Ron

The stories were real, and factual, I believe. Liked the least.... the presentation.

No.

The dull, flat monotone was a distraction that even the wonderful tales and brilliant descriptions could not overcome. This would have been a better book to read, rather than listen to, only because the narrator, although he was without flaws in his reading, could not impart any drama or emotion. I feel the author might have done better had she narrated the book herself. She lived it, she should of told it.

It is a great day by day account of life in the slum, but there was little chance for the listener to get emotionally attached to the characters. I found myself falling asleep and not knowing where I left off many times. Great content but rather boring, and without some major re-writes is not movie potential. Out of respect for the author I would go see it, but I would suspect it would be vastly different as a screen play.

Thank you to the author for her strong commitment to fact and realism.

Fantasy. A tiger that can swim and get into a lifeboat? Flying pigs and singing monkeys were the only thing missing. I did make it through, but my sense of reality was challenged throughout.

Enough said. Tried to get interested about a dozen times, but there is nothing redeeming in this pulp trash

No doubt Ernest Hemingway looked at life in a clear plain way. This story gets you inside the heads of many characters. Not really going anywhere, in no particular order, is the beauty of it. Simplicity and clarity of voice is the trademark, and what makes this another great listen from the man himself.

A little hard to stay on track. A better read than a listen. The narration is too fast for the complexity of the language used.

While the story is stretched to make one event last an entire 6 hours of audio book, the background is interesting enough. What makes it worthwhile is that this is not a writer telling this story, it is a soldier, pure and simple. A person trained to be a cool calm detached killing machine. Just cause, yes, and if anyone is good at his job, this person is. What is impressive is the level of training, the professionalism, the dedication that is depicted. Total respect for these top level "CEO" calibre fighting men. This is what the story is about. How a group of men can be handed the task to undertake this serious mission and just do it, almost flawlessly. (The HILO did crash for some reason). I would recommend it. And I did have to listen over and over more than a few times the thump thump thump of those few rounds that were actually the ones that rid the world of bin laden. Yes, the book is worth a listen for those seconds alone.

I just wish I had not wasted a credit on this audio book. Sorry, but this is one choice to regret. A story that starts no where, goes no where, and ends even worse, with just a feeling of time poorly wasted, waiting for some story to emerge. Blank headphones would have made better company than listening to this audiobook.
Four or five average people, leading average lives, told in a less than average story. I would love the ask the author - why? What were you writing about? How did it ever get to print? Or audiobook? Who do you know? This speaks to the depths of the lack of quality out there. Not saying I could do better, no, but I don't pretend to have a story and then spill out streams of endless drivel about a half dozen average people.
Just because they are in Africa, and that seems exotic to North Americans, does not make this interesting. Hardly.
The only saving grace was skillful narration.
I would love to hear the reasoning behind anyone believing there is something to this novel, because I just don't get it.

Beautiful and horrific all at once and combined. The almost unimaginable horrors this small child had to live through, that most humans could not comprehend, are told in exquisite and often poetic detail. This is a story of a dismantling of a country and a society, and the family that she loses can almost be seen as a metaphor for the entire four years of the reign of terror the Khmer Rouge.

Often times disturbing, this might not be everyone. But it is like a history lesson, and a lesson and example as to the inhumanity that is still contained within humanity.

The narration is very good, but just a little lacking, considering the drama there was to work with in the story. But I enjoyed it, and it has taken a few days of reflection before I could attempt this review, for the simple fact that the story is haunting me and will for a while.

Thank you Vaddey Rutner for being so brave to retell this story. The strength you showed just surviving those horrors lives on. You are a special human being.

Of all the narrators doing audiobooks this guy is the hands down the worst. It gets so irritating that I wonder if I can ever buy another audio book. Every word he ends with a period.
Like: "We. Started. The approach. To. Kandahar. The. Location. ...." you get the idea. For some reason he has to stop for a second after each word, so you expect the sentence to end. I tried four times to get into this story and each time I gave up wanting to delete the file.
I am a big fan of audiobooks, and I have told many people about the advantages of this format. But this is a bad example. Sorry to say, but it sucks.
The story might be OK but I'll never know, the narrator is so irritating I would rather... (fill in the worst thing you can think of here...) than listen to this.
I only wish you could leave NO stars on the performance level. One is waaaay too much.

I loved the first two, and even liked the next two, but I almost feel sorry for the author having to pump these out with a cookie cutter. Can you say 'formula'? Had a tough time getting though it and can see that the ideas are done, gone, finished. How many ways can you shoot a guy 'between the eyebrows" with a suppressed MP3 or whatever. Seems like he got tired of trying to invent muslim names so he turned this story onto itself and someone from the inside the CIA has to kill the hero. But not after, of course, he has to rescue the fair maiden. I guess the superhero Mitch has killed off all the middle eastern terrorists.
But, for all you reading this that have not been through at least three or four of this series, it is great, go for it, just don't OD on Mitch and Dr. Kennedy and become bitter like me. Quit at four, or five.

Within a few moments you realize this is something special. The same classic enjoyed years ago, but brought to life in full measure in the hands of the amazing Alfred Molina. A bedtime story told by a master narrator, an actor. Of all the audio books you might listen to in a year, this will either be the best, or among the best. What a treat. Every moment. Thank you Mr. Molina.