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Jean

Reston, Virginia | Member Since 2008

102
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 37 reviews
  • 132 ratings
  • 447 titles in library
  • 22 purchased in 2013
FOLLOWING
7
FOLLOWERS
39

  • Life

    • UNABRIDGED (23 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By Keith Richards, James Fox
    • Narrated By Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2125)
    Performance
    (984)
    Story
    (976)

    Now at last Keith Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades. And what a story! Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records in a coldwater flat with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, building a sound and a band out of music they loved. Finding fame and success as a bad-boy band, only to find themselves challenged by authorities everywhere....

    Jesse says: "Ins and outs"
    "So glad I stayed with this book"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I absolutely loved this book, and was sad to say goodbye to Keith. He reveals himself, despite all the flaws, to be a really nice man, very generous with praise for fellow musicians and others who populated his life along the way. Their is no doubt that it is his voice we hear, no matter who is narrating (though I do admit that the change of narrators did detract somewhat from my enjoyment.) In the first few hours, the amount of technical detail about music and guitar playing was hard to slog through for a non-musician, but it made me appreciate how skilled and knowledgeable he is - not just a good guitar player. Nice job, Keith. Live long and prosper.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • Into the Darkest Corner

    • UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 1 min)
    • By Elizabeth Haynes
    • Narrated By David Thorpe, Karen Cass
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (712)
    Performance
    (586)
    Story
    (587)

    Catherine has been enjoying the single life for long enough to know a good catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic, spontaneous – Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell. But there is a darker side to Lee. His erratic, controlling and sometimes frightening behaviour means that Catherine is increasingly isolated. Driven into the darkest corner of her world, and trusting no one, she plans a meticulous escape.

    Janice says: "Check, and check again . . ."
    "Missing thrills and chills"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This book kept my interest because I believed I was listening to a well-crafted psychological thriller. The problem: it was all setup and no payoff. It needed clever twists, feints to keep you off-balance. Maybe that maturity will come to this author with time. The plot premise had good potential, but it didn't deliver in the end.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Survivor

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 4 mins)
    • By Gregg Hurwitz
    • Narrated By Scott Brick
    Overall
    (366)
    Performance
    (320)
    Story
    (306)

    Nate Overbay, a former soldier suffering from PTSD and ALS, goes to an 11th-floor bank and climbs out the bathroom window onto the ledge, ready to end it all. But as he’s steeling himself to jump, a crew of gunmen bursts into the bank and begins viciously shooting employees and customers. With nothing to lose, Nate climbs back inside, confronts the robbers, and with his military training, starts taking them out, one by one. The last man standing leaves Nate with a cryptic warning: “He will make you pay in ways you can’t imagine.” Soon enough, Nate learns what this means.

    Suzan J. Dexter says: "Fantastic, Loved this book!!!"
    "This book grabs you by the throat"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    On the first page and doesn't let go. We are drawn in from the moment our hero climbs on the ledge to jump, and suddenly we're hip-deep in Ukranian bad guys who sound like a chorus of Boris Badenovs and enough plot twists to make us dizzy. You could bring your critical eye here and find many Oh Please moments, but it's much more fun to just go with it and enjoy the ride.

    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • Heft

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 44 mins)
    • By Liz Moore
    • Narrated By Kirby Heyborne, Keith Szarabajka
    Overall
    (289)
    Performance
    (255)
    Story
    (252)

    Forrmer academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away in Yonkers, seventeen-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising baseball career - if he can untangle himself from his family drama.

    Melinda says: "Intriguing--Captivating--Altering"
    "Masterful character development"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I realized nearing the end of this book that I was saying a silent prayer: Please don't end please don't end... I want to follow these people's lives forever. Arthur and Kel's characters were so deftly rendered that there was never a hint of self-pity or melodrama about them. I haven't felt such empathy for fictional characters in a long time. This wonderful book deserves more than five stars.

    8 of 8 people found this review helpful
  • Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    • UNABRIDGED (41 hrs and 32 mins)
    • By Doris Kearns Goodwin
    • Narrated By Suzanne Toren
    Overall
    (688)
    Performance
    (539)
    Story
    (566)

    On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war.

    Jeremiah Duncan says: "Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative"
    "Beautifully written, narration inadequate"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This is a great book, beautifully researched and written. I wish, however, that I had bought the hard copy. The narrator's style was cold and uninvolving, although at the beginning I was hoping to get used to it. After 40 hours, unfortunately, I did not; she lacked all passion for her subject. Doris Kearns Goodwin would have been a much better choice as reader. It didn't matter to me that Toren was a woman, and she has a beautiful speaking voice. This brilliant book deserved better.

    8 of 9 people found this review helpful
  • The Chaperone

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By Laura Moriarty
    • Narrated By Elizabeth McGovern
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1535)
    Performance
    (1337)
    Story
    (1327)

    >The Chaperone is a captivating novel about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922, and the summer that would change them both. Only a few years before becoming a famous actress and an icon for her generation, a 15-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita to make it big in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle is a complicated but traditional woman with her own reasons for making the trip.

    Amanda says: "Perfection."
    "A Perfect Story, flawlessly read"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This was a beautiful book, many-layered and satisfying. I know that good fiction can and often does end leaving open questions about the lives of the characters. I hadn't appreciated how warmly satisfying it is to follow a story like this one to its fully realized conclusion.

    And who but Elizabeth McGovern could have rendered the story with more grace, empathy and warmth? Moriarty and McGovern combined to create a flawless listening experience.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Drama: An Actor's Education

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 17 mins)
    • By John Lithgow
    • Narrated By John Lithgow
    Overall
    (204)
    Performance
    (185)
    Story
    (181)

    In this riveting and surprising personal history, John Lithgow shares a backstage view of his own struggle, crisis, and discovery, revealing the early life and career that took place out of the public eye. Above all Lithgow’s memoir is a tribute to his most important influence: his father, Arthur Lithgow, who, as an actor, director, producer, and great lover of Shakespeare, brought theater to John’s boyhood. From bedtime stories to Arthur’s illustrious productions, performance and storytelling were constant and cherished parts of family life.

    Diane Havens says: "Superb"
    "I've always liked John Lithgow..."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Now I absolutely love him! This book was honest, inspiring, fascinating. He was unsparing about his flaws and mistakes, had no false modesty about his many achievements, and generous to his colleagues. When there was criticism, he gentlemanly changed the names of the characters involved. Although I was moved to do a little research to discover the identity of "Mr. Pleasant" in one story. His is a life well lived and well told.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Gods of Gotham

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 9 mins)
    • By Lyndsay Faye
    • Narrated By Steven Boyer
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (355)
    Performance
    (306)
    Story
    (308)

    It is 1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.... Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, fantasizing about the day he has enough money to win the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this new "police force".

    M. Rincon says: "Couldn't put it down!"
    "Fascinating Piece of History of New York"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    As a descendent of Irish immigrants who escaped the Potato Famine, I was very interested in the hardships and discrimination they endured. It was an unsparing account of a desperate time, and the story was tightly written with a compelling plot. The murder mystery kept my interest throughout. and I especially appreciated the author's research in uncovering the vernacular of the time.

    My one quibble is with the narrator, who seemed to be adept at accents, and yet when he was speaking with the voice of Tim, the protagonist, he returned to one of a 21st century American. That made the quaint language sound false and awkward to me, and was distracting. I wished that the reader could have adopted some sort of "antique" accent that would have placed him in mid-19th century New York.

    Overall though, a very enjoyable book.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Stonecutter

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 58 mins)
    • By Camilla Läckberg
    • Narrated By David Thorn
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (103)
    Performance
    (86)
    Story
    (86)

    The remote resort town of Fjällbacka has seen more than its share of tragedies, but a little girl found in a fisherman's net may be the worst yet - especially when the postmortem reveals that this was a methodical murder, not an accidental drowning. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father, and it’s his grim task to discover who could have killed a child both he and his partner Erica knew well. He realizes that the solution lies with finding a motive for this terrible crime.

    Jean says: "Superb!"
    "Superb!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you consider the audio edition of The Stonecutter to be better than the print version?

    The narrator was excellent,so I would say I got more from the listening experience.


    Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

    Ms. Lackberg wove an ingenious plot from strands of the past and present to create a riveting story. The suspense and uncertainty built inexorably.


    Which character – as performed by David Thorn – was your favorite?

    Patric was the unifying character throughout, but each player was extremely well done.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    Yes - it was difficult to pace myself.


    Any additional comments?

    I absolutely want to listen to more from this author. She is first rate, a thrilling new Scandinavian mystery writer.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • The Good House

    • UNABRIDGED (21 hrs and 37 mins)
    • By Tananarive Due
    • Narrated By Robin Miles
    Overall
    (979)
    Performance
    (411)
    Story
    (404)

    Tananarive Due, author of The Living Blood won the American Book Award and is praised as Stephen King's equal by Publishers Weekly. In The Good House, Due sets a story of ancient powers and modern retribution in a small Pacific Northwest town. When a young woman returns to her grandmother's empty mansion, she is pitted against demonic forces that have poisoned her family for generations.

    Rebecca says: "FABULOUS!"
    "Taut Supernatural Thriller"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to The Good House again? Why?

    Not really. Once you know the resolution, it's hard to relive it.


    Would you be willing to try another book from Tananarive Due? Why or why not?

    Yes, she writes with elegance and weaves her many characters in with skill.


    Which character – as performed by Robin Miles – was your favorite?

    It's hard to choose, because she is so talented that she brought each character alive. It was difficult to believe that she was the same person - from Grandma Marie's island lilt to the streetwise attitude of Angela's son - Robin Miles has an amazing range. I would happily hear another book narrated by her.


    Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

    No, as I said, it was somewhat uneven and didn't hold my attention all the time.


    Any additional comments?

    Tananarive Due is certainly the equal of Stephen King, writing with a discipline that he often lacks, especially at the end of the book.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Catch-22

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 1 min)
    • By Joseph Heller
    • Narrated By Jay O. Sanders
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1508)
    Performance
    (615)
    Story
    (624)

    Catch-22 is set in the closing months of World War II, in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy. Its hero is a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. (He has decided to live forever, even if he has to die in the attempt.)

    Captain Chopper says: "Phenominal Reading - Story and Damn Funny"
    "Disappointing"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Joseph Heller and/or Jay O. Sanders?

    Probably not.


    What could Joseph Heller have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

    I tried getting into the book, but the heavy-handed satire quickly grew tedious. I guess it's just not my kind of fiction.


    Have you listened to any of Jay O. Sanders’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    He did a good job - haven't listened to any others.


    Do you think Catch-22 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    No.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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