of Cancer and predicted that "this book will make literary history..." It has sold more than 12-million copies. Now, after 30 years, the revolutionary novel known as Fear of Flying still stands as a timeless tale of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood.

    Kristi says: "Glad I didn't give up on it..."
    "STUCK ON THE COUCH"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What disappointed you about Fear of Flying?

    The main character never stopped self analysis. At some point the reader wants development!!


    What do you think your next listen will be?

    A book loaded with plot.and perhaps some humor.


    What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

    The voice tried to clearly present her thoughts, butb I just quit caring.


    What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

    Boths adness ans disappointment. I remember this book as pivotal the woman's lib movement. Why?


    Any additional comments?

    Absolutely the most depressing book I've ever listened to.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Going After Cacciato | [Tim O'Brien]
    Going After Cacciato
    UNABRIDGED

    Going After Cacciato

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By Tim O'Brien
    • Narrated By Kevin T. Collins
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (40)
    Performance
    (35)
    Story
    (37)

    Winner of the 1979 National Book Award, Going After Cacciato, a classic novel of Vietnam, captures the peculiar mixture of horror and hallucination that marked that strangest of wars. In a blend of reality and fantasy, this novel tells the story of a young soldier who one day lays down his rifle and sets off on a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina to the streets of Paris.

    Carol says: "Vietnam as Fiction"
    "Vietnam as Fiction"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Going After Cacciato again? Why?

    Absolutely, because, despite its being a war story, the style is lyrical and the plot is intriguing..


    What did you like best about this story?

    This is a clever twist on a basic situation--desertion. What happens if the pursuers desert too? Plus it distorts reality just enough to drape the story in a gauze of magic.


    What didn’t you like about Kevin T. Collins’s performance?

    His voice became so emotional that it was drippy.


    If you could take any character from Going After Cacciato out to dinner, who would it be and why?

    I'd like to talk with Cacciato's Vietnamese girlfriend-wife. Maybe hearing her relaity would help to untangle the story of the actual desertion.


    Any additional comments?

    Tim O'Brien is a wonderful writer about war and soldiers trying to make sense of a particular morass.He adds magic to what must have been the grimest of realities.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Flight Behavior | [Barbara Kingsolver]
    Flight Behavior
    UNABRIDGED

    Flight Behavior

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 56 mins)
    • By Barbara Kingsolver
    • Narrated By Barbara Kingsolver
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (678)
    Performance
    (579)
    Story
    (585)

    Dellarobia Turnbow is a restless farm wife who gave up her own plans when she accidentally became pregnant at 17. Now, after a decade of domestic disharmony on a failing farm, she encounters a shocking sight: a silent, forested valley filled with what looks like a lake of fire. She can only understand it as a cautionary miracle, but it sparks a raft of other explanations from scientists, religious leaders, and the media.

    Marcia says: "Tough Message Delivered in Silk"
    "Kingsolver's best yet"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Flight Behavior again? Why?

    I have already listened to sections repeatedly. Kingsolver's style is lyrical and transfixing (especially her description of butterflys/distant wild fire).
    Her plot is involved and meaty, this one with a heavy dose of science. As always, Kingsolver shares a deep comitment to current environmental concerns, while detailing the limitations of the farm life and sharing insights into individuals, especially people with limited opportunities.


    Who was your favorite character and why?

    The heroine was truly that, a complex, tormented woman you cared about as she struggled to understand herself and her choices.


    Have you listened to any of Barbara Kingsolver’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    This is her best yet. It combines her lyrical style and solid science.


    If you could rename Flight Behavior, what would you call it?

    It's the perfect title, because the heroine is struggling against temptations to flee and humans are denying scientific reality, so flight behaviors abound.


    Any additional comments?

    Kingsolver's lyricism and deft insights make her one of America's finest writers.

    15 of 16 people found this review helpful
  • The Professor and the Madman | [Simon Winchester]
    The Professor and the Madman
    UNABRIDGED

    The Professor and the Madman

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 21 mins)
    • By Simon Winchester
    • Narrated By Simon Winchester
    Overall
    (1158)
    Performance
    (394)
    Story
    (402)

    Part history, part true-crime, and entirely entertaining, listen to the story of how the behemoth Oxford English Dictionary was made. You'll hang on every word as you discover that the dictionary's greatest contributor was also an insane murderer working from the confines of an asylum.

    Jerry says: "Perfect example of a quality audible book."
    "Madness plus a dicionary--what a fascinating tale"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

    Definitely because it is intriguing.


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

    His accent adds to the setting.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    Abcolutely, because it's so intriguing to find such a romantic tale linked to a massive dictionary.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • A Discovery of Witches | [Deborah Harkness]
    A Discovery of Witches
    UNABRIDGED

    A Discovery of Witches

    • UNABRIDGED (24 hrs and 2 mins)
    • By Deborah Harkness
    • Narrated By Jennifer Ikeda
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (7471)
    Performance
    (5115)
    Story
    (5131)

    Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library.

    Barbara says: "A feast for the mind and imagination"
    "A Magical Blend"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Where does A Discovery of Witches rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

    Since I've never read fantasy (witches, vampires and magic), tthis book stands alone.


    What other book might you compare A Discovery of Witches to and why?

    It's a wonderful blean of science, history, fantasy and magic, and therefore incomparable.


    Which scene was your favorite?

    The magic house, which can choose to welcome visitors or not.


    If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

    Enter a world which touches all life with magic.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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