Amara

An easy listen - not much heavy thinking involved - and the narrator did a terrific job capturing the characters and their varied accents. The book itself was a rather cliched collection of gangster-type characters and adventures, but the story was entertaining and easy to follow. Was glad to have a respite from the sometimes-heavier tone of Lehane's books, but still forgot about this one pretty much immediately after I'd finished it, unlike his other books, which lingered with me for awhile.

This was a fascinating book. Stephen King's portrayal of 1950/60-s era America is so rich and lovingly depicted, it makes me wish I had experienced that time in our history. Even his minor characters are given depth and traits that lend them significance and make them interesting to hear about. Additionally, the story and the concept guiding the book were so interesting that I found myself thinking about the book and the guiding idea behind the plot long after I'd finished it. Even the ending was great because it was both satisfying and unsatisfying, which means I kept thinking about it over and over. Just a really engaging read, guided by an absolutely fascinating notion.

Nope.

Probably not.

Smooth, rich, flowing

Pretty much all of them. It was just a mindless beach read with un-relateable characters, over-the-top but superficial plotlines, and cliches falling all over each other. It was basically preposterous in all ways.

This book draws you in immediately. The narrator is perfect in his rendition of the story from the first-person perspective, and captured the tone and emotions of the main character Charlie so well. I'm glad I didn't just read it on the page, because now I couldn't imagine wanting anyone else's voice in my head telling this story. The book itself struck me as such an honest and accurate depiction of life as a young teenager, and how important and significant everything seems at the time, at that age. Song lyrics, book choices, friendships, family... It transported me back to the conflicts and constant emotional highs and lows of that age and that time in our lives, which become so easy to forget as an adult. Listening to this book was a romantic and nostalgic experience that made me think both fondly and sympathetically to my own high school days. A touching and beautiful story.

Enjoyable portraits of the characters involved, but overall not a story that went much of anywhere. Yearned to hear more about each character's background and the intricacies of their relationships with each other. A mildly entertaining summer listen, but not in a huge hurry to find another Hilderbrand anytime soon.