Kathy

For some reason, this is a difficult review to write partly because I don't want to include spoilers and because it is an unusual book. I finished it very quickly, as I was intrigued by both story lines, and I couldn't wait to see how the main characters' lives intersected. It was in a most unexpected way but it really worked for me. This was not an uplifting, happy read for the most part, but it did offer hope for a better future for both characters. It is a fascinating character study.
Both narrators did an excellent job of bringing their characters to life and both immensely added to the telling of a story that for me is unforgettable.
I highly recommend this book.

I loved everything about this book--Marcus' amazing story of going from Ethiopian orphan to Swedish adoptee to a world-renowned chef. I also really appreciated the fact that he narrated his own story--it makes a memoir so much more enjoyable. So a few words were mispronounced--who cares, really? It happens with the most professional of narrators.

I was so impressed with his drive for success and his true love of food--especially his continuing quest for the most wonderful mix of flavors. In listening to his story, you just know that Marcus HAD to succeed, there couldn't be any other outcome.

I wish him all the best and wish New York wasn't so far away from California, as I would love to hang out at The Red Rooster!

A few spoilers, perhaps.

Mary Ingles' escape from the Shawnee Indians in 1755 is such an incredible true story. The beginning of her story is a tough read, as it describes an Indian massacre in detail. Although I thought I was prepared for this telling, it was still disturbing. Mary's time spent in captivity, although only several months, also is a fair chunk of the story, very interesting yet not quite as disturbing.

I was fascinated her trip to freedom. It is written in a manner that you feel you are right there with her day after tortuous day. The relationship that progressed between Mary and her companion, in all its developments, rang true and certainly seemed believable. It seemed the obstacles would never cease as Mary plodded along following various rivers, starving and naked. While the story sometimes seemed beyond belief, I have read other true survival tales and continue to be amazed at what a human body can go through when determined to survive.

I especially appreciated the author's comments at the end of the book.

Highly recommended.

I don't want to list all the superlatives that come to mind right now after just finishing this book. If you are interested in nature and wildlife, it is a must read. I don't know how you could listen to this book and not come away feeling deeply affected and changed. I don't know how you could listen to this book and not want to visit Thula Thula.

Other reviews have already described the story. I just want to say that you need to download this book and set aside 11 hours as soon as possible, for you will be wanting to do little else than listen to it.

This is a sequel to A Girl Named Zippy, which I just finished. I immensely enjoyed it and couldn't wait to start this one.

This second book continues in the same light as the first Zippy story, with "essays" or vignettes of Zippy's early life story, as narrated by the author, who in reality is Zippy. She does an excellent job of capturing the child, Zippy's, voice. Again, lots of laugh out loud moments, incredibly funny experiences, but here we feel more of the bittersweet aspect of Zippy's memories. As she gets older, you get more of a feel of the lack of parenting and neglect suffered by the child, who never complains or even knows as a child what she is missing.

This book focuses a bit more on the relationship Zippy has with her beloved father and her mother, who finally gets up off the couch to make a better life for herself (and perhaps for Zippy, but this doesn't seem to be a direct goal.) I enjoyed this book immensely and got a real feel for Zippy's exuberant personality. This book ended for me with a little touch of sadness but much hope.

I highly recommend both books for a truly enjoyable, light-hearted listening experience!

I knew I wanted to get the two Zippy books, and then they went on sale recently. Perfect opportunity, and I downloaded them both.

I just want to commend the author, Haven Kimmel, on her wonderful writing and narration skills. All in all, it was a truly fun listening experience! Kimmel's Zippy voice was amazing--obviously, no one could do it better than her, as she IS Zippy! This book is very funny and had me laughing out loud many times. Zippy tells of her childhood in short "essays" and you really get a feeling that she was an amazing child who made her own way in the world by necessity, as her parents were lacking in many parenting skills. There was just a touch of the bittersweet in this book if you "listen" between the lines, as parenting Zippy was not a priority for her parents. Zippy quickly became her own person and she had quite a memorable childhood despite what was lacking in her parents. I felt I could listen to Zippy's stories endlessly and was sorry when the book ended. Luckily for me, I had the sequel, "She Got Up Off The Couch" waiting in my library.

Highly recommended.--not a child's book but a book for the young at heart.

Wow! Heroism, patriotism, bravery in a war story with a different twist. This book tells the story of two women and their involvement and actual participation in World War II. It is very unusual to read a war story told from a female point of view and experience. It made me sad, it made me happy, but it always kept me interested and listening.

Bravo to Elizabeth Wein for writing an original and fascinating war story. The narrators were excellent and made this a very compelling listen.

This was a fun listen all the way through. I would describe it as a romantic comedy. It was very entertaining and funny and kept me interested all the way through. I also found it reminiscent of Janet Evanovich's books.

The narrator had all the voices to go along with this story and certainly added to the enjoyment of the experience. She also has a knack for reading comedy, something not everyone can do well.

I really loved this book. It is what I would call' magical realism.' It was beautifully written and in addition, Debra Monk did a stellar job of narrating it. I felt like I was right there in Alaska with the two families.
While the ending was not as uplifting as I hoped, I think it was the logical way for the author to go and it did not disappoint me at all. I felt satisfied after I was done. I would definitely read another book either written by Eowyn Ivey or narrated by Debra Monk.

This is a difficult book for me to review, and I waffled back and forth between three and four stars. It is really three and a half stars.

As another review I read stated, it was quite a "masculine" type of book--I agree. It could be called a character study of a sick and grieving old man, waiting to die. He lives alone after the death of his beloved wife and realizes he needs to make up some rules for the remainder of his life to prevent himself from wallowing in self-pity. He decides to write a fictional story of a group of soldiers in World War 1, all the while reminiscing of his own past life.

This is not a happy, uplifting story at any point. Yet is fascinated me and kept my interest all the way through. It is beautifully written. I even had a tear or two in my eyes at the end. It is not a story for everyone and you must choose for yourself whether you want to experience it.

I just want to start out by saying that Ready Player One was a favorite of mine and I listened to it twice in a row.

Mr. Penumbra, on the other hand, just did not keep my interest. I felt it was written for a much younger audience. In addition, its level of geekiness and fantasy was way beyond what I could comprehend or enjoy. The characters were not particularly likeable or memorable and although I finished the book, I just did not care at all how it ended.

Whether I am just not the right demographic or the book wasn't that good, I can't tell. I would not recommend it to any of the people in my life, even the younger, more computer savvy ones.