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I suppose this book was well researched and written, but I was hugely disappointed by the material. It was extremely redundant regarding volcanoes and folk literature and barely touching on classic Greek and Roman mythology as I had expected. One of my more disappointing listens. Yes the explanations of myth techniques was okay, but I grew weary of the story of long strands of red firey hair being explained as lava streams. I understood the concept the first time explained.

I read nonfiction to gain better understanding of topics on which I have little understanding. I did not know much about what makes introverts they introverts that they are. I have always believed that somehow I was a flawed extovert. I gained insight into two introverts I love and an understanding that I might not be an extrovert myself after all. I now understand the introvert perspective and have gained a better appreciation for their secret/silent strenghts.

The work was scholarly and thoughtful. It is definitely not a pop psychology piece. The sited studies added credibility. The author did a great job of fusing ancedotes and research studies. I will be ordering several hard copy versions to give as gifts as signs of appreciation to a several introverts who are dear to me.

I loved the narrated novel. Great storyline in the same way Maltese Falcon and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are great stories.. The storyline held suprises and was not overly contrived like so many books of this genre can be. Yes, you had to suspend your supicious mind from time to time to get into a few scenes, but aren't we willing to do that when we begin a novel of this sort. Part of me loved the beautiful imagery, and part of me felt it got a bit long and formulaistic at points. Will Patton really brings the story home. Even his female and foreign voices were effective.

I will plan on doing another of Mr. Burke's novels at some time in the future. Hopefully one narrated by Will Patton.

Thank you Karl Marlantes for writing this riveting book. This is the "All Quiet on the Western Front" of our time. Thank you as well Bronson Pinchot for an amazing verbal interpretation. I had to pause listening from time to time because of the intensity and to absorb the visual images created by Mr. Marlantes. Of the 50 or so audio books I have listened to the only other that compared is "The Old Man and the Sea" written by Hemmingway and read by Donald Sutherland. You will be amazed by "Matterhorn."

I found this an interesting theme which provided a fair and balanced perspective of what went wrong and right in the life of two young men. It avoids cliches and tells it like it is. It provided hope and at the same time created sadness. I listened while driving which is not the best way to evaluate editing but my assessment is that it lacked substantially at times. Mr. Moore did his story a disservice by reading the book himself. His reading style was short and truncated, pausing frequently mid-sentence like he was out of breath. In my listening this was serious enough flaw that it substantially reduced the enjoyment of the book. I would rate the story favorably, but the other elements were enough of a distraction that I would not recomment it.

From the authors point of view the CIA has done little succesfully over the last 60 years. It felt like the author began with a bias for which facts were sought. I am sure there were successes, perhaps they were more secret. I would have enjoyed a book which was a bit more balanced. It is the nature of a book like this to not know enough. It made me wonder if the KGB etc, while built up by the author as being subtantially more succesful were more inept than the CIA? It is the nature of a book like this that you are left wondering what is missing from the tale.

I bought this audio book because I love words but it was so much more than just a story of words. It was the story of a massive undertaking by fascinating people transcending 80 years which resulted in the English language having order for the first time. The plot contained protagonists and foils all with quirks and peccadilloes. The words were rich and joyous, but l enjoyed the people and the story more. It was clear that the author loved his material and by reading it himself did more justice to it than someone else reading it. I hope that this book might find a wide audience because it is a most deserving narrative.

I have listened to nearly three dozen audiobooks and i would definitely rate this in the top 5.

This is the type of book that outside the normal course for many listeners that I would encourage them to try. You will be pleasantly surprised.

My objection to many modern books is the addition of a last minute character who quickly redirects the flow of the novel from where it would have gone otherwise. I was a hijacked reader who was forced to make a 90 degree turn. The ending was unreasonable and diminished my enjoyment of the book. Frankly, I had written a better ending in my head.

Having said that, both readers did a fantastic job and made the journey up to the last couple of chapters enjoyable.

The horrible fidelity of this audio completely negates its historical importance. It is impossible to listen to while commuting by car. It is evident it was first recorded cassette and is over 20 years old. (At one point the audio said "please turn over cassette now.") The audio is filled with hiss and sounds like the reader was in another room. The clarity varies from overdubbing. I wonder if they turned "play" on the cassette player set it next to a microphone used it to make a digital recording. Audible should be embarrassed by something of such shabby quality. I feel entitled to a refund. Don't gamble buy something else instead.

Poor quality phone interview. Mainly commentary on A Prayer for Owen Meaney. I was hoping for a survey interview.