Loretta

Well developed characters, interesting cultural clashes, engaging plot... but the language was distracting. I'd love to know how many times the author used the "f-word" ... I'm not a prude. Half as many would have sufficed for character development. I almost quit listening because I felt I was being cussed out for the first 90 minutes.

Probably not. Most of my friends aren't big Sci-Fi fans. (I'm not either, and thought I was downloading a mystery!)

Great voices. Nicely done.

I was hesitant to download this one because so many of the reviews described it as "dark". I won't quibble with that, but perhaps I would call it "twisted", rather than dark. Flynn is such a clever author that she manages to deliver a story about a psychopath that is actually very entertaining. She constructs a wonderful storyline and strings us along from chapter to chapter with material that in the hands of a less talented authors would feel depressing.

The narrators are spot on. This was one that kept me on the treadmill longer just to hear what was going to happen next. Definitely going to read more of Gillian Flynn.

I truly enjoyed the first Maggie Hope Mystery, and expected to like this one as well. I can't believe this is even the same author. The characters are small and one dimensional. The main character, Maggie is ridiculously uninteresting, helpless and childlike (a problem exacerbated by the narrator's performance). It might fly for a youth novel, but I would hope even teenagers have higher standards. Skip it.

It's not until the final chapter that you realize just how cleverly this plot is constructed.
What seems like a simple storyline turns itself inside out in the final pages. McEwan populates 1970s London with flawed, relatable characters, all more than a little self absorbed.

My only reservation lies in a few passages that become overly introspective and drag down the narrative. But even that is redeemed by insightful social commentary on the cold war era and the social and economic chaos of the period. It's a compulsive read I was sorry to finish.

Barbara Kingsolver is one of the great writers of her generation. Why does she insist on recording her own audiobooks?! Her voice is monotonous and causes the reader (or at least this one) to loose the thread of what is almost always an engaging storyline.

Each time I download a new Kingsolver book I hope I will have a more positive response to her narration. Instead I find these are great narrations for easing me into my Sunday afternoon nap.

We should all play to our strengths, and allow others play to theirs. Dear Ms. Kingsolver please spend your valuable time writing more books, and allow narrators and actors to record them.

Sincerely,
A fan of your writing.

I recognize Junot Diaz is winning every critical award in American Literature these days, but there is so little to redeem this characters or the story line. I've attempted both of Diaz's latest works, and it's just not for me.

Although Tess remains front and center in this novel, the feel of this shorter novel is something of a departure for our heroine. Laura Lippman pays homage to the work of other mystery masters, involves all our favorite characters from her previous books, and saves the best for last.

If you like Laura Lippman, you will love this one!

I know Ken Follett must research this series relentlessly, but he's made at least one serious historical error. At one point he is discussing sports teams in Washington DC in 1941. He refers to the Washington Nats, (Nationals). In 1941 the MLB team in Washington was known as The Senators (Although the "Nationals" was part of the team's formal name. Hometown folks called them the Senators.)

Baseball fans will call him out on that one.

But that hardly matters, it is a great sequel, and carries on in the tradition of Fall of Giants.

It's easy to be a Laura Lippman fan, especially when she writes such rich and complex characters like Tess Monaghan. But in this novel we meet another strong and complex woman in Heloise Lewis. As always, Lippman keeps you guessing to the very end. I hope we hear more from Heloise, and maybe even a novel featuring Tess and Heloise together!
It's a good one.... you won't be sorry!

... of course for Gabaldon fans NOTHING will ever compare. But this series has the same detailed, well drawn characters is set in pre-colonial America, and adds the twist of mystery. The narrator is quite good as well.