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Janice

United States | Member Since 2007

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  • 3 reviews
  • 5 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 8 purchased in 2013
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  • Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots | [Deborah Feldman]
    Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots
    UNABRIDGED

    Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 31 mins)
    • By Deborah Feldman
    • Narrated By Rachel Botchan
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (257)
    Performance
    (218)
    Story
    (215)

    In this captivating memoir, Deborah Feldman takes listeners on an eye-opening journey into Orthodox Jewish culture. Raised in the suffocating world of Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidim, Feldman was told what to read and who she was allowed to talk to. Married off at 17, she suffered from anxiety and was shamed by an inability to please her older husband. But after giving birth to a son at age 19, Feldman realized it was time to tear up her roots and make her own path in life.

    Ella says: "A one-sided glimpse into a secretive world"
    "Behind the scenes in a Hasidic community."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Unorthodox in three words, what would they be?

    revealing, sad, interesting


    What other book might you compare Unorthodox to and why?

    Escape by Carolyn Jessop. She also wrote about life in a cult like atmosphere that suppressed women and children. She escaped that life after many years and many kids.


    Which character – as performed by Rachel Botchan – was your favorite?

    Devorah


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    No.


    Any additional comments?

    The end of the book lacked details about her divorce and any custody battles over the child.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Woman Upstairs | [Claire Messud]
    The Woman Upstairs
    UNABRIDGED

    The Woman Upstairs

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 1 min)
    • By Claire Messud
    • Narrated By Cassandra Campbell
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (71)
    Performance
    (62)
    Story
    (61)

    Nora Eldridge, a 37-year-old elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who long ago abandoned her ambition to be a successful artist, has become the "woman upstairs", a reliable friend and tidy neighbor always on the fringe of others' achievements. Then into her classroom walks Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if from a fairy tale. He and his parents - dashing Skandar, a Lebanese scholar and professor at the École Normale Supérleure; and Sirena, an effortlessly glamorous Italian artist - have come to Boston for Skandar to take up a fellowship at Harvard.

    Beth Anne says: "Disturbing, Frustrating, Messed Up and AWESOME!"
    "Don't waste your time."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

    Making it into a short story.


    What could Claire Messud have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

    Less droning on about what the reader thinks.


    What do you think the narrator could have done better?

    The narrator did her best with the material.


    Any additional comments?

    Move on to another choice if you are thinking of listening to this.

    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy | [David Nasaw]
    The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy
    UNABRIDGED

    The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy

    • UNABRIDGED (31 hrs)
    • By David Nasaw
    • Narrated By Malcolm Hillgartner
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (110)
    Performance
    (95)
    Story
    (88)

    Joseph Patrick Kennedy - whose life spanned the First World War, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the Cold War - was the patriarch of America’s greatest political dynasty. The father of President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert and Edward Kennedy, 'Joe' Kennedy was an indomitable and elusive figure whose dreams of advancement for his nine children were matched only by his extraordinary personal ambition and shrewd financial skills.

    Robert says: "Wonderfully entertaining and engaging"
    "Just Okay"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

    It wasn't always that interesting, so some of my time was well-spent other times I just started day dreaming because it didn't hold my interest.


    Has The Patriarch turned you off from other books in this genre?

    somewhat


    Have you listened to any of Malcolm Hillgartner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    No, I have not listened to him before.


    Was The Patriarch worth the listening time?

    No.


    Any additional comments?

    If there's an abridged version, go for that.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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