Jennifer

Early on in this book I was thinking it was a 4 star book, not great, but entertaining. I liked the idea of it, Gone With The Wind through the eyes of a slave with O'Hara blood. But the narrator wore on me, I didn't mind her at first, but she was just so depressed sounding through all of it, no matter the circumstance. And I couldn't connect the Mammy she described in there with the one from GWTW. Possible if the book had been much much longer it would have been better, there would have been time for charactor building, and deeper storytelling. Possible that might not have helped either as 3 hours into the story I was simply tired of it and bumped it down to a 2 or 3 star book. It wasn't horrible, if I had cared more or even had a clear mental picture (more than just physical) of the charactors I might have liked it more. Also took a little bit to figure out who was who in the book. Mammy was Mammy, Rhett was R, Scarlett was Other, Gerald was Planter, Ellen was Lady, etc. If one likes short books they might like this one. Oh yeah, and they don't mean funny when they say Parody, it is a serious book.

I really enjoyed this book. I listen to books while I work and on a couple days I found myself working past the end of my day because I didn't want to stop listening. The horse parts were interesting and authentic enough to make a horse person (like myself) happy, while not being overpowering for people that aren't so interested in them. Yes, the main characters do make a lot of bad choices, but I still think the story as a whole was excellent. Loved the narrator too, she was easy to listen to and did the various voices well. I really didn't want the book to end. During listening to it I frequently could picture it in movie form so clearly that after it ended I went to search on google and see if it was coming out as a movie. I didn't find anything about that, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see it as one eventually, I would go see it. It has a few swear words and a couple of not overly graphic sex scenes (one of which was unwilling), but I would still say the book would be good for anywhere from a rather mature pre-teen through adult.

This will just be a short review. As so many of the reviewers didn't like the narration, enough that I strongly considered not getting the book, I thought I should mention that I liked the narration. Maybe if I came directly from a Davina Porter, Outlander book I would have had a problem with it and it did take a little bit of getting used to, but just a little bit. And it is a book by the viewpoint of two men, it really wouldn't make sense for it to be narrated by a woman. I enjoyed the story. I have a bit of a problem with the regular Lord John books as I miss the other Outlander charactors in them, but as this one was half Jamie, that wasn't a problem. I liked that it filled in one of the spaces in the Outlander series. Good book. As good as one of the Outlander series? No, too short for that. But still enjoyable, got me back in the mood for the series and I think I will listen to the series again next as it has been a little while since I heard it last.

I am not comfortable with the N-word (which it uses a lot) nor any other racial slang really, yet this book was great. It really gives you a look into another era. There are repetitive parts in it ("by and by"), but it was still interesting. It has a lot of funny parts in it. Elijah Wood's narration of it is excellent. For me it also reminded me of being a kid and having my dad read it to me along with other Twain novels. I was old enough to read, but enjoyed it when my parents would read me a book, it turned me into an avid reader as an adult.

I fully enjoyed this book. Yes it does jump back and forth through time, but I didn't find it hard to follow once I got used to it. It did switch without warning, but there were clues right away as to who they were talking about. If the main character was being referred to as "Tommy" you were likely in the time period when he was a child, if he was called "Tom" he was as adult. There were also certain characters and settings that were only around in either childhood or adulthood. I also liked all the different settings, it helped to keep the book interesting. There are parts in London, Hollywood, Montana, etc and scenes at a horrible boarding school, hollywood set, out horse riding, the Iraq war, at a trial, etc. There is a lot going on. I found myself not wanting to stop working (I listen to my book while working) as I was so enthralled with what was going on. I've loved all Nicholas Evan's books and I think this is another great one.

I had mixed feelings on this one. Like all the Gear's novels it was well researched, well writen, violent, and interesting. I was interested all the way through, a good read, well narrated too. It has well developed charactors, from the female war chief Koracoo, her estranged husband and deputy Gonda, vicious and scary witch Ganajero, and many others. My problem was the end. It felt like the the authors ran out of time or something and just cut off the book. Things were building up to an exciting climax then it's over. Still worth listening to, just slightly frustrating. I wish Audible would get one of their truly fantastic ones, like "People of the Lakes" (their best in my opinion) or "People of the Lightning". Back to this one, it is violent, violence towards children this time, not super graphic, but still might be hard for some to take. Might be more of an adult's book, although I think I started reading their books as a teenager, so I'm sure some teens would enjoy it too.

I was fascinated by this book. She made so many interesting points in it that I kept stopping it to tell my husband some interesting tidbit. Some people won't like it because although she obviously loves animals, she is a realist. She doesn't expect people to stop eating meat or owning pets, simply to be responsible and to care for the animals they are in charge of. Give them a decent life, be it a house dog or a layer hen. She is also realistic in that (with chickens for instance) not all hens can have acres of free range, but give them a place to feel safe to lay, to feel safe from predators (even if they are safe it is important to FEEL safe), room to move and stretch their wings, and something to occupy their mind (even something as simple as a piece of string can keep a chicken interested for ages). She also talks about similar things, what an animal needs to be happy, about all kinds of critters; dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, big cats, etc. There are sad parts of the book and parts that I didn't agree with what she said, but all in all I really enjoyed the book. I promptly got "Animals in Translation" too and am about to start it.

I had read the book a few times and have seen the movie, so I already knew I liked the story. This narrator does a fantastic job. The book is rather racist and rather sexist (at least with some of the views of women), but consider when it was written and the period in which it was placed. If it was politically correct it likely wouldn't feel as real. It is funny that such unlikable charactors can be so very interesting. It is a shame she only wrote the one book as she is really a great author. I highly recommend the book, don't be afraid of the length, long books are great if well written, and this one is very well written. She could have tacked another 40 hours to the end of it and I wouldn't have minded at all.

I loved the book. Admittedly, it does leave you hanging at the end. But a lot of great writers do that, Larry McMurtry for one always seemed to me to just stop writing when he felt like it. But his books were still great (most of them). You do have to start this series from the beginning, with Outlander, partly so it makes sense and partly because you will grow to love the characters. Some reviewers said she should just put the side stories into a separate series. I totally disagree with that, part of the joy of this series is the weaving together of new and interesting characters and familiar beloved ones. I have a hard time reading her books when they aren't 40 hours long, detailed to the max, and include lots of Jaime and Claire.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters better, particularly Willam and young Ian.
Also loved the narration, as usual.
I am ready for Book 8 now!

Very entertaining book. I liked the jumping back and forth in time and the different readers. Both were perfect for their parts. Bit of a tear-jerker here and there, but that is ok. I really didn't want it to end.