Joseph

I have not even finished it and I can tell you this is a masterful novel. It is creepy and full of foreboding. The fact it was written in 1859 makes it even more interesting. The author of course takes much for granted and the vision of life in those days is wonderful. At one point one of the characters makes the comment that she is so happy the 19th century and its modern comforts had finally invaded the house where she was living. Fabulous. The characters are clearly drawn if a not quite nuanced enough for our modern sensibilities. The plotting couldn't be more interesting. I can't stop listening. I care about the characters.

I don't have a candidate. This is a psychological thriller of the first order. I think it might make a film, but will have to finish it first to know. Our modern need for action, action, action as exemplified by the Sherlock Holmes movies, probably means the subtle fears and thrills inherent in this story are too meek for Hollywood.

The performances are excellent. Character after character are performed with clear differences between their speech.

I had to put the book down when Lady Glyde died.

I had the very unusual experience of perusing a copy of the May 26th, 1860, Harper's Weekly that I found at a friend's house. The issue had an etching (after Brady) of Lincoln on the cover, as he had just gotten the Republican Nomination for President. Inside was an excerpt from....you guessed it...The Woman in White. A chapter I had just listened to the night before. To make it even more spectacular I saw this on...May 26th of this year, 2012...152 years to the day after publication. Do do do do...do do do do....you are in the twilight zone.

I don't know if I listen again, but I sure enjoyed it this first time.

Like all the series, it is the pacing and non-stop edge-of-the-seat action that keeps you listening. I also very much enjoy knowing Bosch's flawed humanity.

Good performer.

This writer often puts me in fear for the character's life, feelings, emotions, etc.

If you like this series, you will not be disappointed by this particular book. Its is among the best.

I most loved the sense of being the in times. It is hard to imagine this period of history today and yet I know Tolstoy has nailed it. Most of us don't hobnob with the upper classes, to the extent there are any upper classes today, so the experience is unique.

His sense action is very clear. It is like being in the battles. Unfortunately, battles are confused and unclear snatches of perception to the participants, and since I don't know the history of these battles having never studied this theatre of the Napoleanic
Wars, the battles are confused and unclear.

Prince Andre's death

I gave this book a try because I like Ellis Peters' Cadfael series. It didn't quite live up to expectations. It was maybe too staid and English for me. I thought it neither thrilling nor twisty-turney enough. It may be that I like the Cadfael series better because of the historical novel nature. I like stories set in times with which I have not or little knowledge.

Probably

Breaking through the wall.

NO

I thought I had read all of Heinlein but this one must have escaped me as a young man. It is pretty good if a little simplistic based on the current standards of SF. Still he's a master and the chance to revisit his prose and straightforward storytelling was a good experience. It is not up to the high standards of his greatest works...I particularly resonate with Starship Troopers, but worth the listen.

The story arc is very broad. But the main character does not evolve as much as he should.

Grandma.

If wouldn't make a film of this book.

I'v now read three of Ursula LeGuin's works and find her very interesting and thoughtful. Lavinia was to me the best so far. It was not so much scifi, and history/mythfi. Planet of Exile is interesting but thin. I wanted more depth and detail about the culture that was implanted on the planet, why it has lost contact with its larger environment, and what the people could hope for. In a way, it is as if you see the world she created, albeit a fascinating one, through a hazy fog. She doesn't have the clarity I like in CJ Cherryh, but she has great sensibilities. Her characters lacked dimensionality if this one, which is an early work, but her vision of imagination are fabulous. I recommend it, particularly for fans of hers.

The girl.

I really didn't like the performances much, and found the male-femal switcheroo distracting.

No

She shouldn't let her politics get in her way.

This is the fourth Follett book, or maybe the fifth I've read/listened to, and I find him to be most satisfying. Somewhat simplistic and not up to Eye of the Needle, Hornet Flight is still a good read. It revisits one of his passions, spies during WWII, but it is a great seam to be mined. I read both of the books about Knightsbridge cathedral, nice and long, and found them also very enjoyable. I'll continue to sample his work. If you are a fan, this is a middling choice but worth your time.

Yes

Taking pictures on the base.

No

No

This book is really every bit as good as the first one he wrote about the Cathedral at Knightsbridge which takes place 200 years earlier. His characters are finely drawn and understandable, but not one dimensional. I particularly like how he evokes a sense of time and place, which is what I like best about historical fiction in any case.

This is a long novel, so there are lots of good moments. Frankly I found the very ending most memorable and inspiring.

I really find narrators to be transparent. Best if not noticed. I didn't notice. That's good.

Once in a while I would get frightened when a favorite character would be in peril, or when one of the bad guys became ascendent. Which happens with frequency.

This book is well worth the time.

I consider myself a well-read SF reader...no fantasy please! So it is with trepidation that I try a new author. I can't stand bad writing. Stephenie Meyer wrote this pretty well. It is a very unique approach. I'd fault her for not quite separating her alien thinking from her human thinking ( for that you have to read Cherryh), but the base concept is good and she keeps this big 'ol novel going well. I enjoyed it. Some good emotional stuff too. Bravo.