Holly

I thoroughly enjoyed this book...the reader is excellent...the plot is intriguing. It was so excellent I bought the second one (hint: even better). This is a very clever storyline, with well articulated characters that you care about. Warmly recommended series.

I didn't really think I would like something dubbed a "space opera" but someone who shares my taste in most books was practically breathing these books in...so I decided this would be the one to start my adventure with Miles Vorkosigan....and oh, what a delightful journey. I am reading them in chronological order (I went back and read the two "prequels" about one third of the way through the series) and each one is better than the one before...whichever one I am reading is the best! After a few chapters I was hooked. Miles Vorkosigan is to me one of the most compelling hero's of literature...hovering up there with Frodo and Harry Potter...and Lois McMaster Bujold is an exquisite writer. The Miles Vorosigan novels are far and away my favorite new books to read in 2012. This audio version is very well narrated. HIGHLY recommended to you!

This compelling story draws you into the fate of the Quaddies, genetically engineered slaves with a second set of arms in place of legs. Their desire to procreate and live as normally as they can, to experience the kind of lives we, as humans, take for granted, became far more absorbing to me than I had anticipated.

Lois McMaster Bujold is a truly fine writer, with a superb ability to capture your imagination when you least expect it...Grover Gardner does complete justice to her storytelling, narrating convincingly and without any distractions for the reader. Lois's "voice" still rings true.

I recommend you read this book as background after experiencing a few of the early Miles Vorkosigan novels.

While I love all four volumes of The Raj Quartet, the introduction of the Layton's in this second volume adds enormously to the breadth and depth of the saga. Paul Scott's writing is exquisite and Richard Brown brings it to life...I truly feel in the midst of the story as I listen.

In particular I find Sarah Leyton to be one of the most compelling figures of English literature. She is uncomfortable with the aristoratic role of her family and the British ruling class and questions the role of Britain in India, just as the life of the British Raj is winding down. She is ever bit as thoughtful as Daphne Manners in the first volume (The Jewel in the Crown), but elects to be more conventional at times. Yet I admire her inner life and feel her frustrations in dealing with her sister and mother.

I can only say that I have re-listened to this book and the other three in the Raj Quartet too many times to count. I will keep coming back to the narration of this gem of a novel.

The Collegium Chronicles all make for good listening and this one was the most enjoyable of the three.

The characters are well-developed and the plot is excellent.

The performance was quite good.

Unrelentingly violent, blatantly sexual in a non-loving way, and tragic...that made it a huge disappointment for me as, after all, it is such a best seller.

A bit of humour interjected would have helped.

I feel neutral about the performance itself. I did find myself wandering away from it at times.

Elements of the plot were intriguing.

This delightful narration of a book that actually makes me laugh out loud comes warmly recommended. The narrator does a superb job at capturing male and female characters in a convincing manner. The plot is fun and the setting is quintessentially English. I wish I could spend my summer vacation in Wandlebury with the Abbotts coming to tea.

This was my very first D.E. Stevenson novels and remains one of my favorite. It is completely charming and very well-written. The plotline and character development is masterfully wrought. I'm very pleased with the audio version.