BB

Max Hastings' ability to find first-person accounts and integrate them into his narrative has always been one of his outstanding talents, and in "Inferno," he has the chance to do this on a global scale. I listened to this immediately after Andrew Robert's "The Storm of War," and the two books are remarkably complementary: Roberts provides a better-organized narrative, while Hastings provides countless memorable snapshots of the human cost of the war. Hastings does not skimp on covering the full range of events and theatres, and manages to include dozens of lesser-known aspects, such as the siege of Budapest in 1944 and the magnitude of Japanese war crimes in China. Ralph Cosham's narration has a certain hesitant quality that took a little getting used to, but in the end, it seemed perfect for the text. I certainly hope that Audible will acquire Hastings' other works, such as "Overlord," "Armageddon," and "Retribution."

Grover Gardner has been the perfect narrator throughout this series and this volume is no exception. This book covers Johnson's ambivalent attempt at running for the Presidency in 1960, his years of frustration as Vice President (going from the second most powerful man in Washington to being mocked by Kennedy staffers as "Rufus Cornpone"), and then his remarkable success in the months following Kennedy's assassination. For those who have followed Johnson through over two thousand pages of Caro's biography up to this point, the last two hundred pages serve as testament to the fact that this truly was a great man, if also a greatly flawed one. I listened to this immediately after finishing Caro's "The Power Broker," and one can see how Caro has matured as a writer. Both books are richly detailed portraits, but now Caro's viewpoint is far more nuanced and balanced. Even his sketches of John and Robert Kennedy demonstrate that Caro's greatest strength is his ability to reveal a man's character in depth--the good and the bad--without giving into the temptation to reduce it to a simplistic summary judgment. Yes, this is a long book that requires patience and commitment from a reader or listener, but I consider it one of those books that has profoundly enriched my life. May Caro live to finish this masterpiece!

I usually enjoy books about World War Two, and having read biographies of Eisenhower and Patton, was looking forward to listening to this. But Jordan's writing displays all the worst characteristics of an amateur attempting to apply cliched rules about colorful writing. Which means that a grin has to be sheepish, eyes to twinkle, etc. I finally gave up at minute 26, shortly after hearing Eisenhower described as "instinctively likable." Whose instinct? Eisenhower's? Other peoples'? Think about it a minute and you'll realize that this is an example of a writer grabbing a readily available adjective without considering its meaning. Jordan tells us that "The Army wanted Eisenhower to stay in the States and train men." The Army did, eh? Was this before or after the Army wanted a BLT for lunch? Coming after books by Max Hastings and Andrew Roberts--who actually know how to write vivid and correct prose--this book seemed like Wonder Bread after crusty and flavorful sourdough. Yuck.

I've always liked the way Bellow captures characters by their dress, their expressions, their manners, and this short novel has some good ones, starting with Tommy Wilhelm. But he places Wilhelm in a predicament and then leaves us hanging. When I read this decades ago, I thought it was moving. Listening to it now, I found it frustrating.

Excellent as usual.

I thought Tull's "Six Frigates" was just of average interest, but "Pacific Crucible" is leaps and bounds beyond that. It's just the kind of narrative history I love: the writer is willing to take time to explore the background and side stories at length without losing the momentum of the story. Tull takes the time to show how the American and Japanese navies came to be shaped and then demonstrates throughout his account of the clashes, beginning with Pearl Harbor and ending with Midway, between them. Like Max Hastings, Tull is adept at interweaving personal accounts with the larger historical view. To me, the ultimate test of an audiobook is whether I'm tempted away to listen to other things: in this case, I was held for over twenty hours without ever once experiencing that temptation. A terrific listen!

I gave this audiobook two stars. One star I reserve for truly annoying works. This one was merely forgettable. The points the authors make are neither original nor effectively made. The reader is unobtrusive but also unengaging. Overall, not worth the time or money.

Doris Kearns Goodwin does a wonderful job of weaving numerous threads in this narrative history: the personal relationship between FDR and Eleanor; the political challenges FDR had to maneuver in, around, and over in his effort to fight fascism and lead the U.S. and then the whole alliance; the social and economic changes America went through during the course of the war; and all the personalities--from Harry Hopkins and Churchill to FDR's valet and his purple-haired catty cousin, Laura Delano. Roosevelt still takes plenty of criticism and was certainly no paragon of perfection, but there are times, as Goodwin clearly conveys, when, even 70 years later, you have to thank our lucky stars that FDR was President when he was--and Churchill PM when he was. And to get all this well-recounted history told with Nelson Runger's calm, wise and companionable voice makes it an all-around 5-star pleasure.

As with all of McCullough's books, "The Greater Journey" is filled with memorable characters--James Fennimore Cooper; Samuel B. Morse; Augustus St. Gaudens; and best of all, Elihu Washburne, the hero of the siege of Paris. McCullough's material here lacks the same strong narrative thread that makes works like "1776" and "Truman" as irresistable as potato chips. Instead, there are several narrative clusters: Cooper and Morse, which is full of quotes from wonderful letters and diaries; Washburne's time as ambassador, which will make you proud to be an American and amazed that his name is not better known; and the artists of the late 19th century, such as St. Gaudens, Whistler, and Cassatt. The first two clusters are fascinating; the last merely interesting--and the end a weak fade-out. But it's still far better than 90% of the other history audiobooks on this site, and Edward Herrmann is McCullough's best reader (after Nelson Runger).

I looked forward to this release from the time this book was first published in 2010. From the reviews I read, I assumed it would be a series of reflections that would draw from both Montaigne's life and his essays. And on the surface, it is. Each chapter takes a theme ("Observe closely") and quotes examples of Montaigne considering or engaging in it. But the bulk of the book is really a straight account of his life, chopped into 20 chapters, that moves steadily from youth to death and often goes into more details about 16th century French religious and political disputes than most listeners are likely to be interested in. Davina Porter is an engaging reader, and there are some memorable passages, but the text often drags. I was hoping for a 4-5 star listen, but for me it was just average.

Just about anything Peter Drucker ever wrote is worth reading and usually worth re-reading. However, there are two advisory notes about this audiobook. First, the text is not an update of Drucker's 1973 classic, "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices," which is the closest thing to the one essential management book I know of. It's a compilation assembled from parts of that book and various articles he wrote in the 1980s and 1990s. Second, the narrator has a pompous, lecturing tone that quickly grows old. It's taken me months to finish this, because I can't stand listening to him for more than 30 minutes or so. What a pity they couldn't find a reader who understood that audiobooks are listened to by individuals, not by lecture halls.