D. Evans

I love the classics. I've listened to almost 100 books, most of them classics. I know Vanity Fair is considered a classic, and as I've not read anything else by Thackeray, I thought I'd give this a try.

I had to get used to how Thackeray wrote -- it's like he's talking with the reader. His ramblings made the story somewhat longer than it had to be.

This story laughs at the ridiculousness of the upper classes -- their ignorance, their greed, their falseness.

The main characters are Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley. Neither one is very likable. Becky is a user and out to get whatever she can from whomever she meets. Amelia is a nice but simple-minded girl who never stands up for herself.

Becky gets far by using the upper classes to gain popularity though she has no money and constantly performs theft of services. Amelia gets nowhere by being herself and not seeing the true character of the people around her.

Amelia is loved by Dobbin, who waits years for her to return his affections. She is too in love with the memory of her dead husband to see the man her husband truly was, or to see the man she could have in Dobbin.

Overall, the story was often frustrating, perhaps because while it reflects the character of people from the 1850's, it also reflects the people of today. How many financial scandals have there been lately? And aren't people famous today simply as a circumstance, and not for any true value they give to society?

The narrator was excellent, each character had its own voice. The story was good in that you learned a lot about history (Waterloo and that time period), The characters were interesting and frustrating.

I listened and listened and kept hoping one of the characters -- any of the characters -- would give Georges Duroy a good thrashing!

If this story is any indication, Guy de Maupassant doesn't have a good opinion of women. Is there nothing he can do that would make them dump him?! Only one woman in this story had any self-respect, and even she gave in to him!

In any case, while this was written in 1885, I could see the exact same story being written about people today.

And that is scary!

I don't know what made me select this story to listen to -- perhaps it was because it was narrated by Jim Broadbent. In any case, this was a good listen!

Jim Broadbent's voice gave just the right amount of feeling to Harold's voice. This book was similar to a Faulkner work, in that the more you listened, the more you "peeled the onion" and learned what happened to cause the "Pilgrimage".

The story wasn't one that you could say, "I've read/listened to something similar before." It was very unusual, and gave an excellent view of our current culture of celebrity.

It seemed an incredible premise -- leaving the house to mail a letter to a friend, and instead starting to walk over 300 miles to see that friend. But the issues Harold dealt while walking were what we'd expect. And it was interesting to hear his voice and thoughts go through changes as the miles passed.

The characters in this story were so well written. I could see the viewpoint of Harold, and that of his wife. I really felt for Harold throughout the story. I wanted him to succeed -- but I didn't want the story to end!

I highly recommend this book.

This was an interesting story. I read that there is controversy over whether or not he really went "on the road" and met all the characters he described in the book. But I thought he did a good job describing America of the 1960's.

I loved when he talked about his poodle, Charley. I thought those parts were highlights!

Gary Sinise gave an excellent performance. I'd listen to other books he narrates, if there are any!

I love classics. I've said that before. This is my third Faulkner. I listened to "The Sound and the Fury" and "Light in August" and now, "Absalom, Absalom!".

Faulkner is difficult, but I was able to follow each of the first two stories without a lot of difficulty.

But Absalom, Absalom! was a disappointment.

I didn't like the narrator at all. He didn't create a different voice for each character and it was hard to keep track of who was speaking. I read on the web that he has a beautiful reading voice -- but I was just irritated. I was frustrated through the entire first half of the story. When I got to the second half of the story, which was being told by the younger generation, I started to figure out what was going on.

There was enough of a story to make me want to listen to the entire recording -- I didn't give up on it. But I actually listened at 1.5 just to get it over with. Maybe some day I'll see if there is another narrator available and listen again -- or maybe I'll try actually reading it!

I had no idea what to expect. I just chose this book on a whim and I'm happy I did.

I was brought to tears and to laughter. I was anxious and upset at times, happy at others. Such a moving story. A dog's life, written from the dog's perspective and very well done. I don't want to give too much away. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a pet.

I simply loved this book. I couldn't stop listening, and was sad when it was over.

This is my second Pat Conroy story and I find he's becoming a favorite author. He really gets into the details in his books. He makes you truly care about the characters.

This is the story of the Meecham family and their slightly crazy fighter-pilot father Wilbur "Bull" Meecham. I understand Mr. Conroy based Bull Meecham on his father. If that is truly so, Pat had quite a volatile upbringing!

The narrator gave a distinct voice to each of the different characters. He does a good job showing the moods of Bull Meecham.

The story mostly revolves around Bull and his relationship with the military and with his son Ben.

I found myself feeling just like Bull's son, Ben. He has a love-hate relationship with his father, as do I. Bull takes care of his family, and sort-of shows his love. Then he goes crazy and destroys all the good he has done. I was on edge whenever there was a scene with Bull Meecham in it. You never knew what he was going to do.

I had a hard time leaving this story. I wanted to learn more about Ben's life. And even though I disliked Bull, I was still sad at the end of the story.

I loved the book, "The Good Earth." It taught me a lot about China, its history and its people. When I saw this other book by Pearl S. Buck I thought I'd give it a try.

I wasn't disappointed. The story was quite compelling and the performance was excellent.

This is a story about a little Chinese girl sold to a Jewish family in 1850's China as a friend/servant of the family's young son. I didn't realize there were Jews in China until reading this story!

The story incorporates the history of the Jews in China, as well as their current (1850's) life style. It tells the story of Peony, her "adopted" family, and what happens when the family becomes assimilated into Chinese culture/life.

Overall, a very good listen.

I like listening to personal stories read by the people who wrote them. Kristen narrated her story and did an excellent job. Her raspy voice told a lot about how she treated herself over the past few years. Eesh! What a mess she was.

All I knew about Kristen was that I thought she was great on the TV show "3rd Rock from the Sun." I had no idea what she had done to herself or where she had disappeared to. It was interesting listening to how she ended up in a hospital in England, near death, and how she managed to pull herself together again.

It's amazing she has been able to keep her sense of humor through it all.

I saw Kristin on "Anderson Cooper" and that's how I learned about her having a book. She looks like she has her act back together now. If you were a fan of "3rd Rock," you'll enjoy hearing about the rise and fall and rise of Kristen Johnston.

I've listened to almost 100 books -- many of them classics. This is my first Nora Roberts trilogy, and after reading the first book, I was looking forward to the second in the series.

This was another good listen, a good romance. Not overly sappy. I find myself watching Audible to see when the third installment will be available. The stories are still somewhat predictable -- I think I know how the third story will go -- but I don't care. I'm still invested in the characters.

I listened whenever I had even a few minutes to spare. I wanted to hear what happened next.

For the first book, I had a little trouble with the narrator. He wasn't all that great with creating distinct women's voices. Same with the second book -- but I was expecting it and just accepted it because I want to listen to these stories. I've resigned myself to the fact that it'll be the same person narrating the third book as did the first two, and I'll just deal with it.

It's all about strong, beautiful women and strong, handsome men -- all good, smart people.

Yes, it's a basic romance where all ends happily, and yes -- it's a fun listen. Can't wait for the third installment!