Kyle

Manipulation, Synthesis, Perseverance

A little less focus on the use of descriptions such as "best ever" or "the crowd erupted". I feel as though, whenever jobs made statements to a crowd, the author portrays the audience as a mass groveling in the face of a god, however, when Jobs is talking in smaller groups, the gravity of a crass nature is underplayed by comparison.

A little more study into the personalities of the different characters. I feel as though he has heard Jobs speak, as well as Bill Gates, and so can replicate their voices to a certain degree, but his dedication to other characters, and even these two at length, wanes, and he will quickly revert back to his natural narrating voice.

No, I don't think it would have been as effective. I think it is broken up because there is so much information and personality to digest, and I wouldn't change that.

I wish there were more interviews with Jobs regarding his earlier life. I realize that he can't necessarily be trusted to correctly describe his beginnings, but I would've liked to have heard his opinion on matters as they came to light. All in all, I feel as though the author wasn't as critical of Jobs as he should have been. I understand that he was dying of cancer, and relatively weak, but I feel that, given his attention to detail, it would have been helpful for the author to have complete creative control, protected by a contract, so that he could have questioned Jobs a bit more aggressively, especially as his health recovered. This applies to the other characters interviewed. All in all, I felt as though there was too much of the author in the biography, whereas I wanted more of Steve Jobs and his effect on the people around him.

I was very excited to read about the poison king/alleged first toxologist, but this book was a severe disappointment. The content was dull and extremely repetitive, as was the voice, which I feel can best be described as a monotone grey. I thought I should tough it out, as the author made this historical figure out to be of great importance, but while that may be true, his portrayal of him leaves me wanting a straightforward story on the "known" facts of this man, not a repetition of, as he puts it, the opposite of historical fiction(bull).

I am an auditory learner and I have found that listening to books has made me more likely to remember information on the first pass through. Getting through books is also a lot easier since I can do a number of other things, such as driving, while listening to a book. This was my first experience doing this and I can safely say that it is safer for me to listen to this book than reading the printed version. I can manage my obsession while not becoming a couch potato!

Tyrion Lannister was consistently my favorite character, mainly because, in spite of the many adversities he faces, he continues to persevere. An excellent role model in determination to live, though definitely geared, as with the entire book, towards a more mature audience. I also enjoyed Theon Greyjoy's character, as it was an interesting insight into the mind of someone that might be brainwashed/how to go about brainwashing an individual. Between the two characters I don't think there is much development, but I think the descriptive depth of their personalities more than makes up for it.

Roy Dotrice is an excellent storyteller. It is clear that he has taken the time to develop multiple suitable voices for the different characters, the women in particular. Some of my favorite aspects of his performance are the exchanges between young maids and gruff soldiers. The only criticism I would give is in regards to consistency. I think it would have benefited him to have recorded each characters voice beforehand and compare them to each other, just to make sure there were no duplicates. I realize that with a story of this magnitude it can be difficult, but I don't believe it is outside the range of his skill.

Just an enjoyable listen, nothing particularly shocking, what you would hope to expect in a well thought out political fantasy.

A bit long, but it is a mammoth book. I was not bored through any of it, and I would say that speaks to the content, given that it was over 2 days worth of listening!