JerseyGirl

The story of the Morro Castle disaster (of which I heretofore knew nothing) was an amazing true American tale. Why was this not a part of American History class? We all know about the Titanic, but how many of us know about the Morro Castle tragedy? This is an excellent story, told very well by the author.

The narrator did a very good job with diction and annunciation, but I found that, listening to the book over a car audio system, his vocal intonations of the characters' quotes and spoken passages were not on the same listening level as the reading of the passages. As a result, I often had to adjust the sound levels; after a while, this became a bit of a chore, and detracted from the overall listening experience.

Yes, in fact I would often try to listen to it in "snippets", doing chores, cooking, etc. (while I usually listen to audio books while driving to work).

This was an excellent tale, and very well written. The narrator did a good job, but, perhaps, the technical production needs to be "tweaked" so the listening levels are more fluid. Overall, a very worthwhile purchase!

Given Nora Roberts' popularity, I guess I'm in a minority, but I just can't seem to latch on to her novels. This one had such high ratings, I thought I'd give it a listen. But, deep into the first download, I can barely keep my eyes on the road while commuting to work during the narrative; I find myself rolling my eyes at the pedestrian characters and the high-school-essay plot development. It may not help that I'm also reading an exquisite novel by Alan Brennert ("Honolulu"); by comparison, the writing in "The Witness" pales beyond redemption. I will return this one.

I will probably go to "Molokai" (Alan Brennert) or one of Ken Follett's magnificent novels ("Pillars of the Earth", "World Without End"), or "Devil in the White City".

The narrator does try to use vocal inflection to define the characters, but I have often thought that they were not really on target. Again, by comparison, the narrator of "The Crimson Petal and the White" was dead on with her vocal tempo and inflections, which truly enhanced the listening experience. That audio book actually had me completely addicted; I was listening to it at every opportunity. This one...not so much.

Disappointment.

I will try to return this one for something I can look forward to.

Yes, I have actually recommended this audio book. I listened to it every day during a tough commute to work, but found myself sneaking away to see what happened to Sugar next...

The author did a splendid job of bringing humanity to the central character, Sugar.

The narrator was simply perfect for this book. She had a smooth, engaging voice, with a most suitable British accent.

I was completely captivated with this entire audio book (a long one!), but I found the ending disappointing. In a way, I can understand why it ended the way it did, but I think I'd rather have known more about where and how certain characters ended up.