Kathy Sails

A well written, engaging book about how two young people turned a run-down farm into a profitable business, providing people with wholesome, organic food. The author gave what seemed like an honest behind-the-scenes account of the hardships--and rewards--of growing vegetables without chemicals and raising and butchering animals without causing them undue stress or pain. It made me appreciate, all the more, the difference between "factory farming" and humane, sustainable farming.

This book flows well and kept me coming back for more. I can't wait to read the second book in the series. It is action packed, humorous at times, and an easy listen. It's not hard to like and empathize with the protagonist and to enjoy the other characters. The narrator has a pleasant voice that fits the persona of the main character. My only complaint is that whoever did the sound editing left huge silences between some chapter introductions and then jammed the introductions onto the last sentence of the previous chapter at other times.

Although the book was written in an overly-simplified, sometimes silly manner, it helps explain economies and our current dire situation in a manner that everyone can understand. It was never dry or boring and was entertaining as well as informative, and people who might think they could never learn about such subjects will be surprised at how easy these authors make the concepts to grasp. Although they point out the politics involved, the authors take care to not take the side of one party or the other and instead look at how the decisions of leaders have been made and their impact. European countries are experiencing economic crisis and this book really illustrates how unstable the economy and situation in general are in the US. It also explains what we can do to improve the situation, but unless people understand the economic principles and other factors presented in the book, we are likely to continue on our current course towards disaster.

I would advise anyone over the age of 50 to read this book. It brought together many of the threads of my life and helped me clarify and answer questions regarding my self, emotional healing, self-forgiveness, spirituality, etc. I definitely want to listen to it again. The first half of the book, although very pertinent, was often repetitious. I also wish that the author had elaborated more on our dark side during the second half. But, it was still very worth reading and I have recommended it to others.

This book was lengthy but never became boring. Although cooking was Julia's passion and predominated her life, she was a daughter, wife, sister, friend, and woman, and the author of this well-written book brought out each facet as well as her views and personality. He also presented Julia in the context of the world in which she lived, and I learned more about the politics and lives of women in her era. I was surprised to find that the book helped me to better understand my own mother and realize that her cooking, which I thought was awful, was due to the unavailability of foods and produce that I take for granted. A delightful read or listen!

This book was a captivating and entertaining story of a truly remarkable horse and his owner/trainer and family. The author captured the essence of the horse and made him seem almost human. The horse's owner's life had been drastically changed by WWII and the German invasion in his country, and his story was also quite interesting. The author presented the world of the 1950s, including the elite, upper class "horsey set" and a snapshot of how American life was changing during that era. She also explained much about show jumping. My only complaint about her writing was that there were several annoying instances of repeating almost exact paragraphs. The first few times I thought my Kindle had malfunctioned and had somehow gone back a few chapters. The narration was good, although a few times the narrator over-emoted.

My husband and I enjoyed learning about the roles various beverages had in shaping history. We had never thought about how various drinks came into being or how they or the plants from which they were derived became sources of power for different countries and led to laws, struggles, and even wars. It gave us a new understanding of the history of the world and an appreciation for the things we drink. I'll never look at tea the same after realizing that, in bygone eras, society's elite might have been unwittingly sipping animal excrement in addition to tea leaves!

A well written, interesting story. My husband I enjoyed listening to it on a road trip, and it made for good discussion afterwards. The inside info from events we recalled reading about or seeing on the news was pretty enlightening and even scary at times. The author talked about the human emotions involved in his work, which often involved killing, yet he also demonstrated a sense of humor regarding other things. The narrator's voice sometimes seemed a bit slow but did not detract.

This is one of my favorites. It was very well narrated and engaging.

There were several "cliff hangers" that kept me quite interested. The book itself was memorable. It was different than most books in that the central character was a young, talented girl in a big city with a valuable horse, and she struggled to perform the fine art of dressage while dealing with numerous losses and hardships. Her bravery and resolve were quite memorable.

Her ability to emote in British, French, and American accents.

I experienced a sense of relief at the end.

The parts about Natasha (why did the author choose that name, for crying out loud?) and Connor and Mack got a bit "old" and tiresome. There were some parts of the book that seemed a bit less than plausible, but it still made for a very good book.

I have recommended the book....not the audiobook!...to many people.

Learning how our thoughts can change our neural pathways.

Anyone who could talk in a conversational voice rather than a monotone. The pacing and lack of inflection in his voice made it difficult to maintain attention. It was hard to know when there were subheadings or breaks since everything ran together.

Hard to say. The narration was soooooo boring that I wish I had gotten the Kindle version instead.