"Excellent"
This famous spy novel deserves its reputation. It is fairly short and moves along quickly. The narrator is quite good. The voice the narrator gives the main character is intense, an often frustrated, impatient and angry man. Had I read the book in hardcover, I likely would have heard in my mind a voice less angry that than of the main character, but the narrator's rendering is not a wrong voice for the character. I didn't find the main character very likeable, but then I didn't dislike him, and I was always rooting for him and sympathetic to his plight.
"Ah, to discover a new really good author"
Good story, interesting characters, good character development, and life in rural Quebec new to me. I will buy more of her books.
"unjustified perseverance got me through"
I trusted the author's reputation on this purchase. That plus an interest in the workings of the underground railroad. I found it rather boring. I kept listening with one ear so to speak since much was uninteresting to me. There is a lot, really a lot, of quilt making discussions. Some of the reactions of the English girl to life in America in 1850 are interesting, like how rude rocking chairs may seem. Runaway slaves do not appear until the last 1/2 hour of part one. The treatment of the issue I found mildly interesting.
"strange"
Not sure what I think. Three of the stories are quite interesting. One (the future) is ok. One, I can't even say what it involves. The writing is excellent. The narration as well, But,in one of the stories, the hillbilly-like accent and odd vocabulary sat ill with me. I had to skip over it to the next story.
"accent too "something""
The narrator's Irish accent was too thick, too strong for me. A bit was ok, but after a couple of hours, I had to give up.
"doesn't go anywhere"
The early part of the book is very much like the work of Carl Hiaasen which I love. But the story, well, there really isn't much of one. There were so many tangents that I had to give it up after a couple of hours.
"passive active"
Well-written. The style is such that you don't notice it. The book has plenty of action, dealing with the Nazi's and concentration camp life, but it is more a love story than a tale of World War II.
One learns in the opening pages that Lenka (sp) is the lost wife who Joseph finds at a wedding reception when they are in their 80s. Their stories proceed separately from that point with Lenka starting with her childhood in Prague and Joseph looking back at various events in his post-Prague life in the U.S. I stuck with the book, but I became impatient with Joseph's story. George Guidall does his typical superb narration but he can't really bring much life to Joseph who has the passive story, assessing his life from old age. Lenka's story is the active one, which is the larger part of the book and fairly interesting.
"Wonderful Read (Listen)"
I listened to an earlier book, "Can You Keep A Secret," and loved it, so I jumped at this book when it became available. It's just as good as the one I read before.
The story is good, the writing sharp; it's witty and clever. The narrator does a very good job. The voice is a bit high pitched at times, but it fits well with the character.
"a great man just discovered"
I had no idea how great a man James Garfield was. What a tragedy he was assassinated. The story is fascinating.
"a bit too long"
I would have shortened it by a quarter. It's a good story, told well. It does seem to drag a bit in Part 4 and I grew tired of it. Also, while I don't mind a bit of romance, Donati has one couple absolutely incapable of keeping their hands off each other through at least a year of being together. It didn't seem realistic or necessary.
I love Kate Reading. She meets her reputation here. Oddly, she seems to have trouble with the name of the Indian tribe on which the book focuses. I can't spell it, but it's something like "ka yen ka ha ka." Kate pauses after the first two sllyables thru the first half of the book; then compresses it into one word. It may be that it is two words. No big deal.
"kudos to author and narrator"
Donna Leon has a wonderful style and apparently an acute observer of people and things. David Colacci makes her book a real joy to "read."